July 25, 2008

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces Opening of Fidelity National Title de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced the opening of its title insurance operation in Mexico, Fidelity National Title de Mexico S.A. de C.V. ("Fidelity Title Mexico").

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Clear Capital Releases New Property Condition Report That Includes Neighborhood Context

Clear Capital introduced the Condition Conformity Inspection: a new report that helps banks and lenders determine whether their vacant, bank-owned homes are at risk of contributing to urban blight.

Condition Conformity Inspections bring together subject property and neighborhood information into a single, easy-to-read form that includes visual tools such as images of the subject property, street views, the ten closest neighboring homes, and a map of the neighborhood. These inspections also include narratives on the condition of the subject, its conformity to the neighborhood, and possible deferred maintenance issues.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Guaranty Joins Hope Now Alliance

Radian Guaranty, the primary mortgage insurance subsidiary of Radian Group Inc. announced that it has become a member of the Hope Now Alliance.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

DocuSign Launches New Enterprise Service Capabilities for Electronic Contract Execution

DocuSign announced the latest release of DocuSign, now available at www.docusign.com, that introduces an extensive set of new features to help customers achieve the long-sought goal of replacing the expensive and slow use of paper in all contract execution processes.

This latest release of DocuSign automates the entire contract execution process, further enhancing the most powerful solution available in the marketplace today. As a SaaS (Software as a Service) offering, DocuSign's automated contract execution services can be deployed very quickly into existing business processes such as sales contract execution, new account openings, HR forms processing and document transaction processing.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Introduces Padded Credit Score Detection Tool

Cogent Road has launched an automated tool for detecting if a credit score has been artificially inflated due to questionable or untrustworthy "authorized user" accounts within the borrower's profile.

The solution examines credit reports to detect the probability that a borrower's credit score is being artificially manipulated based on a different individual's payment history. Using a complex series of comparative algorithms, this detection tool analyzes the borrower's credit profile as a whole to detect whether or not authorized user tradelines are consistent with his or her historical payment pattern.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

SigniaDocs Releases eSign eNsure To Enforce Legal Mortgage Disclosures

According to the company, eSign eNsure enforces compliant disclosure and closing practices by warranting the Good Faith Estimate, the Truth In Lending Statement and annual percentage rate calculations by creating electronic date and time stamps in key disclosure areas, signifying borrower understanding and acceptance of the loan conditions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

Lender Processing Services Acquires McDash Analytics

Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS), recently spun off from Fidelity National Information Services Inc., has acquired McDash Analytics, which provides access to the industry's largest loan-level database of mortgage assets for the purpose of benchmarking and analysis.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

Title Insurer Fidelity National's Net Sinks 92 Pct

Fidelity National Financial Inc., parent company to one of the country's biggest title insurers, blames the housing slump and mortgage crisis for pushing its second-quarter profit down 92 percent to 3 cents a share from 38 cents a share in the 2007 second quarter. Reuters Estimates reports that analysts had anticipated revenue of 13 cents per share. Fidelity National additionally reports a 25-percent drop in closed title orders to 307,500 for the April-through-June period, a 26-percent decrease in opened title orders to 462,600 and a 23-percent decline in title and escrow premiums and fees to $1.04 billion.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2008

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 2nd Quarter 2008 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will release 2nd quarter 2008 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. A conference call will follow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 24, 2008. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial-in at 800-762-6085 (USA) or 480-248-5088 (International). The conference call replay will be available via webcast through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. The telephone replay will be available from 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 24, 2008, through July 31, 2008, by dialing 800-475-6701 (USA) or 320-365-3844 (International). The access code will be 953610.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Tool Detects Credit Piggybacking

Cogent Road has launched an automated tool for detecting if a credit score has been artificially inflated due to questionable or untrustworthy "authorized user" accounts within the borrower's profile. This process is known as "piggybacking," because the borrower's credit score "piggybacks" on the seasoning and payment history of the actual card holder. The tool is available free of charge to Cogent Road's existing Funding Suite clients. The application examines credit reports to detect the probability that a borrower's credit score is being artificially manipulated based on a different individual's payment history.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

Landata Technologies, Inc. Announces Launch of New eRecording, Document Management Software, Landata eClipse(TM)

Landata Technologies, Inc. (LTI) announced the launch of their new product, Landata’s eClipse™. This new document management system is an all-in-one platform supporting recordation of real estate, court, vital records and miscellaneous documents.

Integrated with the latest eRecording technology, eClipse includes a multi-user examination module used to review real estate and court eRecording packages at the courthouse, as well as a sophisticated redaction capability supporting interactive and batch processing. Landata’s eClipse™ is built around a multiple device interface (MDI) that supports a host of features. A single login provides access to multiple module applications such as the examination, cashiering, electronic recording, imaging, indexing and public access modules to list a few.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Kirtland Federal Credit Union Turns to FICS for Mortgage Origination and Servicing Solutions

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS®), announced that New Mexico-based Kirtland Federal Credit Union is successfully utilizing its residential loan origination and servicing suite of mortgage technology solutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

ServiceLink Web-Based Closing Product Expands In Market

ServiceLink the national mortgage services platform of Fidelity National Financial says it has received solid reviews from borrowers and lenders for its growing iClose Web-based closing product.

iClose is a secure and convenient method for borrowers to close their loans in an online virtual meeting room. Borrowers schedule a date and time that is convenient, and a ServiceLink closing agent guides them through their paperwork, using an online interface.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Wholesale Bank Implements DocuTech's Compliant Doc Solution

DocuTech Corp. says that San Francisco-based Parkside Lending has implemented the company’s compliant document solution, ConformX.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

ZC Sterling Receives ISO 9001:2000 Certification

ZC Sterling Corp. has announced that its management system for monitoring and placing lender-placed hazard and flood insurance services is now ISO 9001:2000 certified. The certification comes at the conclusion of a rigorous audit performed by independent ISO registrar, FM Approvals.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Lydian Forms New FHA/VA Loan Processing Subsidiary

Lydian Data Services announced the establishment of Lydian Data Government Services, a new subsidiary to provide expert mortgage processing, closing, postclosing, and quality control services for FHA and VA loans. The new subsidiary will also offer consulting services to help originators become approved by FHA, and training services to help lenders familiarize their Realtors, loan officers, and brokers with government lending programs.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

RedVision Completes Acquisition of Colorado Record Data and CRS Title Services

RedVision, a national real estate property research organization, yesterday announced the completion of its acquisition of Colorado Record Data (CRD) and its sister company CRS Title Services (CRS).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Ticor Employs DepotPoint's TrackPoint to Manage Foreclosure and REOs

Ticor Title Company of California, a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., announced today that it has taken steps to streamline the tracking and management of thousands of foreclosure and REO properties.

To this end, Ticor will employ DepotPoint, Inc.'s Default and REO TrackPoint, a vertical processing system that reduces the time it takes to move properties through the default process. The system's custom Web portal allows law firms, title companies, lenders and servicers to share title, disposition and management information in real time. In addition, TrackPoint ensures nationwide compliance to foreclosure guidelines with its state-by-state exception handling for debt disputes, forbearance, loan reinstatement, bankruptcy, and other issues.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2008

LandAm Reducing 'Bricks & Mortar'

LandAmerica Financial Group has announced that its recently reported merger of two title insurance subsidiaries in Colorado is part of a new business model that will reduce the number of "bricks-and-mortar" locations in the state. The company recently announced that it was merging its Transnation Title Insurance Co. subsidiary into its Lawyers Title Insurance Corp. subsidiary as part of an effort to transform its independent businesses into a unified operating company.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 2nd Quarter 2008 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will release 2nd quarter 2008 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. A conference call will follow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 24, 2008. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. The conference call replay will be available via webcast through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Lenders Adds MERS Integration To Cerberyx Platform

Titan Lenders Corp., a mortgage back-office fulfillment services provider specializing in closing, funding and post-closing services, has integrated the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) with its Cerberyx platform, automating both the registration and transfer of mortgage loan assignments for its customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Del Mar DataTrac, Loan-Score Now Integrated

Loan-Score Decisioning Systems and Del Mar DataTrac have completed an enhanced nine-point integration between Loan-Score's automated underwriting system (AUS) and DMD's mortgage banking automation solution, DataTrac.

The integration is bidirectional and enables the two systems to automatically talk to one another, updating conditions and loan-level status in real time using advanced Web services, the companies explain. Loan-Score's Web-based pricing engine and AUS serves as the point-of-sale decisioning solution, while DataTrac remains as the core system of record and workflow management solution for the fulfillment process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Forms Strategic Alliance With iMortgage Services

Interthinx Inc. has formed a strategic alliance with iMortgage Services (iMS). iMS provides nationwide appraisal, automated valuation (AVM), broker price opinion fraud, closing, title and warranty products to the mortgage industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2008

Litton Loan Servicing To Make Loan-Level Data Available

Litton Loan Servicing LP says that it has begun to make loan-level data available on more than $45 billion of mortgage loans for which it services. The information will be accessible at no cost at www.littonloan.com/dealinfo.

Litton will make available a wide range of data about the mortgage loans, including loan characteristics, payment information and status. The data will not include any personally identifiable information about mortgage loan borrowers, the company notes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Launches AVAIL Prequalifying Service System

Cogent Road announced the launch of AVAIL, an automated system designed to enable mortgage originators to provide continuing mortgage-qualifying services to prospective borrowers. An extension of Cogent Road's Funding Suite, a credit management solution that manages costs and enhances customer retention during the loan origination process, AVAIL enables loan originators to more effectively establish and maintain contact with potential borrowers to create top-of-mind awareness among consumers, the company says.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Integrates MERS Data

Interthinx Inc. has integrated Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. (MERS) data into its FraudGUARD scoring system. According to the company, this data can help detect undisclosed properties, reveal investors claiming owner occupancy and uncover recently closed loans that could indicate a borrower's intent to commit mortgage fraud.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

Title Firm Adds Default Services Unit

Stewart Information Services Corp. has rolled out Stewart Default Services to provide loss mitigation and to insure vacant properties, among other foreclosure services. The services will be provided directly by the company in Arizona, California and Nevada; but it will offer them elsewhere in the country through an attorney network.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Fiserv Goal: Find At-Risk Mortgages Before Default

Fiserv Inc.'s Prism and Home Retention Solutions suite is intended to help lenders curtail mortgage defaults by identifying borrowers who are making timely payments but could eventually fall behind. The Prism (Predictive Risk Index Score Modeling) tool monitors borrowers' credit ratings to identify customers who are current on their payments but whose credit scores are dropping. It also keeps track of the Case Shiller Home Price Index to identify weakening housing markets and takes into account property type, price and geographic area when recommending that lenders look at restructuring and other foreclosure alternatives.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2008

Realserv to Service Over 150,000 of Nation's Real Estate Agents

The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (E.D.C.) and Realserv, L.L.C., announced today significant advances in product development and investment which will enable Realserv to service customers beginning with approximately 150,000 real estate agents around the country.

Bottom line results of Realserv's significant investment in research and development over the past three years include a state-of-the-art web-based platform that integrates the core systems used on a daily basis by real estate professionals. User benefits include single-point access to required forms, individual property reports, multiple listing services, transaction management, and connection to the world of service providers required for listings, sales, and property management transactions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

FIS Announces Expected Record Date and Distribution Date for the Distribution of Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) Stock to FIS Shareholders

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that it has set the record date and distribution date for the distribution of Lender Processing Services, Inc. (pending NYSE: LPS) common stock to FIS shareholders.

The distribution of LPS common stock will be made on July 1, 2008 to FIS shareholders of record as of June 24, 2008. Each FIS shareholder will receive one-half share of LPS common stock for every share of FIS common stock held as of the close of business on the record date noted above. Shareholders will receive a cash payment in lieu of any fractional shares.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Introduces New Customer-Focused Operating Structure in Colorado

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces the implementation of an innovative new operating structure for its title insurance, escrow and closing services in Colorado.

