Technology

1010data, a provider of data warehouse and business intelligence for mortgage-backed securities market participants and others, has secured a $35 million equity investment from Norwest Venture Partners. The investment will allow 1010data to add to its marketing and sales efforts, according to Joel Kaplan, president, CEO and co-founder of 1010data. The investment gives NVP a minority stake in the company. In addition, Jon Kossow of NVP will join 1010data's board of directors. NVP is an investment firm that manages more than $3.7 billion in capital. It has offices in Palo Alto, Calif.; Mumbai and Bangaluru, India; and Herzelia, Israel.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services is moving to help financial institutions rapidly comply with the Federal Reserve Board's upcoming changes to Regulation E with the launch of a new online resource center. The Reg E changes require institutions like mortgage servicers for example, to gain approval from consumers before charging overdraft fees on one-time debit card or ATM transactions. Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has created an online resource center to help institutions comply with Reg E revisions that take effect July 1 for new accounts and Aug. 15 for existing ones. The company has also launched Reg E Opt-in Manager, a solution that allows institutions to expedite generation and electronic delivery of opt-in notices to consumers for consent.

Austin, Texas-based mortgage accounting vendor Mortgage Banking Solutions has merged with San Diego-based Abacus Accounting Services. Abacus offers bookkeeping services to mortgage banks in the western U.S. MBS now offers bookkeeping services in addition to their CFO2Go product suite. The technology can now fully support outsourced bookkeeping activity with remote secure servers.

Embrace Home Loans, Newport, R.I., is moving its Internet origination division, which is comprised of 50 employees, to an 18,000 square foot building located in Providence, R.I. "As a company, Embrace Home Loans has experienced significant growth," said Kurt Noyce, president. "Most recently we've added several new retail branches along the Eastern Seaboard, and completed a substantial acquisition to further increase our geographic footprint. We are proud of the work we've accomplished and are pleased to be able to add additional office space right here in our local economy. The addition of a new building in Providence not only provides a space for our growing Internet origination division, but also provides the ability for our company to add more local jobs in the future."

REA Accelerated Marketing Group, an online bidding platform, is partnering with short sale technology provider National Quick Sale. Short sales have been gaining in popularity but suffer from a delayed approval process. By putting the short sale up for auction the property gets more visibility and true market value can be assessed based on how much borrowers are willing to pay for the property vs. relying solely on a BPO or other type of valuation, the two companies said. At the MBA National Mortgage Servicing Conference in San Diego, Jim Satterwhite, EVP at National Quick Sale, said, "We have created a platform that brings all parties together. This is the type of synergy the industry needs to get things moving."

SecondMarket, a New York-based secondary market for illiquid assets such as private-label residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, has raised $15 million from Asian investors. The investors include Li Ka Shing Foundation, a charitable foundation founded by the Asian entrepreneur that is its namesake. The other investor is Dunearn Investments (Mauritius) Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd. Each of the investors put $7.5 million into the New York company. Proceeds from the investment are slated for use in further scaling the SecondMarket's platform and infrastructure in preparation for its upcoming expansion into the Asian markets.

Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp., a provider of FAS 157 fair market valuations, mortgage risk hedging and accounting solutions, has rolled out phase I of its new corporate website, which is designed to make it easier for mortgage market participants to find information. Valuation experts at MIAC have been publishing a wealth of information and posting it online for over a decade. The new site will make this material more accessible to the industry. Specifically, the new site separates content areas by business channel, making it easier for customers to navigate directly to the content they are interested in. For example, MIAC's Generic Servicing Assets are available for download into MIAC Analytics and viewable on the website.

AssetPlanUSA, a nationwide provider of foreclosure alternative solutions, and DepotPoint, a provider of default management workflow solutions, have joined forces to work with servicers and lenders to help expedite the short sale process. AssetPlanUSA plans to use DepotPoint's technology to help its clients and their borrowers effectively achieve short sales. Starting on April 5, 2010, the U.S. government will begin providing incentives to servicers who help borrowers facing foreclosure exit their homes gracefully outside the foreclosure process, thereby lessening the negative impact on the borrower's credit score compared to a foreclosure. The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program provides relocation assistance for borrowers choosing foreclosure alternatives, allows borrowers to receive pre-approved short sale terms before listing their property, and pays servicers cash incentives to cover administration and processing costs. DepotPoint provides default management technology for the distressed property market. The company's TrackPoint Platform incorporates an enterprise-class, Web-based workflow engine and tracking system for managing default transactions, including short sales.

RealEC Technologies Inc. has launched new income verification services to its RealEC Collaborative Partner Network, the RealEC Exchange. The income verification suite, provided by Lender Processing Services' Applied Analytics group, enables lenders to validate a borrower's identity and verify the accuracy of income information provided during the application process. The borrower's income is confirmed directly with the Internal Revenue Service by uploading the signed IRS 4506-T form electronically through the RealEC interface. LPS Applied Analytics then securely delivers a report from the IRS.

PeoplesBank has given its members access for mobile banking and payment services through the iPhone, courtesy of technology provided by Online Resources Corp. The Massachusetts-based $1.5 billion asset bank is now one of fewer than 50 U.S. financial institutions that currently offer the iPhone application through the App Store or iTunes. PeoplesBank has used Online Resources' full suite of retail and business Internet banking and bill payment services since 1999. An extension of these online services, the new iPhone application allows users to view account balances, transaction history, schedule same day transfers, pay bills, and send and receive secure in-session messages. PeoplesBank customers register online for mobile access and download the iPhone application, which also works on iPad and iPod touch devices.