Technology

Cendant Settlement Services Group, a subsidiary of Cendant Corp. based in Moorestown, N.J., has signed up to use BCE Emergis' Emergis Vendor Services Exchange to conduct appraisal transactions electronically.BCE, Montréal, Québec, will develop a customized integration with Cendant's proprietary ordering system, enabling Cendant's mortgage originators and over 2,500 appraisers to connect online to place, receive, and manage the status of appraisal orders in a standardized format. BCE will also provide Cendant access to automated appraisal review engines that will improve error identification and enhance quality control. Cendant can be found on the Web at http://www.cendant.com/media, and BCE can be found at http://www.emergis.com.

AllRegs, an Eagan, Minn.-based online publisher of mortgage reference information, has begun the search for a new president/chief operating officer as a result of a consolidation of ownership by co-founder Glenn Ford."We're looking for a seasoned professional to take over the operational responsibilities of what is already a very successful company," said Mr. Ford, who was recently named chairman and chief executive officer. The company also announced the promotion of Douglas Smalley to vice president and chief technology officer and the reorganization of its advisory board. The following members have been added to the advisory board: David Matthews, former president of RBC Mortgage; Scott Cooley, founder of Contour Software; Joseph Doyle, president of TCF Mortgage; and Terry Schopfer, president of TenA Cos. AllRegs can be found online at http://www.allregs.com.

Calyx Software, a provider of desktop loan origination systems based in San Jose, Calif., and Advectis, Alpharetta, Ga., have released what they termed a tighter integration of their flagship products, Calyx Point and BlitzDocs.The integration comes as Advectis, a provider of paperless origination and loan archiving applications, joins the Calyx Preferred Point Partner program. With Advectis as a Preferred Point Partner, a broker will be able to access BlitzDocs from within Point to create electronic loan folders without re-keying any information already captured in Point, the companies said. Brokers will also be able to submit imaged documents to lenders for paperless underwriting. The companies can be found on the Web at http://www.calyxsoftware.com and http://www.advectis.com.

Fraser, Mich.-based VMP Mortgage Solutions, a Bankers Systems Inc. company, has released VMP SMART Document Viewer, version 2.5.The new version features what VMP is dubbing an industry first -- a routine that checks documents for well-formed and valid Extensible Mark-up Language using the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization's data standards. The validation routine allows for lenders experimenting with e-mortgage technology to perform basic XML integrity tests on their data. (SMART stands for securable, manageable, archivable, retrievable, transferable.) VMP can be found on the Web at http://www.vmpmtg.com.

Integrated Loan Services, Rocky Hill, Conn., has released a product that allows clients to interface directly to ILS to place and display the status of their orders with the company.It provides a link that enables lenders who have Fiserv's UniFi PRO loan origination system to access the settlement services provided through ILS. There is no transaction fee for the service. ILS can be found on the Web at http://www.ils.com.

Palisades Technology Partners, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., has launched Impact Mortgage Services Components, which are designed to plug into point-of-sale and loan origination systems to streamline the delivery of new products and services.Specifically, the product includes pricing, fees, compliance, and mortgage calculation services. Palisades, which provides strategic consulting, eLending applications, and systems integration, can be found on the Web at http://www.ptpusa.com.

Touting itself as only the second vendor to do so, Data-Vision Inc. has announced the creation of a new interface with Freddie Mac's Loan Prospector to create integrated automated underwriting for consumer-facing mortgage websites.The solution is being offered on an application-service-provider basis to Data-Vision's 200 lender customers. The Mishawaka, Ind.-based company said lenders using its LoanQuoter.com can let consumers know in seconds whether their mortgage loan is approved before entering borrower data into the lender's loan origination system. Data-Vision can be found on the Web at http://www.d-vision.com.

BLS Funding, Jericho, N.Y., has announced the launch of "BLS at Your Service," which it says offers instant chat and call-connection services as customer-friendly lead-generation tools.The instant chat service is for potential borrowers that need answers to questions about credit or downpayment requirements before beginning to fill out an application, especially if they have been turned down before. The BLS Instant Call-Connection service allows consumers to schedule a call with a BLS loan officer at their convenience -- instead of at dinner time or other times when they are unwilling or unable to talk. Founded in 1995, BLS Funding is a $1.5 billion full-service mortgage company licensed to operate in 30 states. It can be found online at http://www.blsfund.com.

Mortgage Asset Research Institute Inc., Reston, Va., has introduced an early-alert system to help the industry detect and combat fraud.The Mortgage Fraud Alert System is "a cooperative service that notifies participating companies about emerging patterns of alleged fraud in its early stages," MARI said. The companies contribute information to the system and can use the shared data to help mitigate potential risk and minimize their exposure. The company said it worked closely with the Mortgage Bankers Association to create the alert system. MARI is a subsidiary of ChoicePoint, a provider of identification and credential verification services. It can be found online at http://www.mari-inc.com.

David Barkley, director of e-commerce relations at Freddie Mac, has been re-elected to chair the Governance Committee of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization.Lisa Bolelli, vice president of program management of First American Corp., has been re-elected a vice-chair of the panel, and Adam Hall, manager of information technology and Web development at IndyMac Bank, has been elected the other vice chair, MISMO reported. The committee also elected or re-elected the following members: Craig Foote of Fidelity Information Services, Mike Bixby of Info1/LandAmerica, Todd Luhtanen of Dynatek, Ed Ransden of CitiMortgage, and Ty Jenkins of DocuTech Corp. MISMO, which was established by the Mortgage Bankers Association, develops electronic commerce standards for the mortgage industry. Its Governance Committee, which oversees the organization's administration and policy development, consists of representatives of 16 MISMO subscriber organizations from a cross-section of the residential real estate finance industry. The members serve two-year terms, with half the seats up for election each year.