Through this initiative entitled "The New Frontier," the traditional model, which relied on outside Sales Representatives and office-based Escrow Officers, evolves to one that combines those functions into the role of Account Manager and centralizes data-driven functions into fulfillment centers or "hubs." LandAmerica Account Managers will provide a higher level of local service by working out of home-based offices. The new model provides customers with increased personal interaction with title and closing professionals and a single point of contact for answers to questions and resolution of issues.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

DataTrac Expands Open Platform to Include Pricing, Eligibility, and AUS Providers

Del Mar DataTrac®, Inc. has expanded its open platform approach and is now integrating with leading providers in the product and pricing eligibility (PPE) and automated underwriting space, and has decided to discontinue its PPE solution, PriceTrac. Del Mar DataTrac provides solutions that empower small- and medium-sized mortgage bankers to deliver extraordinary customer service and drive up production while reducing risk, increasing productivity and streamlining their overall efficiency.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Wells Fargo Funding Authorizes Wave Systems' eDisclosure Solution for Its Mortgage Correspondents

Wave Systems Corp. announced that its eSign Transaction Management Suite (eTMS) has been authorized by Wells Fargo & Co.’s mortgage division for use by its correspondent lenders as an eDisclosure solution. Wells Fargo’s correspondents that have received approval to deliver electronic disclosures may elect to use the SmartSigning Room and SmartSignature applications to streamline electronic mortgage disclosures and help secure customer commitment early in the lending process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2008

Stewart Title of California Lowers Base Title Insurance Rates

Effective immediately, Stewart Title of California, Inc. has reduced its base title insurance rates. The new rates have been approved by the California Department of Insurance and will make purchasing a home more affordable for consumers. Escrow rates are not affected by this filing and will continue to be determined on a county-by-county basis.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart(R) Announces the Formation of Stewart Global Solutions

Stewart Real Estate Information (REI) Group, Inc., is pleased to announce the formation of Stewart Global Solutions, created for the purpose of pursuing international land administration and modernization projects in emerging markets

Stewart has participated in overseas title and project activity for many years. The formation of this entity for the targeted pursuit of large global land projects is a first for the Stewart REI Group.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

Xerox Simplifies Loan Process with Electronic Signature

Xerox Mortgage Services has added e-signature – a secure and convenient way to complete mortgage loans without having to sign hardcopy documents. This enhancement builds upon Xerox’s (NYSE: XRX - News) current Web-based BlitzDocs® Collaboration Suite that uniquely supports paper, imaged and electronic loan documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

StoneWater Mortgage Selects Guardian Mortgage Documents

StoneWater Mortgage, a new national wholesale lender, has selected Guardian Mortgage Documents as its partner for providing an automated document preparation system and related professional services. StoneWater's proprietary mortgage banking platform, H2Online, will use Web services to leverage seamless data transfer into GMD's system for fully automated loan document generation.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio To Provide Services To Virginia DOT

Zaio Inc. has entered into a contract with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to provide technology and customized appraisal services. VDOT, among other things, is responsible for real estate related to building, maintaining and operating the state's roads, bridges and tunnels. Through the Commonwealth Transportation Board, it provides funding for airports, seaports, rail and public transportation.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Is BofA-Countrywide Deal Bad News for FIS?

Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), Inc. could be facing a loss in business when Bank of America (BofA) and Countrywide Financial Corp. complete their merger later this year.

In a recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), FIS said its subsidiary Lender Processing Services (LPS), Inc. stands to lose business with Bank of America announcing the possibility that it will consider no longer using the mortgage processing and appraisal services now provided by LPS after its merger with Countrywide. FIS says BofA is leaning towards handling those particular functions in-house.

In the filing, FIS added, “These services together generated approximately 1.4-percent of FIS consolidated and 4-percent of LPS revenue in 2007. If this decision becomes final, the Company anticipates that a mortgage processing conversion would take from 12 to 30 months after completion of the merger.”

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

Exponential Growth Prompts MCS to Outsource

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS), a property preservation and inspection services provider, says increased demand for the company’s services has prompted the organization to begin outsourcing some of its accounting and support functions.

Leaders at MCS say business is booming with the company experiencing 80-percent growth last year alone. With more business from top mortgage industry clients, MCS is turning to outsourcing to streamline the platform’s work flow and expenses. About eight-percent of the company’s work is now outsourced.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Ups the Ante, Expands India BPO Operations

Visionet Systems, an end-to-end BPO provider that offers services to banks and title companies, is growing its business process outsourcing (BPO) operations by opening a new location in Bangalore, India.

According to a company release, Visionet says their growth comes from the areas of high cost lending auditing, tax searches, title policy production, lien release, loan boarding, and repurchase management.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2008

Fidelity National Financial to sell 20% of ownership stake in Sedgwick CMS

Fidelity National Financial Inc. Thursday said it is selling 20% of its ownership stake in Sedgwick CMS to UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

QuestSoft, Loan Energizer Enhanced Full Integration, Simplify Compliance for Lenders

QuestSoft announced that the company’s Compliance EAGLE, an end-to-end, fully automated compliance review system, has been integrated into Loan Energizer™. Loan Energizer is a loan origination system (LOS) designed by Encino, Calif.-based Management Systems Development, Inc. that provides complete underwriting and closing support for brokers and lenders of any size.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose(TM) Launches Private Real Estate Auction Sites

FirstClose announced that it has launched private real estate auction sites in tandem with strategic partner investor groups ready to purchase Real Estate Owned (REO) and Short Sale properties from lending institutions. With over $300 Billion in available investor funds and over $3 Billion per month required to be invested, the Auction Sites offer an immediate solution for lenders desiring to sell properties.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Guaranty Company Makes Deposit in Carver State Bank of Savannah to Seed Community Development in Minority Neighborhoods

Stewart Title Guaranty Company made a $100,000 deposit with Carver State Bank of Savannah, a minority-African American owned community bank in Savannah, Georgia. As a global real estate settlement services provider driven by sound investments, Stewart officials know that the real benefit will not be realized in just dollars and cents. This deposit will assist in the growth of small business opportunities in the vibrant Savannah market and promote higher levels of minority homeownership.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

FNC(R) Technology to Help Fannie Mae Streamline Appraisal-Related Processes

Fannie Mae is using FNC systems to mitigate risk and streamline its appraisal-related processes.

Fannie Mae began using the CMS to streamline its foreclosure appraisal processes in two of its divisions: the National Property Disposition Center (NPDC) and the National Underwriting Center (NUC), both in Dallas.

Both the NPDC, which processes more than 10,000 appraisals per month, and the NUC, which processes about 1,000 appraisals per month, are concerned about mitigating risk associated with fraud, according to John Scott, FNC's director of alliance sales.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Nationwide Title Clearing Introduces ExpressRetrieval.com Online Service

Nationwide Title Clearing Inc. has launched ExpressRetrieval.com, an online service that allows mortgage industry professionals to place orders for research and retrieval of recorded real estate documents nationwide. According to the company, ExpressRetrieval.com allows users to order hard-to-find documents for any recording jurisdiction nationwide, one at a time or in bulk, and for a reasonable and predictable rate.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Incorporates IRS Data In Funding Suite

Cogent Road has launched a new feature in Funding Suite, its credit management platform, that enables loan originators to quickly and securely retrieve borrowers' tax documents online from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2008

Core Mortgage Group, LLC Selects Guardian Mortgage Services to Provide Outsource Fulfillment Services for Back Office Operations

Core Mortgage Group, LLC, has made a commitment to grow by selecting Guardian Mortgage Services (GMS) to provide closing and post-closing services to support its retail operations. GMS, a national provider of back-office outsource closing services for lenders, is a division of Colorado-based Guardian Mortgage Documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Navigant Partners Teams With Situs Cos. For Due Diligence Services

Navigant Partners LLC has formed a strategic alliance with The Situs Cos., a global real estate services firm, to provide property due diligence, valuation and other property-related services for mergers and acquisitions in the commercial real estate and financial services industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

CB Richard Ellis Adds Financial And Tax Reporting Services

Commercial real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. has launched its financial and tax reporting services practice within the valuation and advisory services group, a new initiative intended to provide clients with a comprehensive array of services to help their financial reporting and transparency requirements. Kyle Redfearn, managing director, will lead this new initiative.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

Red Vision Announces Electronic Statewide Title Plant

Red Vision Systems, Inc., a company that provides property research and technology solutions, recently announced the availability of an electronic plant that will provide the entire state of Maryland with easy to access title search options and courthouse records.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

GMAC-RFC Selects ISGN Lending Solution

ISGN said that UK-based GMAC-RFC Property Finance Limited has agreed to utilize the company's Construction Lender (TCL) software system to streamline the creation and management of loans and reduce risk.

The TCL product allows lenders to simultaneously handle relationships with service providers, while also juggling property inspections via the Internet and managing and reducing call center workloads.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

ValuFinders Promotes Flexibility of Appraisal CONCIERGE

ValuFinders, Inc., is promoting the flexibility of its Web-based Appraisal CONCIERGE appraisal ordering system in light of recent discussions about the GSEs adopting a new appraisal code of conduct.

“Existing Appraiser CONCIERGE features include the random selection of an appraiser, appraiser independence, monitored communications and free automatic delivery of the appraisal report to the borrower, which are requirements according to the proposed Code of Conduct,” said Joe Williams, president and chief executive officer of ValuFinders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2008

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions Releases Upgraded rDesk Suite

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has announced that Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES) has released a major new upgrade to its popular rDesk Suite of agent and broker products.

Key among the enhancements is a feature that enables agents to offer consumers access to the full power of the latest automated valuation modeling via their own branded Web sites, and an rDesk CMA comparative marketing analysis function, which features stylish new graphic designs on all printed documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica to Combine Residential Services with Lender Services

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces its Residential Services and Lender Services are joining forces to create a single powerful Residential Services customer channel effective June 30, 2008. This move will strategically align LandAmerica even more closely with its customers and enhance the company's service delivery to builders, Realtors(R) and lenders nationwide. Company officials explained that the merger represents the natural evolution of its customer-focused organizational structure.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces the Opening of the LandAmerica Title Insurance Company of Mexico, S.A.

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces its LandAmerica Title Insurance Company of Mexico, S.A. ("LATIM") subsidiary has received licensing approval from the Mexican government to operate as a title insurance underwriter in Mexico.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Offers Robust Analytics to Detect Mortgage Loan Occupancy Fraud and Undisclosed Properties

Interthinx®, Inc. announces a new module available through FraudGUARD® to identify and manage potential occupancy and ownership misrepresentations in loan files. The module includes an unparalleled analysis of a borrower's history of property ownership and critical new alerts within the proven FraudGUARD® scoring system. Interthinx customers are able to detect undisclosed properties that can skew debt-to-income ratios, and discover investors who falsely claim owner occupancy status in loan applications.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

JVI Appraisal Division, Visre Partner On Appraisal Products

Appraisal imagery provider Visre Inc. has formed a multi-year partnership with JVI Appraisal Division LLC, a provider of real estate owned (REO) valuations, portfolio evaluations and origination appraisal services. Armed with Visre's ability to rapidly capture and authenticate high-quality property photos and video, JVI will introduce new image-enabled valuation products designed specifically to meet industry demand for improved reliability, faster turnaround and lower costs, the companies state.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio Launches “Go Live 2008”

Zaio, Inc., launched a new program this week called “Go Live 2008,” to help the company's Zone Owners increase their volumes quickly and efficiently.

Go Live is centered around the company's Zone owners, which are essentially appraisers in a particular geographical region that are using Zaio's technology. Each Zone covers approximately 10,000 properties, according to Zaio. Go Live is a concentrated effort to move those Zone Owners to 'live' status in a streamlined manner.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2008

ISGN Rebrands All Subsidiaries

ISGN Technologies Ltd., has announced a rebranding of MortgageHub and Dynatek as well as all its other subsidiary companies. Software providers MortgageHub and Dynatek will be known as ISGN; onDemand service provider Inuva and Tradewinds Mortgage Document Preparation Co., a provider of document preparation/fulfillment services, will be known as ISGN Fulfillment Services; and Cocamar, a provider of cost analysis/risk mitigation services, will be known as ISGN Inspection Services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

FNC Automation Ensures HVCC Compliance for Mortgage Lenders

FNC's premier analytic product-GAAR® (Generally Accepted Appraisal Rules(TM)) - can help lenders comply with provisions that will require them to report the results of quality control testing.

