Overview
The Notes tab is where your team writes notes on a mortgage file, mentions teammates with @, replies in threads, and attaches files. Mentioned teammates get an email, so notes double as a lightweight way to hand off work on a file.
Brokers and processors use notes for call summaries, lender conversations, reminders, and internal decisions. You can color-code, pin, and reorder notes, and highlight key text. Notes is a required tab, so it is always visible on every mortgage file.
At a glance
The Notes tab is where the team writes on a mortgage file and mentions teammates.
Notes is always on the file. Mention a teammate with @ and they get an email when you save. New mentions on an edit get an email too.
You can reply, pin, reorder, and highlight. Attach files only after the note is saved, up to 10MB each.
Private Note is a label. It does not reliably hide the note from other team members.
AML compliance notes cannot be deleted. AI Notetaker is not available yet.
Before you begin
Check these requirements before you add notes on the Notes tab.
Teammates must be team members in your organization to be @mentioned.
Attachments can be PDF, Word, Excel, TXT, CSV, JPG, PNG, GIF, or WEBP, up to 10MB each.
Collaborators from another organization can use Notes if the file owner granted them the Notes module. Their notes and replies show a Collaborator badge.
Step-by-step instructions
Use these steps to add, reply to, and organize notes on the Notes tab.
Add a note
Add a note when you want something written on the mortgage file.
Open the mortgage file and select Notes in the file sidebar.
Select Add Note. On a file with no notes, select + Create your first note.
Optional: select Template to load a note or email template. Use "Search templates..." and All categories to find one.
Optional: enter a Title (Optional). Titles show in bold.
Type the note in Note Content. Type @ to mention a team member.
Optional: select Show details to set Color (Gray, Blue (default), Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Pink, or Indigo), Type (General, Reminder, Alert, Milestone, Client Note, or Internal), Priority (Low, Normal (default), High, or Urgent), and Private Note ("Only visible to you"). See the limitation below.
Before you continue: saving emails every team member you mentioned.
Select Save Note, or press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter.
You see "Note created! N team member(s) notified." or "Note created successfully!". The new note appears at the top, below any pinned notes.
Reply to a note
Reply to a note when you want to add a message in that thread.
Select Reply on the note.
Type your reply. People already in the thread are mentioned for you.
Save the reply.
Replies can be nested. The note shows "N replies".
Edit a note
Edit a note when you need to change the text, color, type, or priority.
Hover the note and select Edit note. This opens "Editing Note". Change the text, Color, Type, or Priority, then select Save Changes. Only newly added mentions get an email. Edited notes show "Edited {date}".
Pin a note
Pin a note when it should stay above the other notes.
Hover the note and select Pin to top. The note stays above the others ("Note pinned to top"). Select Unpin note to undo.
Delete a note
Delete a note when you want it removed from the file.
Hover the note and select Delete note.
Before you continue: this cannot be undone. Confirm "Are you sure you want to delete this note?". You see "Note deleted successfully!".
Attach files to a note
Attach files to a note after the note has been saved.
Save the note first.
Hover the note and select Attach files, or drag files onto the note and release when you see Drop files to attach.
You see "N files uploaded successfully". Attachments are included in the email sent to mentioned teammates.
Reorder notes
Reorder notes when you want a manual order other than newest first.
Drag a note by its grip handle. You see "📝 Note order updated - drag to reorder anytime!". Pinned notes always stay first.
Highlight text in a note
Highlight text in a note when you want a phrase marked on that note.
Select Highlight. The button shows Highlight on.
Select text in a note. You see "Highlighted: "…"".
Highlights are listed on the note. Select the x next to one to remove it ("Highlight removed"), or select Clear All ("All highlights cleared").
Find a note
Find a note when you are looking for a title, some text, or a pinned or private note.
Use "Search notes by title or content…". Replies are searched too.
Use the chips: All, Pinned, My notes, Mentions, or Private.
If nothing matches, you see "No notes match your search". Select Clear search.
Practical examples and other ways to use it
These examples show ways to use the Notes tab on a mortgage file.
Hand off to a processor. Write "@Jordan Example please order the appraisal for 123 Example Street", set Type to Reminder and Priority to High. Jordan gets an email with the note.
Log a lender call. Load a call-summary note template, fill it in, and pin it until the condition is cleared.
Keep a decision visible. Use a red color and the Alert type for anything the next person on the file must read first.
Stage history. When you change the stage on the Application Status tab on desktop, Broki adds a Milestone note such as "Stage changed from Application to Approved".
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
If one of these happens on the Notes tab, use the fix under that mistake.
Treating Private as confidential. The Private Note label does not reliably hide the note from other team members. Do not put information in a note that teammates on the file must not see.
Mentioning someone after saving and expecting no email. Adding a new mention when you edit sends that person an email. Mention only people who need to act.
Trying to attach before saving. Attachments can only be added to a saved note. Save first, then select Attach files.
Troubleshooting
Use this section when a note will not save, cannot be deleted, or a mention email did not arrive.
"Please enter note content"
You see "Please enter note content" when you try to save without text in Note Content.
Possible causes: the Note Content box is empty. A title alone is not enough.
To fix:
Type the note text.
Select Save Note.
"AML compliance notes cannot be deleted. They are retained for audit purposes."
You see "AML compliance notes cannot be deleted. They are retained for audit purposes." when the note is an AML compliance note.
Possible causes: the note was created by the AML compliance process.
To fix: this note is kept on purpose. Add a reply if you need to correct or explain it.
"File size exceeds 10MB limit"
You see "File size exceeds 10MB limit" when an attachment is over the size limit.
Possible causes: the attachment is larger than 10MB.
To fix:
Compress or split the file outside Broki.
Attach it again.
A mentioned teammate did not get an email
A mentioned teammate did not get an email when the mention was not added in the way that sends one.
Possible causes: the person was not selected from the @ list, or they were already mentioned before you edited the note.
Check first: whether the toast after saving said "N team member(s) notified".
To fix:
Edit the note and mention them again from the @ list.
Select Save Changes.
Contact support if they still do not receive it. Include the file's loan code, the note title, and the approximate time.
Tips and best practices
Use these practices when you write notes on the Notes tab.
Add titles to long notes. Collapsed notes are easier to scan when the title says what the note is about.
Use Type and color consistently across your team, for example red Alerts for blockers. Everyone can read the file faster.
Use note templates for repeated notes like call summaries. They keep the same structure on every file.
Limitations and important behavior
These limits apply to privacy, deletion, and attachments on the Notes tab.
Private Note is a label. It is not a guaranteed privacy control.
AML compliance notes cannot be deleted.
Attachment limit is 10MB per file.
The AI Notetaker button is not available yet.
New notes appear at the top, after pinned notes. Dragging sets a manual order.
Frequently asked questions
These answers cover who can see notes, mentions in replies, and note color.
Can my client see notes on the file? Notes are on the mortgage file inside Broki, not in the client portal.
Can I mention a teammate in a reply? Yes. Type @ in the reply. Thread participants are added automatically.
Can I change a note's color after I save it? Yes. Select Edit note and change Color.
Related articles
These articles cover tasks, stages, the activity log, and templates.