Technology

Simple Remote LLC, New York, has announced the introduction of customizable software to enable mortgage brokers and lenders to manage their deal pipeline and track contacts.Simple Remote is designed to "think in the same sequences" as a lender, but faster, more efficiently, and more productively, the company said. It is not a Web-based program, and therefore hackers have no chance to gain access. The software "creates lender and investor profiles, it matches them with appropriate properties, and it notifies the user of matches between the two," said Steven Weiss, who led the team of programmers that created the new software. "For mortgage brokers, the program can notify them of which banks offer the best deals for either the purchase or the sale of a property." The company can be found online at http://www.simpleremote.com.

David Williamson has been promoted to senior vice president of technology and strategic initiatives at The Performance Group, a consulting firm for the mortgage banking industry based in Concord, N.H.Since joining TPG in 1999, Mr. Williamson has been instrumental in core services development, system selection, and process design, the firm said. He has also managed the firm's third-party vending relationships with technology service providers and directed business development efforts. Mr. Williamson is the TPG representative to the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization.

LendingTree Inc., Charlotte, N.C., has announced an agreement with AAA to provide mortgage and home equity loans and realty services to AAA members in participating clubs.Under the partnership, LendingTree will provide qualified AAA members with multiple competitive loan offers from its network of mortgage and home equity lenders, the online loan exchange said. Eligible members who buy or sell a home using a Realtor from the LendingTree Realty Services network will receive a AAA vacation. The online exchange can be found on the Web at http://www.lendingtree.com.

Fair Isaac Corp., San Rafael, Calif., and London Bridge Software Holdings PLC, London, have announced an agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer by Fair Isaac to acquire the ordinary shares of London Bridge.The offer will be 0.95 British pounds in cash for each issued and to-be-issued ordinary share of London Bridge, which amounts to an estimated 166.2 million British pounds (approximately $299 million), the companies reported. Fair Isaac, which produces FICO credit-risk scores used by the mortgage industry, said it believes it can "leverage London Bridge's installed base of customers for collections and recovery to deliver collections-focused scoring solutions." London Bridge's software includes The Mortgage Originator and various products related to collections, recovery, and default management. Fair Isaac can be found online at http://www.fairisaac.com.

ResMAE Financial Corp., Brea, Calif., has announced the introduction of TotalAccess, a Web-based pipeline management service for mortgage brokers.TotalAccess delivers a range of services, such as allowing brokers to: follow the progress of their loans in real time; contact key ResMAE production personnel; and request to draw documents when all conditions are met. ResMAE, which stands for Residential Mortgage Assistance Enterprise, can be found online at http://www.resmae.com.

Shawn McGowan has been named president and chief executive officer of Valocity, a Memphis-based provider of valuation systems.Mr. McGowan was most recently head of research, analysis, and implementation of strategic initiatives for eAppraiseIT, Valocity said. He is also a former senior vice president of residential appraisal operations for Strategic Mortgage Services and First American Appraisal Services. Mr. McGowan is a past chairman of the Industry Advisory Council for The Appraisal Foundation. Valocity, formerly Appraisal Forum, can be found on the Web at http://www.valocity.com.

SwiftView Inc., Portland, Ore., has entered into an agreement with Delphi Information Sciences Corp. to offer its SwiftSend LoanDocs Web-based electronic document delivery service to customers of Delphi's Discovery mortgage banking software.Discovery customers will now have the ability to electronically deliver confidential documents in an encrypted environment, SwiftView said. Delphi provides computer systems and services to the mortgage lending industry. SwiftView can be found on the Web at http:// visit http://www.swiftsend.com.

MERS, Vienna, Va., has announced the launch of the MERS eRegistry, an electronic system for recording the owner and custodian of registered e-notes that the company termed a "significant step" toward an all-electronic mortgage.The system was created in response to certain safe-harbor requirements imposed by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act. "A major component of the e-mortgage puzzle is now available and ready for use, ahead of the market," said R. K. Arnold, president and chief executive officer of MERS. "Although it will take many years for the industry to fully adopt this system, it will become widely used because the marketplace is demanding a move towards less paper in the homebuying process." MERS said the Mortgage Bankers Association sanctioned the creation of a national e-note registry system last summer and endorsed MERS as the builder and provider of the system. MERS can be found on the Internet at http://www.mersinc.org.

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Entyre Inc has launched it’s Web-based X4 Wholesale Lending System, an ASP-based closing system that gives lenders control of who “touches” their loans, and what those participants are allowed to do.The technology was designed to give Wholesale Lenders more control over the closing process. A company spokesman said that Entyre is in the middle of three major implementations of the X4 Wholesale Lending System, including a top 20 lender, which is expected to be formally announced in early May. Entyre prepares loan closing documents for brokers, bankers and correspondent lenders and investors. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.entyre.com.

Vienna, Va.-based VirPack has announced an agreement with Countrywide to enable correspondents to make imaged delivery of loans to Countrywide possible.The partnership is expected to reduce costs and cycle times, as well as improve the loan purchasing process. Using VirPack Direct, which conforms to Countrywide's image loan delivery specification, Countrywide correspondents will be able to retrieve loans identified for delivery to Countrywide and electronically deliver entire imaged loan files in a secure fashion to expedite purchase review. Virpack Direct, an electronic delivery tool, is offered free to VirPack customers. The tool is integrated with VirPack's scan capture and electronic document management systems and allows users to capture only those loans they wish to deliver to Countrywide, or fully take advantage of VirPack's imaging and document management capabilities to enhance their back-shop processes.