Built into FNC's Collateral Management System® (CMS®) - the GAAR Compliance Series automatically reviews appraisals for regulatory and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller/servicer compliance. GAAR is also available online and through FNC's new Collateral Headquarters(TM), a workflow solution developed for regional and community banks.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

First Houston Mortgage Selects MRG For Document Preparation Services

MRG Document Technologies announced that First Houston Mortgage, a mortgage-banking firm licensed in 18 states that offers expertise in every aspect of the residential mortgage lending process, has selected MRG for its emphasis on compliance in the document preparation, management and closing processes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Solidifi Expands Collateral Valuation Services to the U.S. Mortgage Market

Solidifi Inc., a leading technology-based provider of collateral valuation and risk management services in Canada, announced today that it has opened its U.S. head office in Chicago, Illinois, and extended its suite of solutions into the national mortgage market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

Interlink Forms Strategic Partnership with eLynx

Alliance Adds Handwritten Electronic Signature Support to eLynx's expedite™ Platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Del Mar DataTrac Integrates with QuestSoft in VSP 2.0

Del Mar DataTrac(R), Inc. announced that it has integrated with QuestSoft in the newest release of its Vendor Service Platform (VSP 2.0). Del Mar DataTrac provides solutions that empower small- and medium-sized mortgage bankers to deliver extraordinary customer service and drive up production while reducing risk, increasing productivity and streamlining their overall efficiency.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Adify Partners With Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions on Industry's First Real Estate Vertical Advertising Network

Adify announced a partnership with the Cyberhomes Media Group, part of Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions, who on May 13th announced the launch of the Cyberhomes Vertical Advertising network, the first real estate vertical advertising network. The Cyberhomes Vertical Advertising network will leverage the popularity of CMG's flagship website, Cyberhomes.com and thousands of broker and REALTOR® hosted web sites to provide member real estate-related publishers additional revenue-generating capabilities through access to high quality, relevant advertisers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Reports First-Quarter Loss

After recording a $106.9 million profit in 2007, the housing slump and credit crunch caused Radian Group Inc. to post a $215.2 million loss for the 2008 first quarter. Claims paid by the Philadelphia-based mortgage and bond insurer rose almost twofold to $190.19 million from $95.82 million in last year's first quarter.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2008

LandAmerica Fraud Detection Program Helps Agent Partners Safeguard Revenues and Avoid Costly Fraud Claims

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. is making its Fraud Detection Program, which helps the company's Agent Partners safeguard their business revenues and avoid potentially costly fraud claims litigation, available nationally for the first time. The program is being introduced nationwide after being successfully tested among Agent Partners in LandAmerica's Northwest Region of operations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Cyberhomes Announces Launch of Richer, Redesigned Real Estate Listings and Home Evaluation Site

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has announced the release of a completely redesigned and enhanced Cyberhomes.com, the real estate listings and home evaluation site from Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES).

The changes reflect the extraordinary growth that Cyberhomes experienced during its introductory year. The new site brings to the forefront the more than 2.5 million homes for sale licensed from its broker, MLS and franchisor content partners, and expands upon the presentation of home and neighborhood evaluation information for which it is already well-known, covering 100 million property, ownership, sales and mortgage records drawn from more than 85 percent of the United States population. Cyberhomes now also features more than half-a-million virtual tours, and 700,000 foreclosure and pre-foreclosure listings.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

MRG, Lydian Offer Origination Fulfillment

MRG Document Technologies, and Lydian Data Services, have formed an alliance to enable lenders to outsource services spanning from origination to post-closing quality control. The alliance enables MRG to extend its Miracle document preparation system to origination fulfillment customers who use Lydian to supplement or replace their own internal processes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Named ''Preferred Partner'' By Baker Hill

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services announced that Baker Hill has named the company a “Preferred Partner.” The designation symbolizes a strong alliance between the two leading financial services industry providers in which Baker Hill will actively promote Wolters Kluwer Financial Services’ ComplianceOneTM solution as the regulatory compliance solution of choice to be used with Baker Hill’s loan origination systems.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

Keller Williams(R) Realty Sends Listings to Zillow.com(R)

Zillow.com and Keller Williams Realty Inc. today announced a partnership which enables Keller Williams to automatically feed the listings of the company's 73,000 associates to Zillow.com on a daily basis, joining the Zillow Listings Feed program, which launched in November 2007.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Reports Updated Operating Results for the First Quarter 2008

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

American Federal Mortgage Deploys Del Mar DataTrac's DocumentTrac

Del Mar DataTrac Inc. says that American Federal Mortgage Corp. has implemented the company's electronic imaging platform, DocumentTrac. DocumentTrac enables lenders to share documents electronically among branches, brokers, and investors quickly and freely, while reducing labor and delivery costs. The platform also reduces storage costs, while enabling easy, secure retrieval, Del Mar DataTrac adds.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:49 AM | Comments (0)

Mortech, AllRegs Form Strategic Alliance

Mortech and AllRegs have formed a relationship to simplify the loan closing process. According to the companies, the strategic alliance enables both companies to continue to deliver product and pricing information in an all-in-one solution to thousands of mortgage professionals. Mortech provides all-in-one pricing, rate notification, and prospect management tools. With the addition of AllRegs, the two companies will cross-sell their solutions, enabling lenders to increase close ratios.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:47 AM | Comments (0)

Equifax's New Mortgage Risk Tool

Equifax, Inc., launched a tool that's designed to help investors assess the credit risks associated with mortgage loans originated in certain geographic areas. Equifax released the new tool—Mortgage Market Risk InsightTM (MRI)—that provides investors with the most up-to-date credit information on borrowers living in certain zip codes.

Subscribers of the tool benefit from a comprehensive review of mortgage loans that are still in compliance, but potentially at-risk of default because of their association with certain data patterns.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2008

Stewart Information Services Q1 Net Loss Widens

Stewart Information Services Corp. reported a wider net loss for the first quarter, hurt by a decline in title orders on lower home sales. The company posted a net loss of $22.3 million, compared to a loss of $4.8 million in the prior year quarter.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Slips To Q1 Loss

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. reported a net loss of $24.2 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2008, compared to profit of $4.7 million in the last year quarter. Revenues for the quarter declined to $686.4 million from $948.6 million in the same quarter last year.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Information Services 1Q losses increase

Stewart Information Services Corp. said first-quarter losses widened due to a sharp decline in title insurance revenue. Losses increased during the quarter ended March 31 to $22.3 million, or $1.24 per share, from $4.8 million, or 26 cents per share, during the same quarter the previous year. Total revenue fell 26 percent from the year-ago period to $394.1 million.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Presents Remediation Plan to GSEs

Radian Group Inc. has presented a comprehensive business and financial plan to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that is aimed at restoring the profitability of its mortgage insurance business, according to the company. Radian said it presented the plan to officials from both government-sponsored enterprises on April 10, two days after Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its rating on the MI subsidiary, Radian Guaranty Inc., from AA-minus to A. This triggered a requirement that Radian submit a remediation plan to the GSEs.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Ltd. Offers Lenders Cover Against Loss Resulting From Mortgage Fraud

Stewart Title Ltd., the underwriter of United Kingdom transactions for Stewart Title Guaranty Company, can provide lenders the cover they need to safeguard their mortgage transactions. With the UK experiencing a rise in the number of mortgage related frauds, Stewart Title offers title insurance to help provide cover against such fraud. For a one-off premium, the policy provides cover for a lender and any successor to its title in the mortgage.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Releases Enhanced APR Calculator Within Its PredProtect Regulatory Compliance Suite(SM)

Interthinx, Inc. has announced a new APR calculator enhancement to its PredProtect loan-level regulatory compliance solution. The enhancement gives Interthinx customers two options for verifying the accuracy of their disclosures under the federal Truth-In-Lending Act (TILA). Lenders may now choose APRWin from the Office of Comptroller of Currency (OCC) or the new engine that validates payment streams and creates printable amortization schedules.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

AllRegs Acquires Merit Matrix

AllRegs announces the acquisition of Merit Matrix. The acquisition of Merit Matrix allows AllRegs to round out its content available to mortgage bankers with more than 64 investors and nearly 3,000 loan products. Additionally, the acquisition of Merit Matrix also allows for mortgage professionals to continue using their existing loan platforms and product and pricing engines for loan transactions, which are now able to receive data directly from AllRegs via direct XML data feeds.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

American Federal Mortgage Deploys Del Mar DataTrac's DocumentTrac

Del Mar DataTrac(R), Inc. announced that American Federal Mortgage Corp. has implemented the company's electronic imaging platform, DocumentTrac(TM).

Posted by S. Germain at 07:49 AM | Comments (0)

Triad Guaranty and Lightyear Capital Enter Exclusive Negotiations to Form a New Mortgage Insurance Company

Triad Guaranty Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive arrangement with Lightyear Capital LLC to negotiate definitive agreements that would result in the creation of a new monoline mortgage insurance company. In addition, the new company would provide various forms of administrative and financial support to Triad Guaranty. Lightyear would be the lead investor and Triad Guaranty initially would not have any ownership in the new company.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:47 AM | Comments (0)

Custom Credit Systems, Hyland Software Team On Document Management

Custom Credit Systems (CCS) has formed a strategic partnership with Hyland Software Inc., developer of the OnBase enterprise document management software suite. Through this partnership, CCS will be able to provide its customers with enhanced document retrieval capabilities to increase efficiency in the overall lending process, according to the firms.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

DocuTech Automates California RE 885 Disclosure Calculations

DocuTech, a national provider of compliance and document services to lenders, has provided an update of its ConformX mortgage document software that automates and guarantees compliance with California's new subprime lending best practices law.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:44 AM | Comments (0)

Red Vision Completes First Electronic Statewide Title Plant In Maryland

Red Vision Systems Inc. has built an electronic plant providing 100% coverage for the state of Maryland. The TitleVision plant employs advanced posting algorithms to deliver customers fast and accurate property search products from its database of courthouse and property tax records. Red Vision notes that it differentiates itself from traditional abstractors by combining statewide electronic plants and collaborative workflow technology with a team of local title experts and customer service professionals.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2008

Zillow.com Chooses Digital Map Products to Deliver Parcel Boundary Data

Digital Map Products announced the popular online real estate website Zillow.com® has added DMP's enhanced parcel boundary data to help its users make more informed real estate decisions. Zillow.com said it turned to Digital Map Products for the company's expertise in aggregating a wide range of spatial-based data, including parcel boundaries and delivering it in an affordable and convenient format.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

ValuFinders Enhances Application to Comply with New Home Protection Valuation Code

ValuFinders, Inc. announced today that the company has developed a system enhancement to its Web-based appraisal ordering system, Appraisal CONCIERGE. The enhancement is in anticipation of the proposed Home Valuation Protection Code that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009. The code was created to restore faith back into the appraisal process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

CrossCheck Compliance Adds BasePoint FraudMark(R) Score to Reinvent Loan Due Diligence

BasePoint Analytics™ announced that CrossCheck Compliance has selected BasePoint’s FraudMark® solution as a core component in their new approach to due diligence for loan and portfolio purchases.

The FraudMark solution uses sophisticated analytic scoring technology to identify suspicious mortgage loans, facilitating quick and effective due diligence on high risk loans before purchase or funding. The models accurately predict the likelihood of a loan containing fraud that will result in financial loss to the investor/lender. The FraudMark score risk ranks all loans to create a highly targeted subset of loans for the Enhanced Fraud Review. The precise fraud score provided by FraudMark, with market leading low false positive ratios, results in high detection of fraud with minimal operational impact.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

FIS First Quarter Revenues Increase 20.5%

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2008. First quarter results include the divestiture of certain businesses which are reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

MBS ProClose Launches ProClose Platinum Web Services

MBS ProClose has launched its MISMO XML-native ProClose Platinum Web Service. Governed by rules-based automation, ProClose Platinum delivers a set of closing docs in PDF form, ready to print, e-deliver or both, just seconds after the loan file is completed, the company says.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose Partners With America's Home Rescue

FirstClose has formed a strategic alliance with America's Home Rescue LLC to provide technology services designed to significantly streamline the pre-foreclosure and short-sale process. According to the companies, this alliance offers unique benefits to homeowners, real estate agents and lending institutions alike.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Teams With Lydian Data Services On Outsourcing

MRG Document Technologies has formed an alliance with Lydian Data Services, a provider of end-to-end outsourcing services for all aspects of the mortgage operation. The alliance enables MRG to extend its Miracle document preparation system to Lydian Data Services' origination fulfillment center customers, who use Lydian's outsource capabilities to supplement or replace their own internal processes, thereby controlling fixed costs while maintaining or raising output quality.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio Hits Milestone With 20 Million Property Photos

Zaio Corp. has surpassed 20 million photos of individual parcels of real estate in its growing national database. Zaio says it is coordinating the photography, inspection and appraisal of properties throughout the nation. The company's patent-pending technology is designed to be used by appraisers and help lenders obtain real-time appraisals from a secure database in much the same way they obtain credit reports.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer and FIS Partner to Offer Loan Mods and Compliance

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has partnered with Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) in a deal that will allow Fidelity's FIS Desktop—a document and expense management system that helps servicers through the origination and loss mitigation processes—to implement Wolters Kluwer's Desert Document Services into its system.

