Technology

Ellie Mae has launched Encompass Banker Edition 3.0, which it says enables mortgage originators to service their own loans and take advantage of broader banking process management and more comprehensive secondary management functionality.The product also enables users to manage the bulk sale of loans in the secondary market while closely tracking overall profitability on trades, Ellie Mae said. Encompass Banker 3.0's additional upgrades, according to the company, include purchase advice reconciliation that enables users to reconcile funds received from investors when selling loans in the secondary market; audit trails that offer a view of changes, including who made each change and when the change was made; and MERS/MIN registration functions that allow users to generate and register MERS/MIN numbers from within Encompass. Enhancements to secondary management functions include integration to a leading product and pricing engine. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.elliemae.com.

Lydian Data Services, a provider of outsourcing services to the mortgage industry based in Jacksonville, Fla., has announced the rollout of a turnkey outsourced fulfillment system targeted at mid-market originators, banks, and credit unions.Aimed at companies entering the wholesale and retail mortgage origination market or looking to convert their fixed-cost operations into a scalable variable-cost model, Lydian's outsourcing services include the entire collaborative Web-based platform, best-practices fulfillment process, and an experienced staff, the company said. They cover the full range of fulfillment and back-office operations, including processing, underwriting, closing, funding, and delivery to core banking and servicing systems, the secondary market, or various investors. Loan status is visible through authorized access via any Internet connection, providing originators a quick and easy view on the up-to-date status of each loan file, Lydian said. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.lydiandata.com.

Lydian Technology Group, a provider of mortgage integration and process automation, has partnered with Intelli-Mine, a provider of business intelligence and mortgage performance management solutions, to enable midmarket lenders to leverage data routinely captured by Lydian's Mortgage Connectivity Hub to better track their company's performance.The Mortgage Connectivity Hub is a software solution that integrates systems, automates processes across disparate applications, and enables real-time user access to companywide data. In essence, the Mortgage Connectivity Hub enables separate software solutions to seamlessly co-exist and collaborate with one another, the companies said. Now, by leveraging the power of Intelli-Mine's dashboards and business intelligence platforms, the Mortgage Connectivity Hub enables users to monitor their own business data. The companies can be found on the Web at http://www.lydiantechnology.com and http://www.intelli-mine.com.

Stewart Information Services Corp., Houston, has announced the release of a system enabling lenders to electronically transmit and display initial disclosure documents to borrowers in "a secure, online, consumer friendly environment."The system also enables lenders to use Stewart's Online Documents Inc. subsidiary as the provider of the disclosure packages, Stewart said. "The new electronic disclosure solution eliminates the need for lenders to print and mail their initial disclosure documents to the borrowers," said Jason Nadeau, senior vice president of e-lender business for PropertyInfo Corp., another Stewart company. The announcement was made at the Mortgage Bankers Association convention in Boston. Stewart can be found on the Web at http://www.stewart.com.

E-signature provider Silanis Technology is providing enterprise electronic signature and delivery technology in Stewart's electronic disclosure solution.The new e-disclosure offering, from Stewart Company On-Line Documents Inc., enables lenders to electronically transmit and display initial mortgage disclosure documents to borrowers in a secure, consumer-friendly online environment, the companies said. The offering comes at a time when electronic mortgages are on the rise and online mortgage originations by the top 20 lenders were up by 73% in the second quarter, according to a recent issue of Mortgage Technology. The foundation of the latest Stewart offering, Silanis' ApproveIt Web Server, enables the electronic presentation and delivery of regulated documentation (in this case, disclosures) in the correct format and sequence, as mandated by applicable laws and regulations, the companies said. Silanis' solution guides borrowers to accept the terms of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act before beginning the electronic review and acceptance process.

Associated Software Consultants Inc., Middleburg Heights, Ohio, has announced the launch of PowerSeller GPS, a system designed to help small to mid-tier mortgage bankers and brokers increase profits in their secondary-marketing operation.PowerSeller GPS provides tools for managing pipeline and investor commitments and allows originators to capture key data elements to verify that loans are properly priced and ensure that investors are funding loans correctly. The system offers special features to enable mortgage brokers to monitor best-effort marketing activities by gathering information needed to determine the costs and benefits of switching a product line from a best-effort commitment approach to a mandatory trading model, the company said. By offering several features available in the company's comprehensive PowerSeller system, PowerSeller GPS allows small to mid-tier bankers and brokers to take advantage of numerous benefits without having to purchase an upfront license, the company said. Associated Software Consultants can be found online at http://www.asconline.com.

