Mortgage technology

From time to time I hear appraisers talk about the fact that they feel undervalued, and that the business they’re in is becoming increasingly difficult. Some feel it’s a downright hostile environment for appraisers today.

There was a lot of shock, sadness, and yes, grief here at SourceMedia at the recent passing of Neil Morse. We knew Neil as a gifted mortgage writer, an indefatigable road warrior, a thoroughly professional public relations executive, and finally as a colleague for his work with our conference group. He died way too soon (he was 62). But he had an impressive life.

ISGN Corp., Melbourne, Fla., hired Matthew Mesmer as associate general counsel with a focus on regulatory compliance, corporate compliance, ethics, risk management and operational compliance.

Experience 1 Inc., a holding company for two title insurance providers, named former LPS executive Eric Swenson chairman.

LendingQB, Costa Mesa, Calif., named Brian Smith to its business development team.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s director of industry standards is leaving the trade group, less than six months after the MBA resumed running the day-to-day operations of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization.

After the conclusion of a successful pilot program, the Internal Revenue Service is planning to roll out the production version of its electronic signature capabilities for Form 4506-T by the end of 2012, according to officials who detailed the plans during the MBA tech show in Phoenix this week.

Ellie Mae said that Cathleen Schreiner Gates has joined the company as senior vice president of sales and client services.

ISGN Corp., Melbourne, Fla., hired Jennifer Fulks and as associate general counsel with a focus on regulatory compliance, corporate compliance, ethics, risk management and operational compliance.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is relying on an emphasis on standardized data to manage complaints it receives about mortgage industry participants and other rule making and regulatory activities.

Until recently, the deterioration of properties didn’t pique the interest of servicing agencies until it was clearly designated REO and, until recently, this was all well and good. But the winds have changed.

Randall Craig, a Toronto-based social media marketing expert, said marketing campaigns using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like, can be measured through the following four approaches.

The Agoura Hills, Calif.-based risk mitigation firm has integrated Google Maps satellite images into FraudGuard to help lenders decrease loan processing time and quickly identify external issues with properties.

Sometimes I go in circles. I do marketing, my phone rings, I get busy, I stop marketing. I close loans, I realize my phone isn't ringing as much so I start all over. My new goal is to go in a straight line.

While it is evident that loans are receiving a great deal of scrutiny these days, it is also true that appraisal reports are generally viewed most closely for the value they recommend, not the detail they contain.

Lenders are relying on technology to help with good-faith estimate compliance, but some loan origination system providers may have been caught off guard when the new GFE rolled out, said an executive with one of the settlement services providers.

Single point of contact requirements for servicers aren’t just another compliance burden, they’re an opportunity for improved margins and lower loss severity, according to Craig Focardi, a senior research director at consulting firm TowerGroup.

Mortgage vendor ISGN Corp. Tuesday named industry veteran Tim Anderson director of its corporate technology strategy.

Technology vendor Fiserv has named an Ally Financial executive as its new chief information officer.

• FHA/IRS E-Sign
• Social Media Success
• Hardware Trends
• Multifamily Origination Tech