Desert Document Services will allow FIS to have immediate access to a repository of documents that comply with all of the state and federal guidelines.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2008

Company Launches Special Servicing Unit

Strategic Recovery Group LLC, a national mortgage asset recovery company, has launched a special servicing unit, Acqura Loan Services. Acqura offers a full spectrum of servicing, loss mitigation, and collection services and creates a customized risk-management solution for each of its clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

RealtyTrac, Reliance Network Join Forces

RealtyTrac and Reliance Network LLC have announced a strategic partnership that will allow Reliance Network's clients to have real-time access to RealtyTrac's nationwide foreclosure database.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. Announces Receipt of IRS Private Letter Ruling

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that it has received a formal private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the previously announced spin-off of Lender Processing Services ("LPS") will be tax-free to FIS, as well as to LPS and FIS shareholders. FIS shareholders will recognize a gain or loss on the receipt of cash in lieu of fractional shares.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

ValuAmerica Vendor Management Software Will Now Assure Compliance With Federal Rules on Directed Appraisals

ValuAmerica announced a new release of its ValuNet xsp software that will prevent directed appraisals and ensure compliance with current valuation requirements of the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of The Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS).

The system will also help lenders to comply with the terms of the recent agreement on appraisals between the New York Attorney General and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and OFHEO.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. Increases Share Repurchase Authorization and Declares Quarterly Dividend

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $250 million of FIS common stock. This authorization replaces the company's previous share repurchase authorization, of which approximately $117 million was outstanding.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

PPR Debuts Structured CRE Loan Module

Boston-based Property & Portfolio Research Inc. (PPR) has launched its Structured Loan Module as an enhancement to COMPASSCRE, a desktop and Web services tool that calculates default metrics calibrated to historic commercial real estate mortgage defaults.

The addition of the Structured CRE Loan Module allows the modeling of structured loans, both A/B-type structures as well as mezzanine loans. It also takes into account the impact of loan seasoning and allows the determination of a time series of expected loss for any particular loan structure across market and property type, the company notes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services Launches Expedited Payments

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) has debuted FIS Expedited Payments, a secure turnkey solution that enables financial institutions and merchants to quickly deploy an online payment option for statements and invoices. Consumers may search, view and pay their bills through a simple, seamless online user interface designed to match corporate branding, the company says.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Vuecentric Adds Credit Repair Functionality To MortgageDashboard

Vuecentric Inc., has released a new module for use with its MortgageDashboard loan origination system that allows mortgage originators to provide a free credit analysis to borrowers and work with them to solve problems that prevent them from qualifying for a new home loan. The new functionality is part of the MortgageDashboard Credit Center and is provided by Las Vegas-based Credit Source One.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

April 04, 2008

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 1st Quarter 2008 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will release 1st quarter 2008 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Wednesday, April 23, 2008. A conference call will follow at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 24, 2008. Those wishing to participate via the webcast - www.fnf.com. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial-in at 888-639-6205 (USA) or 703-925-2608 (International).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces Dates for First Quarter 2008 Results and Conference Call

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces that it will release operating results for the first quarter 2008 after the market closes on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Additionally, the company will sponsor a conference call on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 10:00 AM ET to discuss the results.

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-877-407-0782 and request to be connected to the LandAmerica conference. Additionally, the call will be simultaneously broadcast over the internet via LandAmerica's website (http://www.landam.com). Click Investor Information > Calendar of Events.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

Wells Broadens E-Disclosure Acceptance

On the heels of approving the acceptance of DocuSign electronic signature technology, Wells Fargo has announced that it will now accept e-disclosures and e-1003s from eLynx and Encomia as well.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Debuts Score Protection with Funding Suite

Cogent Road has launched Score Protection, Funding Suite's newest technology offering that eliminates additional inquiries by protecting any of the scores in a preexisting credit file provided the original file is less than 30 days old.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

IBM Opens Mortgage Lending Service Center; Signs Coastal Federal Credit Union

A new IBM facility, for subsidiary IBM Lender Business Process Services, Inc., has opened in Charlotte, N.C., to serve the outsourcing needs of the mortgage-processing industry. Raleigh-based Coastal Federal Credit Union, which recently signed a five-year deal with LBPS, is expected to save 30 to 40 percent in mortgage origination costs by turning over its loan fulfillment, IBM said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Landata Technologies, Inc. and Optical Storage Solutions Form a Strategic Alliance

Landata Technologies, Inc. and Optical Storage Solutions (OSS) formed a strategic alliance to integrate the Landata eSTAR eRecording product with the OSS land records management system, LANDEX. Landata offers LANDEX users their e-Link software application as a seamless integration to allow for remote electronic submission of land records to select participating county recorders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

Landata Technologies, Inc. and Optical Storage Solutions Form a Strategic Alliance

Landata Technologies, Inc. and Optical Storage Solutions (OSS) formed a strategic alliance to integrate the Landata eSTAR eRecording product with the OSS land records management system, LANDEX. Landata offers LANDEX users their e-Link software application as a seamless integration to allow for remote electronic submission of land records to select participating county recorders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Guaranty Eliminates Stated-Income, Stated-Asset Programs

Radian Guaranty Inc., the primary mortgage insurance subsidiary of Radian Group Inc., says that mortgages originated under stated-income and stated-asset programs will no longer be eligible for mortgage insurance.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

Red Vision Adapts TitleVision Platform for New House Title

Red Vision, a provider of real property research solutions, announced their recent partnership with New House Title, a Florida-based foreclosure service firm, to adapt Red Vision's Title Vision solution to meet New House's expanding business needs.

The TitleVision solution helps to save companies, such as New House Title, time and reduce the errors that can occur when reviewing records for title searches, including courthouse records, property appraiser values, and property tax data.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio's New Program Focuses on Quality Appraisals

Zaio Corp. rolled out a new solution Monday—the Propertywise Qualified Appraisal Program—which was designed to give lenders and investors the confidence of knowing an appraisal is coming from a qualified appraiser.

The system allows mortgage brokers to submit their appraisal requests through a technology platform. In turn, Zaio sends the appraisal off to a qualified, pre-screened and independent appraiser, who later sends their independent appraisal back to Zaio Inc.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Guaranty Introduces New Mortgage Program

Radian Guaranty has rolled out its new FastAdvance program, which provides partial claims advances that enable residential loan servicers to help troubled borrowers by arranging a customized repayment plan or modifying the terms of a mortgage. In addition, the company has teamed up with Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley (CCCS) to provide assistance, educational outreach and a method of direct communication between borrowers and servicers using Radian FastAdvance.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

Zillow Launches Mortgage Marketplace

Zillow.com, which got its start two years ago as an online property valuation site, is expanding its reach into the world of mortgages. Prospective borrowers who log on to the site and complete a comprehensive loan request form will receive quotes and rates from registered lenders, which undergo background checks from Zillow. After receiving the quotes, Zillow.com users--who do not have to provide any identifiable information--then have the option to initiating contact with lenders and also to rate them.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2008

Fidelity National University Now Offers Free Online Training

Fidelity National Financial, Inc., has announced that free training for Paragon 4 MLS, the Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES) platform used on many U.S. Multiple Listings Services, is now available through Fidelity National University, an online education and training service for real estate professionals located at fidelitynationalu.com.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Ensures Mini-Jumbo Compliance

Interthinx Inc., has expanded its PredProtect product to allow for loan-level regulatory compliance in order to respond to regional differences in limits for "mini-jumbo" conforming loans. The tool handles loans between $417,000 and $729,000 in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., without waiting for system enhancements or upgrades, the company said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

DocuSign Surpasses Eight Million Electronic Signatures Milestone

DocuSign today announced that it has completed more than eight million signature events since its launch in 2005. More than 70 percent of these eight million eSignatures were completed during the past 12 months alone, demonstrating the rapidly accelerating adoption of DocuSign.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

Kroll Factual Data Releases Innovative Mortgage Loan Employment and Income Risk Assessment Service

Kroll Factual Data announced an expansion of its suite of risk assessment services with the release of ActionFacts. ActionFacts uses a cutting-edge, proprietary risk assessment engine to comprehensively verify and assess applicant income and employment information as well as assets and liabilities.

An expansion of its successful risk assessment services, ActionFacts completes the suite of services which include FactualID, CollateralFacts and FullFacts. FactualID identifies borrower misrepresentation; CollateralFacts protects lenders against property value misrepresentation; and FullFacts identifies loan party collusion, conflict of interest, and non arms length transactions for every participant involved in a mortgage loan.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

GMD, Associated Software Consultants Build Interface

Guardian Mortgage Documents (GMD) says it is building an interface with Associated Software Consultants' (ASC) PowerLender loan origination system (LOS) to offer more document flexibility to its lender clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Debuts Score Protection With Funding Suite

Cogent Road, a provider of Internet-based applications for the mortgage industry, has launched Score Protection, Funding Suite's newest technology offering that eliminates additional inquiries by protecting any of the scores in a preexisting credit file provided the original file is less than 30 days old.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)

iMortgage Services Introduces PropertySmart

iMortgage Services LLC (iMS) has launched a comprehensive solution, the iMS PropertySmart platform, to help mortgage companies ensure compliance with the new government-sponsored enterprise Home Valuation Code of Conduct, which mandates the use of independent and unbiased appraisals.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2008

Stewart unit unveils touch-screen technology

A division of Stewart Information Services Corp. has launched a touch-screen technology for real estate closings. The company's TouchSign technology and Touch-to-Close software will begin deploying through Stewart's extensive network of offices and agencies this month, the company said.

TouchSign allows consumers to navigate through their closing documents by simply touching a finger to the TouchSign screens to provide their consent and signature for closing documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

DRI Web Enables Default Management

DRI Management Systems has planned to launch RINCON, a Web-enabled default management application. DRI talked about how RINCON helps servicers better manage defaults by using Web services to offer easy deployment, a more robust workflow, letters, forms and spreadsheets embedded in the workflow, automated connection between third parties, an exception-based setup to allow for a more automated process and an upgraded loss mitigation decisioning model.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

Real-Time ID Verification Now Possible

Rapid Reporting's DirectCheck product will be providing instant verification of Social Security numbers direct from the Social Security Administration for the first time in the mortgage industry. By adding immediate Social Security number verification to the other real-time components of DirectCheck, the industry now has a stronger, better way to reduce fraud at origination

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

PushMX Software and Equity National Title Announce Strategic Partnership

Equity National Title, a national title and settlement service provider, and PushMX Software, an automated workflow solutions provider, have created a strategic partnership to provide access to title services through PushMX Production.

PushMX’s service provider interface allows users to order services during the loan process as well as track fulfillment through PushMX Production.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Guardian Mortgage Documents (GMD) and Associated Software Consultants, Inc. (ASC) Build an Interface to offer Lenders Documents Through PowerLender Loan Processing Software

Guardian Mortgage Documents announced here at the MBA National Technology in Mortgage Banking conference that it is building an interface with Associated Software Consultants' PowerLender loan origination system to offer more document flexibility to its lender clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

ChoicePoint's MARI Introduces New Loan Fraud Alert Service

The Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), a ChoicePoint company, has released its new MARI Loan Fraud Alert Service (LFAS). MARI LFAS is a mortgage industry-contributed loan process database that enables lenders and investors to identify potential application risk, patterns of fraud and hidden relationships among transaction parties.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Ellie Mae Introduces CenterWise

Ellie Mae has launched CenterWise, an all-in-one electronic document management (EDM) and retail Web site package, available as a service through the Encompass Mortgage Management Solution.

CenterWise provides unlimited electronic document management, including all state-specific disclosures, delivery and archiving, along with a professional, scalable and search engine-friendly WebCenter Web site and secure online business center that enables communication among staff, borrowers and business partners, for a monthly subscription fee.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Introduces New Doc Solution

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has launched a new mortgage document solution, the Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Simplified Mortgage to help lenders and borrowers make the closing process for first-mortgage and home-equity loans simpler while complying with all federal and state regulatory requirements.