LoanToolbox, Westlake Village, Calif., has signed an alliance agreement with Carson, Calif.-based Document Systems Inc., a developer of mortgage technology for compliant loan document preparation and customer contact management solutions.Under the agreement, LoanToolbox will make DSI's LoanMagic broker point-of-sale software available free for one year to new LoanToolbox subscribers. LoanMagic, developed in 2000, is the first fully integrated mortgage customer contact management system designed to meet the needs of loan officers, LoanToolbox said. The built-in loan program analysis tools allow loan officers to instantly create and e-mail side-by-side comparisons of any of the 10,000 loan programs already built into the system. Connections embedded in LoanMagic allow easy access to Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter, Freddie Mac's Loan Prospector, and over 190 of the nation's credit report suppliers, LoanToolbox said. LoanToolbox can be found online at http://www.loantoolbox.com, and Document Systems can be found at http://www.docmagic.com.

Clayton Holdings Inc., a provider of information-based analytics and consulting based in Shelton, Conn., has announced the introduction of Clarity, a new system that it terms "the next generation in due diligence."The system gives loan buyers/securitizers "greater insight into the risk profile of portfolios" at the time of purchase, a projection of losses, and new options to reduce potential losses, the company said. Clarity uses a predictive approach that incorporates Clayton's proprietary risk-filter technology built on data collected in its surveillance of more than $1.5 trillion of subprime and alternative-A mortgage-backed securities. Unlike traditional due diligence, which reports on whether loans meet an acquirer’s guidelines, Clarity scores individual loans and the overall portfolio for credit, compliance, collateral, and estimated loss risk, Clayton said. Third-party data and technology can also be integrated into the process to assess collateral and fraud risk. "Clarity can help issuers identify the riskiest loans, better target due diligence efforts, and project and reduce prospective losses," said Keith Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Clayton. The company can be found online at http://www.clayton.com.

ValuFinders Inc., a provider of valuation services based in Culver City, Calif., has introduced a service that helps originators comply with a Department of Housing and Urban Development Mortgagee Letter regarding accountability and fraudulent appraisal reports.The service, called Appraisal Concierge, was unveiled at the Mortgage Bankers Association convention in Boston. Under HUD Mortgagee Letter 2007-11, dated Sept. 6, 2007, lenders will share responsibility with the appraiser if a poor or fraudulent appraisal leads the FHA to insure a loan at an inflated amount. "Lenders and brokers will soon be just as responsible for fraudulent and deficient appraisals as the appraiser," said Joe Williams, chief executive of ValuFinders. "Our system is an independent portal that acts as a 'middle man' in accepting orders and facilitating the deliverables back to the lender." Appraisal Concierge is described as an outsourcing database that lets lenders and brokers order appraisals through the Web. The system randomly selects an appraiser from a pool. "This service bypasses communications between lenders or brokers and appraisers," assuring appraiser independence, Mr. Williams said.

A new credit management tool from CreditXpert, Towson, Md., introduced at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual convention allows lenders to quickly and cleanly assess the impact of authorized user accounts on a borrower's credit score, the company says.Billed as an answer to the controversial practice known as "piggybacking," the firm's authorized user filter includes a two-step analysis of a borrower's credit file, first considering authorized user accounts and then excluding them, so lenders will know their effect on a credit score. An authorized user can be a spouse or a child added to a credit card user list, but firms have recently popped up to "rent" such status to the accounts of strangers to boost the scores of those with poor credit or no credit. One borrowed credit card account can boost a score by up to 45 points, according to a leading "rental company." CreditXpert estimates that 30% of credit files have at least one authorized user -- two or three are common, says managing director David Chung -- and six of every 10 of those will have a credit score change when accounts are removed in the scoring process. With CreditXpert AU Filter, Mr. Chung says lenders "can identify the borrower's true risk at a glance." The company can be found online at http://www.creditxpert.com.