Through a U.S. patent-pending business process, the current recordable mortgage document is split into two content pieces: The first piece is a two- to three-page recordable instrument that contains all information required to create a valid lien and fully comply with the recording requirements of each state. The second piece is a non-recordable supplement that outlines a loan's standard covenants between the lender and borrower.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Now Offers Electronic Disclosures

MRG Document Technologies has added the ability to send disclosures to its customers in an electronic format. MRG says it can now route eDisclosure documents that are secure, electronically signable and fully compliant with all federal and state regulations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

DocuTech, Gallagher Partner To Improve eDoc Services

DocuTech and Gallagher Financial Systems Inc. (GFS) have signed a contract which will integrate DocuTech's Web-based document solution, ConformX, with GFS' NetOxygen loan origination software (LOS).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio Inc. Announces “Preferred Appraiser” Status

Zaio Inc. announced that Veros Real Estate Solutions has named the company a “preferred appraiser.” The designation of “preferred appraiser” allows Zaio the opportunity to serve Veros customers with accurate and timely appraisals, while also providing them with a direct link to property valuation information through Zaio's database.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

FAS Doubles Size in REO-Focused Marketplace

Field Asset Services (FAS), a property preservation and REO maintenance and services provider, has nearly doubled its size and has added new key clients—including Fannie Mae, Keystone and IndyMac Bank—to accomodate today's foreclosure-riddled marketplace.

The company, which had 100 full-time employees in January of 2007, has grown its staff to 264 members and expects to fill 335 positions by the end of this year.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2008

MDA announces strategic acquisition in the U.S. financial services sector

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. announced a strategic expansion of its Information Products business in the United States. The Company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain lender solution businesses from TransUnion LLC's Real Estate Services division.

The acquired business includes collateral valuation solutions, property search solutions, mortgage credit solutions, closing solutions, and flood compliance solutions, all of which are designed to drive time, cost, and risk out of the residential lending cycle.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

FNC(R) Platforms Ensure Lenders Comply with New Fannie/Freddie Guidelines

Officials of mortgage technology company FNC, Inc. said they have industry-proven platforms that will ensure mortgage lenders comply with new Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac rules spelling out how home appraisals can be conducted.

The company's Collateral Management System for enterprise lenders and its Collateral Headquarters platform designed for regional and community banks are the solutions mortgage lenders will need when the new rules take effect Jan. 1.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

BancTec Acquires Regional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Leader DocuData Solutions

BancTec has acquired DocuData Solutions, an imaging, content management and media storage business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider with operations centers throughout Texas. The acquisition supports BancTec's strategy to expand its BPO business worldwide, adding 3 Texas processing centers to its 4 existing U.S. sites and 11 European sites.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

$11 Billion in Mortgage Loan Applications Called Into Question by Interthinx

Interthinx® announced that company analysts have uncovered more than 42,000 mortgage applications, totaling nearly $11 billion, containing significant misrepresentations of the borrowers' income. These applications were all originated and submitted for Interthinx review in the last six months of 2007.

The loans were discovered when Interthinx analysts determined that its FLEX (FraudNET Loan Exchange) program had generated 42,610 Income alerts.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Introduces Disclosure Manager

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has launched Disclosure Manager, an automated solution designed to replace a lender's paper-based home loan disclosure process. Disclosure Manager allows lenders to automate the entire initial loan disclosure process, from document creation to the secure electronic delivery of documents to borrowers for e-consent or e-signature, the company says. In addition, Disclosure Manager allows lenders to completely and securely outsource the printing and mailing of paper disclosures when needed or requested by the borrower through Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' SAS70-certified mail fulfillment center.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

InsideValuation: Taking Default Risk Analytics A Step Further

InsideValuation said that its strategic partnership with International Financing Engineering Group has produced a product that allows mortgage risk managers the ability to more effectively identify the risk of a loan defaulting. The tool does this by analyzing specific median home prices, property location, buyer behavior, affordability, unemployment and rent-versus-price ratios for the homes in question. Zip codes and property location play a significant role in the tool's ability to detect risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

National Database Captures Property Values

Zaio Corp., has developed an Appraisal Knowledge Warehouse, a database that seeks to provide fair and accurate appraisals to the industry.

Zaio's goal is to photograph, inspect and appraise every home in the U.S. The company mandates that its 140 million property records, of which 90 million are residential, be updated at least every 30 days. Using new listing data and sales data, appraisers are provided with guidelines on appraisal values.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2008

BB&T Selects Fidelity National Information Services’ ACBS Commercial Lending Solutions

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. and BB&T Corporation announced that BB&T has selected FIS’ Advanced Commercial Banking Systems (ACBS®) to support its growing capital markets syndications and participations business.

BB&T will deploy the ACBS Origination, Servicing and DataMart solutions to efficiently originate and service commercial loans. FIS’ ACBS Lending Solutions are an integrated family of commercial lending products that automate the entire range of commercial lending activity – from deal origination, syndication and servicing to trading, settlement and portfolio reporting.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

Community Bank Mortgage Product Unveiled

ICBA Mortgage, the mortgage corporation of the Independent Community Bankers of America, and its partner Taylor, Bean Whitaker Mortgage Corp. have unveiled their newest product offering for community banks: Complete Mortgage Solutions. CMS gives ICBA member banks access to "consultative services that deliver a comprehensive blueprint for mortgage success -- from operational workflow, staffing, and training to technology, marketing, and mortgage products," said Terry Jorde, chairman of ICBA Mortgage.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

TSS Software Enhances TitleExpress

TSS Software Corp., a software provider to the settlement services industry, has announced enhancements to its flagship product, TitleExpress. Among the enhancements are integrations with Calyx's Point loan origination system, reporting for United General Title Insurance Co., and the addition of iOrderOpen.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

First Preston Chooses eMASON to Provide Automated Process Workflow

eMASON, Inc., announced today that eMASON and First Preston have formed a technology relationship to benefit joint customers. eMASON Clarifire® process automation will be used in conjunction with First Preston's technology provider HomeTracker® in order to connect First Preston's workflow and communications with other default related processes running in Clarifire. This connectivity will streamline processes by eliminating hand offs and provide easy visibility for their clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

BancTec Acquires Regional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Leader DocuData Solutions

BancTec, a global provider of advanced, high volume document and payment processing solutions and services, has acquired DocuData Solutions, an imaging, content management and media storage business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider with operations centers throughout Texas. The acquisition supports BancTec's strategy to expand its BPO business worldwide, adding 3 Texas processing centers to its 4 existing U.S. sites and 11 European sites.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

BMC Software Investments Inc. Acquires Loan-Score Decisioning Systems LLC

BMC Software Investments Inc., a Southeastern-based investment firm, announced that it has acquired Loan-Score Decisioning Systems LLC, an emerging leader in enterprise-class automated underwriting solutions. The acquisition positions Loan-Score to become a dominant player in the financial services industry for next-generation decisioning and risk management solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

Zenta Expands To South Carolina

Zenta, a New York-based business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing company, has established a 35,000 square-foot operations center in Florence, S.C., and will employ up to 250 people.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

GenEquity Mortgage Selects Guardian Mortgage Services

GenEquity Mortgage Inc., a division of Paragon Global Resources, has selected Guardian Mortgage Services (GMS) to provide closing, loan funding, line management and post-closing services to support its exiting business and its new national retail operation.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Offers One-Time Close Construction/Permanent Loan Closing Documentation

MRG Document Technologies has developed one-time close construction/permanent closing documentation for both conventional and Federal Housing Administration residential loans.

This one-time close documentation is available for both traditional construction as well as manufactured housing construction for all 50 states. Because MRG's in-house compliance attorneys developed the document packages with the consultation of local attorneys for each specific state jurisdiction, each document set is in full compliance with all federal and state lending requirements, the company notes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

INTEGRA Software Systems Selects CSi System

INTEGRA Software Systems, a provider of residential mortgage software, has elected to integrate Compliance Systems Inc.'s (CSi) IntelleDoc Solutions, a comprehensive dynamic documentation system for its bank, credit union and mortgage lending customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

February 29, 2008

Fidelity National Information Services Releases FIS Desktop 2008

Fidelity announced the release of its FIS Desktop 2008. The product is described as a workflow management system that gives the company's clients in the financial sector an automatic, real-time and efficient direct link between default customers, vendors, service providers and investors. The company is able to do this by automating labor-intensive functions and eliminating the need to build multiple interfaces among various data and service suppliers.

- a redesigned user interface to meet the demands of the end user

- advanced integration with other industry partners

- provides clients with the opportunity to see and analyze active loans in the company’s Mortgage Servicing Package

Posted by S. Germain at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

FIS Partners with Land America and First Horizon National

LandAmerica implemented Fidelity National Information Services Inc.’s SoftPro Select, a title and closing production package to power LandAmerica Link, its title and escrow system. Built on Microsoft’s .NET platform, SoftPro Select is a real estate service that will serve LandAmerica’s nearly 8,000 users in more than 800 direct offices nationwide.

Additionally, First Horizon National Corp., signed a multiyear contract under which FIS will provide technology outsourcing services for its open systems, which includes complete data center management.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

Southeast's Leading Real Estate Closing Law Firm Establishes Two National Divisions

Morris|Hardwick|Schneider, the largest real estate closing law firm in the Southeast and one of the largest in the nation, announced today that two new mortgage service divisions – National Default Services Division and National REO Division – have been established.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose(TM) Reduces Closing Times for Superior Savings Credit Union from 30 days to 5 Days

FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data, Inc., announced that it has added Superior Savings Credit Union to its list of growing customers. Superior Savings CU is now utilizing the FirstClose bundled mortgage settlement platform to obtain Credit Reports, Flood Zone Determinations, Automated Valuation Models (AVMs), and Equiguard, an instant alternative to title reports for home equity and second mortgage transactions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Begins Roll Out of Business Objects' Business Intelligence Tools With Mortgage Servicer Solution

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. announced the recent roll out of BusinessObjects™ Enterprise Professional (BOE) and Crystal Reports® XI to users of its residential mortgage loan servicing system, Mortgage Servicer™.

The business intelligence tools from Business Objects, the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, replace CA., Inc.’s EUREKA:Reporter and further meet the existing needs of FICS’ Mortgage Servicer customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Harland Financial Solutions Introduces New Service Release Module

Harland Financial Solutions has rolled out a new Service Release Module for the Interlinq Loan Servicing system.

The Service Release Module supports the sale of loans by batch to each purchasing company. By importing data from Microsoft, Excel spreadsheets, text files or Microsoft Access databases, servicers can avoid re-keying loan information and associated errors.

Once the batch sale is processed, general ledger entries are automatically created for various loan balances, fees and adjustments to export to the accounting system, saving additional manual entry. Based on servicer criteria, the system also creates goodbye letters and follow-up ticklers, Harland Financial Solutions adds.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Response Analytics Introduces DPM Tool

Response Analytics Inc. has introduced the industry's first distressed-portfolio management (DPM) solution.

Unlike conventional default management and servicing systems, RAI's DPM solution uses optimization-based technology to provide continuous portfolio valuations and optimal-recovery-rate recommendations matched to appropriate collection channels, the company says.

By adaptively learning how borrowers and portfolios will react to changing market and economic conditions, mortgage organizations can increase accuracy for valuations and cash flow forecasts - plus optimize workout recommendations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

Weststar Mortgage Selects MRG For Document Preparation Services

MRG Document Technologies will provide document support to Weststar Mortgage Corp., an Albuquerque, N.M.-based direct lender that specializes in financing and purchasing non-conventional loans, for Weststar Mortgage's one-time-close construction-to-permanent transactions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

REO Sentinel Offers New Property Monitoring Technology

REO Sentinel LLC has introduced a new technology called REO Sentinel, a patent-pending self-powered device intended to help servicers keep watch over their REO properties by providing ongoing monitoring of any gases, visitors and damage from the elements that may be affecting the property.

Lenders and property preservation managers can select visibility of all events at a portfolio level, or they can examine an individual property for a more granular review, the company says. A Web-based dashboard - showing the status of each property and any alerts that have occurred over a user-configurable timeframe - is also available.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Launches Forensic Review Appraisal Service

Interthinx Inc. has introduced R/EValue, a forensic review appraisal service. Interthinx says this service leverages state-of-the-art technology and the most experienced forensic review appraisal professionals in the industry. Reviews are typically returned within 10 business days, and Interthinx audits appraiser work and ranks its panel of reviewers after every assignment.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

iMortgage Services Announces Customizable Loan Workout Program

iMortgage Services LLC announced its Loan Workout service for mortgage lenders and servicers.iMS performs a loss mitigation title search and required document retrieval. Provided there are no intervening liens on the property, iMS issues a loss mitigation title endorsement, allowing the lender to move ahead with modification. The same process can be applied to loans already in default. At the loan servicer's request, iMS will also perform additional valuation, recordation or settlement services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

InsideValuation Updates Collateral Risk Scoring Model

InsideValuation upgraded its collateral risk-scoring model, InsideRisk. The upgraded version evaluates economic and demographic data linked to nearly 43,000 five-digit residential zip codes to measure the level of risk associated with economic and demographic variables.

The five variables that are evaluated by InsideRisk include affordability, unemployment, property crime, violent crime and gross rent multiplier. These variables are categorized by five risk rankings: low, average, elevated, high and very high.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2008

ServiceLink Offers Warranted Collateral Valuations and Automated Valuation Model (AVM) Reports

ServiceLink, the national mortgage services platform of Fidelity National Financial, now offers warranted collateral valuations and automated valuation model (AVM) reports to protect against overstated valuations resulting in losses. These products are designed to reduce the buy-back risk between originators and investors due to inaccurate valuations by protecting the Lender from a financial loss resulting from default, foreclosure or rejection by the secondary market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Posts Qrtly Loss on Real Estate Slump

LandAmerica Financial Group swung to a quarterly loss, hurt by a decline in the U.S. residential real estate market and charges related to office closures.

The insurer said it was shaving costs and trying to simplify operations, as a result of "demanding market conditions." It closed 160 offices in the quarter, resulting in a pretax charge of $41.3 million. The company said its fourth-quarter loss was $45.9 million compared with a profit of $34.3 million in the year-ago quarter.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Parent Suffers Loss, Cutting Jobs

Stewart Information Services Corp reported a fourth-quarter loss and its first annual loss since 1974, and said it plans deeper job cuts to cope with the nation's severe decline in the housing market.

The parent of Stewart Title Co said it lost $31.3 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $10.7 million a year earlier.

Revenue fell 23 percent to $499.7 million, compared with the average forecast for $547.1 million.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

Companies Form National REO Platform

National Real Estate Information Services has announced the formation with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services of a comprehensive platform for managing and selling real estate owned. The new company, National Real Estate Asset Management will enable customers holding foreclosed properties to work with one entity that handles every aspect of property dissolution, from eviction to sale.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

Pentagon Federal Credit Union Chooses Fiserv for End-to-end Paperless Lending

Fiserv, Inc. announced that Pentagon Federal Credit Union has chosen the Nautilus Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system to image-enable its mortgage processing functions.

To create a truly paperless lending environment, Pentagon FCU will utilize Nautilus with the UniFi(R) PRO loan origination system and Fiserv Loan Servicing Platform, both of which are already running at the credit union. By automating the mortgage lending process, Nautilus will route image files per pre-defined rules and prompt Pentagon staff to perform routine tasks that are established in the standardized workflows.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

CSC/HOPE NOW Introduce Improved Loss Mit Technology

Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) said this week that it has been working with members of the HOPE NOW Alliance to enhance the company's Early Resolution (ER) technology and to create an EarlyResolution Counseling Portal (ERCP) that will help nonprofit loan counselors better assist struggling borrowers.

For more than a month, CSC has had pilot tests of the platform going at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Bank of America, PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta Inc.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

iMortgage Services Offers Loan Workout Platform

iMortgage Services (iMS) is toting the value and availability of its proprietary PropertySmart(TM) system—a product that allows servicing departments to perform a loss mitigation title search immediately and quickly move forward with the loan modification process.

iMortgage says in cases where there is “no intervening liens on the property,” the proprietary platform allows servicers to move swiftly through the loan modification process. And through its platform, the company claims servicers can obtain a new valuation as well as a record of settlement services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Insurer Radian Trying to Keep Borrowers in Homes

Radian Group has rolled out a national pilot program with five mortgage servicers to pay 15 percent--or up to $15,000--to a lender to work out terms with a borrower; the company also is forgoing repayment of the advance. The company is facing about $1 billion in mortgage claims this year and expects to pay $200 million in claims in the first quarter, compared with $94 million a year ago.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2008

ServiceLink Improves Appraisal Process by Incorporating Vision(SM) Computer Telephony Integration Technology

ServiceLink, the national mortgage services platform of Fidelity National Financial improves appraisal appointment and delivery time using VisionSM computer telephony integration (CTI) technology. CTI Technology electronically confirms the appraiser's availability within minutes of an appraisal order hitting the VisionSM system and automatically calls and conferences in the borrower to confirm the pre-selected appointment date and time. This process provides national coverage and allows the loan officer and/or processor to lock-in the borrower’s commitment by securing their availability for an appraisal inspection at the time of application. The pre-scheduled process has reduced the lender’s traditional appraisal cycle time by four or more days, all while improving the borrower experience.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Signs Multiyear Contract Extension for FIS' Mortgage Servicing Package

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that Wells Fargo Home Mortgage has signed a multiyear contract extension for FIS' Mortgage Servicing Package(TM) (MSP).

Wells Fargo currently services more than 7.9 million loans using MSP and has leveraged the MSP platform for more than 20 years. MSP is used in all areas of Wells Fargo's mortgage servicing, including loan setup and maintenance, cashiering, escrow administration, investor accounting, default management and regulatory reporting.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services' Spin off to be Named Lender Processing Services, Inc.

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that its Lender Processing division, which the company plans to spin off in mid-2008, will be named Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS). Jeff Carbiener, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FIS, will be President and Chief Executive Officer of LPS.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services' Spin off to be Named Lender Processing Services, Inc.

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that its Lender Processing division, which the company plans to spin off in mid-2008, will be named Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS). Jeff Carbiener, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FIS, will be President and Chief Executive Officer of LPS.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services Launches Transaction PRO Product

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced the introduction of Transaction PRO, an automated risk analysis and fraud prevention tool for mortgage loan transactions. Transaction PRO, developed by FIS' Valuation Solutions division, combines speed, state-of-the-art technology and one of the largest, most accurate property databases in the business.

Transaction PRO leverages FIS' extensive data resources to identify risk in 12 categories associated with three risk indicators: borrower risk, mortgage transaction participant quality and property collateral valuation. Transaction PRO also enables clients to set risk tolerances and automate follow-up due diligence in accordance with the risk indicators.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

FNC releasing new AppraisalPort

FNC Inc. will debut of a new version of AppraisalPort, the mortgage technology company's online business solution.

The new version of AppraisalPort contains added appraiser-requested features: communication tracking and archiving; intuitive layout and navigation; online forum to promote community discussions; classified section through which users can sell or trade, and lenders can post hiring needs; reading list featuring articles from industry thought leaders; and, important industry links.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Automates Cascading AVM Within Its Proven Risk Mitigation System

Interthinx®, Inc. has announced the integration and automation of its cascading AVM solution within its proven FraudGUARD® risk mitigation system. This most recent innovation enables users to customize complex business rules based on lender credit policy directly within FraudGUARD to automatically trigger a request for a Clear Value(SM) cascading AVM. Lenders and investors can benefit from improved efficiencies, decreased costs, reduction in transaction processing time, and optimized workflow.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio Corp. Acquires Appraisal.com's Assets

Technology and database provider Zaio Corp. said the company has acquired Appraisal.com's technology assets.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

CSC/HOPE NOW Introduce Improved Loss Mit Technology

Technology solutions provider Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) said this week that it has been working with members of the HOPE NOW Alliance to enhance the company's Early Resolution (ER) technology and to create an EarlyResolution Counseling Portal (ERCP) that will help nonprofit loan counselors better assist struggling borrowers.

ERCP will function much like the consumer lending default management software that made CSC a player in the loss mitigation field. But, this time, loan counselors are expected to be the main beneficiaries.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2008

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Closes Its Acquisition of the Assets of Stewart Lender Services' Flood Determination Business

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services today announced the close of the acquisition of the assets of Stewart Lender Services' flood determination business.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services combined the assets of Stewart's flood determination business with its own PCi line of flood determination solutions, which offer accurate, efficient and affordable determinations compliant with all federal flood regulations, government agencies and loan servicers. A subsidiary of Stewart Title Company and part of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC), Stewart's flood determination division offers solutions including basic certification, basic plus life of loan, portfolio review and commercial flood determinations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information services aligns with Digital Insight

Fidelity National Information Services has announced a new strategic relationship with Digital Insight, a provider of online banking services to midmarket banks and credit unions in the US. Under terms of the agreement, Digital Insight will offer FIS' premium bill pay and presentment solution to its clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

FIS Rolls Out New Web-based Loan Modification Technology

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) announced the launch of its new Web-based loan modification solution. The new tool allows companies to quickly deal with re-setting servicing costs on adjustable rate mortgages, while also maintaining the integrity of each transaction.

The solution, which is built into FIS's ClosingStream e-mortgage technology platform, promises “to help lenders save money by limiting adjustable-rate mortgage reset servicing costs," the company says.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

Trepp Offers New Portfolio Analysis Platform

Trepp, LLC, announced the release of TreppLoan PortfolioTM, an innovative platform for risk management, surveillance, reporting and valuation for commercial real estate lenders.

The web-based product leverages Trepp's industry standard CMBS reporting and analytics platform by extending its capabilities for balance sheet lenders and whole loan investors.

TreppLoan Portfolio takes credit analysis one step further by benchmarking the characteristics of a portfolio against the securitized commercial real estate market. Stress analysis can then be applied to the uploaded positions in order to examine loan performance under various credit and economic scenarios. Additionally, users can identify concentration risk and diversity within a portfolio through various stratification tools.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose(TM) Announces Polish & Slavic FCU as Newest Customer

FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data, Inc. (FLDI), announced that it has added Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union, a $1.1 billion credit union with over 70,000 members, to its list of growing customers. Polish & Slavic FCU will be utilizing the FirstClose platform to obtain Flood Zone Determinations from Fidelity, LandAmerica, and Stewart Title, Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) from Freddie Mac, First American, Fidelity, and others, Tax Tracking Services, and an instant title report alternative called Equiguard.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

BSI Licenses Moss Codilis Software

BSI Financial Services Inc. has partnered with Moss Codilis LLP for its default management services and software. As part of the partnership, BSI has licensed M-Vue, a Moss Codilis proprietary software that supports the servicing of mortgage loans that are in default in a secure, Web-based environment.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

Safeguard Introduces eBroker Sign Off

Safeguard Properties has launched eBroker Sign Off, a Web-based application that further enhances Safeguard's quality-control measures for REO service delivery.

eBroker Sign Off allows Safeguard's REO clients' brokers to electronically complete and submit a Broker Sign Off Checklist at the conclusion of their quality walkthroughs, according to the company. Originally designed to obtain feedback from the broker regarding a contractor's performance at a property, the Broker Sign Off now serves as a communication vehicle and quality-control measure in which brokers provide data to routinely monitor contractors' performance and timeliness.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Clayton Holdings, Experian Form Partnership

Clayton Holdings has entered an agreement with Experian, a global information services company, to provide analytics and outsourcing services to the mortgage and securitization industries designed to improve transparency, predictability and loss mitigation.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

InsideValuaton Releases Technology Portal

InsideValuation has introduced a new technology portal that is designed to expedite the turnaround time on valuation reports. The firm says its new technology is able to automate non-critical points in the valuation process and reduce delivery time. It also includes a scoring model with demographic and economic information that assists in the quantification of collateral risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

IAS Launches iMVT

Integrated Asset Services (IAS) has rolled out a tool designed to help residential real estate investors as they analyze multiple existing loan pools, as well as the values of properties hidden within those portfolios.

IAS says its new Intelligent Market Volatility Index (iMVI™) allows investors to see definitive research results because the index actually compares “more than 15,000 homogenous geographic segments utilizing over 400 unique attributes.” The attributes included in the tool's analytic studies allow investors to take account of unique market conditions and other local property data that could have an impact on property value.

iMVI uses the entire population of “arms length” sales including condo sales, separated by type, to establish unique indexes by property type. Unlike the Home Price Index (HPI), it also includes “non-conforming” sales from MLS, public and market data to more accurately reflect values and risk at the loan level.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

February 01, 2008

Bankruptcy Filers Sue Fidelity National Information Services for Alleged Kick Back Scheme

Fidelity National Information Services has been named in a Houston lawsuit filed by two Chapter 13 debtors, and all other debtors, who allege the giant processor of financial and mortgage-related services tacked on “hidden legal fees” while serving as an intermediary between the debtors' mortgage servicing companies and the law firms appearing in court on the creditors' behalf.

The lawsuit alleges Fidelity charged debtors “hidden fees” by using its own network of attorneys and cloaking its role as the secret middle-man between the law firms handling the cases and the creditors sending Fidelity's network of attorneys to court on their behalf.

The suit alleges the relationship became a complex game of who's who in which fees allegedly were tacked onto the debtors' payments without Fidelity's role as the legal fee decision-maker becoming known to the courts in the process.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial swings to 4Q net loss on $135.7M charge

Fidelity National Financial Inc. reported it swung to a fourth-quarter net loss of $44.9 million from a net profit of $71.2 million.

The latest results include a $135.7 million charge to strengthen the reserve for claim losses. The provider of title insurance, specialty
insurance and claims management services posted revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 of $1.3 billion versus $1.8 billion last year.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

LoanResolve.com, Wolters Kluwer Partner On Loan Mods

LoanResolve.com has formed a partnership with Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. The companies plan to quickly implement loan modification document solutions that ensure compliance with lender requirements.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose Expands Service To Arizona State Credit Union

FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data Inc., has expanded its service offering to Arizona State Credit Union to include flood-zone determinations, automated valuation models, legal and vesting reports, limited title searches and the alternative lien service Equiguard.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

InsideValuaton Releases Technology Portal

InsideValuation has introduced a new technology portal that is designed to expedite the turnaround time on valuation reports. The firm says its new technology is able to automate non-critical points in the valuation process and reduce delivery time. It also includes a scoring model with demographic and economic information that assists in the quantification of collateral risk.

The new platform is integrated through .NET and data-push technology which allows field valuators to receive timely requests for valuations, giving InsideValuation clients access to their orders in real time, the company claims in a press release.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2008

FIS Profile Achieves New Performance Benchmark

Fidelity National Information Services announced new performance benchmarks for FIS' Profile core banking application. Profile's performance was benchmarked at more than 3,200 online banking transactions per second on a 25-million-account database. The real-time core banking solution also processed 25 million interest accruals and balance accumulation updates at a rate exceeding 25,800 transactions per second, or more than 93 million transactions per hour.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

Chicago Title of Michigan Aims to Prevent Fraud

Chicago Title of Michigan has partnered with Experian to insure homeowners who receive new home titles through the company have extra protections against identity theft and mortgage fraud.

The unique partnership provides Chicago Title's customers with a one-year membership to Experian's services, which include daily credit report monitoring, free e-mail alert notifications when changes in a credit report surface, as well as a toll-free hotline to access fraud resolution experts and a comprehensive and complimentary credit report.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

SureClose(R) Expands Market Reach to Spanish-Speaking Home Buyers and Sellers

PropertyInfo Corp., a Stewart Company, announces the international release of its most-widely used online transaction management system, SureClose. To meet the growing demand of the Spanish-speaking community within and outside the United States, the SureClose Professional Guest View is now available in Spanish.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

NextAce Achieves Record Day of Title Production Valued at More Than $841 Million, an Estimated 8 Percent of All Transactions Nationwide

NextAce(SM), a title automation and business process optimization (BPO) company, announced that it achieved its highest title production transaction volume through its automated title system, TitleEDGE. By an estimated industry comparison, the NextAce volume represented one out of every 12 title orders processed the same day nationwide, for a loan transaction value of over $841 million.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

QuestSoft Tool Integrated With Dynatek's MORvision

Compliance EAGLE, an automated compliance tool from Laguna Hills, Calif.-based QuestSoft, has been fully integrated - through an automated plug-in - with MORvision, an automation solution from Livonia, Mich.-based Dynatek.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Adds Attachment Feature To DocPrep System

MRG Document Technologies has enhanced its MIRACLE ONLINE document preparation systems, which now enable mortgage brokers and lenders to automatically upload their own documents to MRG for inclusion in document packages.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

LogicEase Receives Notice Of Allowance For Automated Loan Compliance Patent

LogicEase Solutions Inc. has received a notice of allowance for a patent on its automated compliance system from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The allowed patent, "System and Method For Automated Compliance With Loan Legislation," primarily encompasses the ComplianceAnalyzer automated compliance system, the company says. ComplianceAnalyzer examines mortgage loans and, in real-time, produces audit reports with summary and detailed findings regarding loan-level compliance with applicable laws and regulations at multiple jurisdictional levels.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)

NetDirector's Loss Mitigation Technology

NetDirector is boasting of a new document interface through LoanResolve.com, which offers the mortgage banking industry a one-stop secure portal that allows them to move data and documents between loan servicers, foreclosure attorney firms, mortgage insurers and borrowers.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2008

LandAmerica agrees to $3.5 million settlement

LandAmerica companies have agreed to pay $3.5 million in penalties and refunds to consumers.

The Department of Insurance reached the agreement with Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co., Lawyers Title Insurance Corp., and Transnation Title Insurance Co., principal title underwriters of parent company LandAmerica Financial Corp. Group Inc.

LandAmerica companies also agreed to halt unfair practices in rating and underwriting, including failure to follow their own rates, resulting in premium overcharges for many consumers purchasing residential title insurance policies, Poizner said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

QuestSoft, Dynatek Simplify Compliance for Lenders

QuestSoft announced today that their automated compliance tool, Compliance EAGLE, has been fully integrated, through an automated Plug-In, with Dynatek’s MORvision.

Compliance EAGLE automates the most important components of mortgage lending compliance requirements into a single end-to-end system. The solution’s complete integration with MORvision significantly reduces potential risk exposure by providing immediate testing of the loan application against thousands of federal, state and local laws and regulations. Lenders using MORvision with Compliance EAGLE Plug-In can quickly review loan files for any compliance errors and correct them prior to funding.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

ValuFinders Awarded Contract with Small Business Administration

ValuFinders, Inc., a valuation services provider to national lenders and government agencies, was recently awarded a four-year U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) contract to provide legal and vesting property data to support the SBA Disaster Assistance Program.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

Harland Financial Solutions Streamlines Mortgage Servicing Releases

Harland Financial Solutions today announced the availability of its new Service Release Module for the Interlinq® Loan Servicing system. By eliminating several manual tasks, the new application further automates loan servicing for increased customer service and cost savings.

To streamline servicing releases, the Service Release Module supports the sale of loans by batch to each purchasing company. By importing data from Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheets, text files, or Microsoft Access® databases, servicers can avoid re-keying loan information and associated errors. Once the batch sale is processed, general ledger entries are automatically created for various loan balances, fees and adjustments to export to the accounting system, saving additional manual entry. Based on servicer criteria, the system also creates goodbye letters and follow-up ticklers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

InsideValuation Releases Technology Portal

InsideValuation, a national due diligence and valuation provider specializing in commercial real estate, has introduced new technology that automates non-critical points in the valuation process, reduces delivery time and includes a scoring model with demographic and economic information that assists in the quantification of collateral risk.

Using the latest .NET technology now allows field valuators (usually real estate appraisers or brokers) to receive timely requests for valuations, enabling them to operate more efficiently, and opening the door for InsideValuation's clients to access their orders in real time, according to the company. Once the valuation is completed, the appraiser can upload the report to InsideValuation's Web site for customer retrieval.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Guardian Mortgage Documents, RoboDocs Form Alliance

Guardian Mortgage Documents has developed a strategic alliance with RoboDocs, a provider of document services to the commercial and multifamily mortgage industry.

In addition to directly offering RoboDocs to clients as a resource for commercial and multifamily real estate closing documents, GMD will provide a link to the company's Web site from its Affiliations page.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

ServiceLink Expands Settlement Capabilities with Successful Integration of ATM Corporation

ServiceLink, the national mortgage services platform of Fidelity
National Financial, has fully integrated the technology and
products acquired from ATM Corporation of America. The integration
adds point of sale products, collateral valuation products, home
equity products and settlement service automation technology expertise
to ServiceLink's centralized title, closing, default and asset
management services creating a start to finish suite of products and
services for mortgage originators, servicers, banks and institutional
lenders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart and the Arizona Association of Realtors(R) Partner on SureClose

The Arizona Association of Realtors(R) and Stewart Transaction
Solutions have partnered to deploy SureClose, the nation's most widely
used transaction management system, to more than 5,000 real estate
brokerages across the state.

The Association and Stewart will jointly dedicate resources to
train, service and support the deployment.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

FNC teams with Interthinx

FNC Inc. has entered into a strategic alliance with Interthinx to provide its clients with the fraud detection and regulatory compliance capabilities. Terms were not disclosed.

Mortgage lenders who use FNC's Collateral Management System (CMS) to handle the flow of information and documents about the property backing a mortgage loan are able to process loans faster and at a lower cost than they did before. Specifically, FNC customers will benefit from easy access to best of breed Interthinx technology such as FraudGUARD, SafeCheck, PredProtect and ValVerify.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Situs Launches Centralized Property Data Platform

The Situs Cos. has released Situs COMPASS - a secure, online platform that centralizes proprietary commercial real estate property data as well as comprehensive market information and reports.

Situs COMPASS catalogues global news and market reports - along with proprietary information such as appraisals, extracted sales and expense comparables, site inspections, lease abstracts, rent rolls, cashflow models, and subscription research and publications. In addition to making COMPASS available to subscribers, the firm plans to use COMPASS internally to centralize and manage client due diligence, asset management, and loan servicing reports and information.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

eMortgage Logic Acquires ClearBox Services, Products

eMortgage Logic, a property valuation provider that offers everything from Broker Price Opinions to appraisals, has agreed to purchase key technology products from ClearBox™—a company that boasts of providing the industry with its “first true appraiser database and lender guideline resource.”

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

MRG, Encomia Form Alliance

MRG Document Technologies - Encomia partnership expands MRG’s offering of disclosures to its customers in an electronic format by routing documents through Encomia eDisclosures. The system converts the file to secure electronic documents that are compliant with federal and state regulations. Borrowers can then review the documents, acknowledge their acceptance, and execute the package online. The lender receives an electronic copy file of the transaction for their records.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2008

Markel buys stake in LandAmerica

Markel Corp., a specialty insurer, has bought a 5.98 percent interest in LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., a real estate services provider based in Glen Allen.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Acquires the Assets of Stewart Lender Services' Flood Determination Business

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services announced that the company has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Stewart Lender Services'flood determination business.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' PCi line of flood determination solutions and Stewart's flood determination division offer similar services.

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. Terms of the agreement are not being released.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2007

Lender Lead Solutions Announces LIBOR 85 Margin Reverse Mortgage

Lender Lead Solutions, a comprehensive reverse mortgage services company, announced today an expanded LIBOR 85 product offering within its Flex Margin Advantage product line. The LIBOR 85 basis point margin pays a premium to the broker and provides increased liquidity to the consumer.

The Flex Margin Advantage product suite provides brokers with the ability to structure rates and loan terms on monthly HECM reverse mortgage loans in order to better fit the needs of their customers. Lender Lead Solutions’ LIBOR Flex Margin Advantage product suite offers margins from 75 to 200 basis points on LIBOR based HECM reverse mortgages.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Informative Research to Launch OriginatorDirect(TM) Mortgage Application

A new Web-based mortgage information application scheduled for release early next year promises to give credit reporting agencies and wholesale lenders an alternative to costly technology connections and unwieldy "out of the box" software packages.

OriginatorDirect(TM), developed by California-based credit information provider Informative Research, will enable mid-sized, or "tier-2" credit reporting agencies (CRAs) to access and share advanced credit reporting technology, as well as other risk reduction tools, without paying licensing fees or altering workflow. The application will also allow lenders to connect to a larger broker audience through a network of credit reporting agency users.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Merge Title Teams

The law firm of Weltman, Weinberg & Reis (WWR), which provides default services, as well as title services through two affiliated agencies, announced Friday that its title agencies will be merged into one unit under one name—Thoroughbred Title Agency Inc.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Offers Loan Modification Contracts

MRG Document Technologies (MRG) is now offering loan modification agreements to financial companies who are involved in a slew of loss mitigation efforts.

The company says the “modified agreements” created and provided by MRG allow those involved in the loss mitigation process to change the terms of a distressed borrower's loan without violating federal mandates or statutes governing mortgage loans.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2007

Citizens Republic Outsourcing to PHH

Citizens Republic Bancorp, Flint, Mich., has announced that it will use PHH Mortgage, Mt. Laurel, N.J., for certain outsourced functions in the mortgage originations process. PHH will provide Citizens Republic with mortgage loan processing, servicing of new mortgage originations, certain secondary-market functions, and other mortgage-related loan origination services

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

Endeca and IBM to Offer Information Access and Analysis Solution for Credit Risk Management

Endeca Technologies, Inc. announced it is working with IBM to introduce Risk Insight, a new solution built on the Endeca Information Access Platform that provides lending financial institutions unprecedented transparency into risk portfolio dynamics. Risk Insight helps companies to better manage portfolio risk and take action quickly and effectively when necessary.

Traditional risk-management tools provide only limited support of ad-hoc investigation, identification of risk concentrations, and proactive portfolio management. Risk Insight provides chief credit officers (CCO) with an interactive dashboard of key portfolio performance indicators that are dynamically summarized and visually presented to promote the identification of drivers and concentrations of portfolio risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Alliance Title Closing Stuns Employees, Real Estate Firms

Job cuts are rampant in the title insurance industry, and California's Alliance Title Co. is the latest provider to fall victim to the trend. The escrow and title firm abruptly shut down its operations on Dec. 13, laying off all of its employees—numbering in the hundreds—with not even a day's notice. News of the closure dismayed not only Alliance Title's employees but also the realty companies that had deals pending with the insurer—estimated to be at about 500 transactions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

FNC introduces new product

FNC Inc. has introduced Collateral Headquarters, a solution designed for regional and community lenders.

Collateral Headquarters, a desktop tool designed for banks, credit unions and appraisal management companies, streamlines mortgage processing by automating appraisal ordering, assignment, tracking and review, all from a single, centralized platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services to Help Mortgage Servicers Implement Loan Modification Programs

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services announced today the company can now help mortgage servicers modify distressed subprime borrowers' adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) to make payments more affordable and avoid costly foreclosures.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services helps servicers make such modifications rapidly through a standard yet customizable set of documents and packages that enable servicers to freeze the interest rate of their borrowers' existing ARMs for a specified period or modify those ARMs to fixed-rate or interest-only fixed-rate loans.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

Demand for Electronic Signatures Fuels Strong Growth for DocuSign in 2007

DocuSign has seen a dramatic rise in the adoption of its eSignature service during 2007. The company’s sales have more than quadrupled during 2007. DocuSign’s eSignature service has delivered more than 6.4 million signature events, a 300 percent increase over 2006. Currently the company has more than 1,800 customers and over 300,000 users who are revolutionizing the process to get documents signed and executed.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

Credit Communications, Market Kinetix Offer Mortgage Action Plan

Credit Communications Inc. (CCI), a nationwide credit reporting firm for the mortgage industry, has implemented Market Kinetix's Mortgage Action Plan credit analysis solution, a patent-pending Internet-accessible software tool designed to help mortgage brokers help their borrowers secure loans.

After the mortgage originator gets a borrower's credit report, he or she clicks on the Mortgage Action Plan option from within Certified Credit's Web site to get information on the fastest method for achieving a target credit score,

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

ValuFinders Inc. Expands Database of Appraisers

ValuFinders Inc., a valuation services provider, has expanded its national database of registered appraisers—which is appropriately titled Appraisal CONCIERGE—to include 9,000 registered appraisal professionals. As a testament to the company's growth and success, ValuFinders, for the fourth year in a row, has announced the renewal of its contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

ProVest Forges Alliance with Process Server Toolbox

ProVest has partnered with Database Services Inc.—the company behind the Process Server's Toolbox—to better deal with rapidly increasing foreclosure volumes through faster technology and technology interfacing.

The Process Server's Toolbox, which is described as a product that provides “an interface that reduces reporting time and data entry for process servers facing record-high foreclosure volumes,” will in combination with ProVest's TRACKER management system improve the accuracy of reporting and increase the speed of information delivery.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2007

Partnership Creates a One-Stop-Shop for Agents and Brokers to Market Themselves (Fidelity)

Fidelity Assets announced a strategic marketing partnership with Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions for a one-stop-shop for real estate professionals who wish to equip themselves with a complete Internet marketing solution. Through its rDesk suite of products, FNRES provides agents and brokers with leading-edge real estate software, including configurable, feature-rich agent and broker Web sites and a complete set of productivity tools that help capture, nurture, and convert leads.

Fidelity Assets complements FNRES’ Web site offerings with expert and full-service search engine optimization and marketing products and services, including coaching sessions on online marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on Google, and business listing distribution to all the leading local search engines and business directories.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Becomes First Non-Russian Insurer to Cover Title Risks in Russia

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces that it is the first non-Russian company to issue a title insurance policy related to a real estate transaction in Russia. LandAmerica covered the title risks for Baltic Property Trust's (BPT) acquisition of a major shopping center in the Moscow region. BPT is headquartered in Copenhagen.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Achieves Microsoft Certified Partner Designation

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. has earned the designation of Microsoft Certified Partner. In meeting the stringent set of criteria necessary for achieving this designation from Microsoft, LandAmerica offers customers the peace of mind of knowing they will benefit from the highest levels of technical expertise, strategic thinking and hands-on skills.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

CBC Companies Enhances Suite of Fraud Prevention Tools With Addition of DataVerify

CBC Companies has added to its family of companies, DataVerify, a provider of mortgage risk assessment and fraud prevention systems. DataVerify's solutions automate most of the data validation steps in the lending process, increasing efficiencies, performance, pull throughs and controls, while reducing approval and processing timeframes. Mortgage lenders benefit from DataVerify's ability to successfully predict large mortgage losses early on in the origination process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

ISGN Technologies Acquires Inuva

ISGN Technologies Ltd. has acquired Inuva, an India-based provider of information processing, business process outsourcing and application software consulting to the mortgage banking and real estate finance industry.

According to ISGN, this acquisition adds mortgage-specific knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) capabilities. Inuva’s KPO services include loan production and post-closing, title closing and settlement, mortgage servicing and secondary market services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

Clear Capital Tracks At-Risk Properties During Disasters

Clear Capital recently used its Disaster Tracking Service (DTS) to generate daily footprints of the S. California wildfires and obtained data daily on fire boundaries and the direction of travel. The DTS engine then tabulated USGS and MODIS data to produce a conservative geo-coordinate outline of the fires.

Clear Capital next delivered relevant information to customers and provided them with the option of ordering Clear Capital Post Disaster Inspection reports (PDIs) to obtain a timely inspection of the properties and neighborhood condition.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Veros Updates AVM Testing Policies

Veros Real Estate Solutions has updated its automated valuation model (AVM) testing policies for its VeroVALUE AVM product. The company says its testing policies are designed to ensure open communication and the transfer of transparent and accurate information between all parties.

Veros asserts the understanding and proper prioritization of critical test data, such as the definition and calculation of accuracy, confidence score correlation to accuracy, ranking functions, gross hit rates and effective hit rates.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Contracting Services Adds Quality Assurance Division

Mortgage Contracting Services is taking its property preservation and inspection services to another level with the addition of a new internal quality assurance department.

“While we have always had a comprehensive quality control program, in today's environment, we felt it was necessary to create a new department dedicated solely to monitoring and benchmarking our processes and procedures,” said Allan Martin, CEO of MCS.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2007

Thomas H. Lee Partners and Fidelity National Financial Complete Acquisition of Ceridian

Ceridian Corporation, Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and Fidelity National Financial, Inc. today announced that THL Partners and FNF have completed the acquisition of Ceridian for approximately $5.3 billion.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

Vendor Offers POS Reverse Automation

Origination vendor Mortgage Cadence Inc., Denver, has launched Mortgage Cadence Prelude, a point-of-sale tool designed for use by lenders moving into the growing reverse mortgage lending channel. With four of the top five reverse lenders in the country already using its Mortgage Cadence Orchestrator application, the company says there is a desperate need for reverse lending POS software that is easy to use and interfaces well with origination platforms at the nation's largest reverse mortgage lending firms.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)

Compass Buys Tuttle From Lion

Compass Analytics LLC, has announced the acquisition of LION Inc.'s Tuttle Risk Management Services unit and related assets. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to the announcement, the combination creates "the largest outsourced risk management provider in the industry." A company spokesman said the two entities would continue to operate independently until a common platform is created.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)

CBC, DataVerify Merge

CBC Cos., a provider of credit and risk management solutions based in Columbus, Ohio, has merged with DataVerify, a provider of mortgage risk assessment and fraud prevention systems based in Chesterfield, Mo. CBC said it will leverage DataVerify's fraud and data integrity analytics, rules, and scoring to help solve mortgage risk problems faced by financial markets and institutions. DataVerify's solutions automate most of the data validation steps in the lending process.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

Loan-Score Uses DU to Access FHA

Loan-Score Decisioning Systems LLC, has announced the integration of its automated underwriting platform with Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter. The company said the integration offers instant and accurate determination of "product eligibility, pricing, and complex underwriting for all types of loan products." Particularly noteworthy, the company said, is that the DU integration also allows lenders to access the Federal Housing Administration's AU system, TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard for the underwriting of FHA loans. Because Loan-Score's AUS retrieves and stores the actual DU findings data, along with the unique Fannie Mae Casefile ID, Loan-Score said its clients are enabled to sell to Fannie Mae-approved seller-servicers.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2007

FIS expands relationship with The Bankers Bank

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. has reached an agreement that expands its relationship with The Bankers Bank, which provides services to community banks across the country.

The Bankers Bank will remarket FIS' payment processing and network services to its clients, which include more than 1,400 community financial institutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services Is Named Top Financial Services Technology Provider

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has been recognized as the number one financial services technology provider worldwide in the "FinTech 100" report. This annual report, published by American Banker and the research firm Financial Insights, ranks the world's leading technology providers to the financial services industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity Announces the Release of its Redesigned, Enhanced LAMPS Version 2.10

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions Inc. has announced the release of LAMPSTM v2.10, a redesigned and enhanced upgrade of its association management solution. The release, currently being deployed to more than 175,000 LAMPS users, includes both new capabilities and improved functionality in existing features.

Launched by Bravepoint in 2004, the company says that LAMPS was the first Web-based system to offer real-time integration with the National Association of REALTORS® database. It has two entirely Web-based modules that allow 24/7 access: an Intranet module for the association’s administrative team and an Internet module by which REALTORS® can submit, retrieve and update their information at any time.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National launches new real estate Web site

The real estate division of Fidelity National Financial formally launched www.cyberhomes.com, a Web site tested for the last year.

The site offers users the usual home value estimates and listings, but adds information about schools in the neighborhood of interest, the economy and population, and the quality of life potential buyers can expect.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

PropertyInfo Corporation, a Stewart Company, Announces SureClose Personal Edition(TM), the Next Generation in REALTOR(R) Transaction Management

SureClose Personal Edition gives real estate professionals the ability to manage their business online to increase productivity, expand service offerings, improve communication and the customer experience.

SureClose Personal Edition is accessible to real estate professionals and their clients 24/7 via the Internet. The system provides an integrated toolkit to: Manage documents online, Track the status of transactions, Brand real estate agency and services, Edit images from within the system, Invite parties into the transaction for peer-to-peer collaboration and Order title and closing services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Announces Green Title Insurance Initiative

Stewart's Green Title Policy enables environmentally sensitive customers to electronically order their title and escrow services, have their title commitment and closing statement sent electronically, read their closing documents online and close their home electronically. These offices will be paperless in their title and escrow process.

Stewart's Green Title Policy will use Stewart's online SureClose(R) transaction management and eClosingRoom(TM) technologies.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

MRG's Miracle DocPrep Used by 1,250th Subscriber

MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of document preparation services for the financial industry, announced that its Miracle DocPrep product has reached a milestone of 1,250 subscribers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

Fair Isaac and PRBC Team Up to Enhance Credit Risk Tools Used by Mortgage Industry

Fair Isaac Corporation and Payment Reporting Builds Credit® (PRBC®), a credit information repository that collects, verifies and scores rental and bill payment data, today announced a new collaboration. They will deliver PRBC Credit Report with FICO® Expansion® Score, a comprehensive credit risk management tool that U.S. mortgage lenders can use when assessing the risk of applicants who have little or no traditional credit history.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

IBM Mortgage Unit Accelerates Market Presence

IBM Lender Business Process Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IBM specializing in mortgage origination services, announced today that it was recently approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to conduct mortgage origination services for federally insured Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. It has also obtained regulatory approvals and licenses to provide these services in the vast majority of states, and intends to complete the state licensing process by the end of this year.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

IMM's TotaleAtlas Interfaced With Equifax APPRO

Integrated Media Management has interfaced its TotaleAtlas solution with the Equifax APPRO platform for an end-to-end automated document delivery solution that speeds up the lending process, according to the companies.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Informative Research Announces Mortgage Info Application

Credit information provider Informative Research has developed OriginatorDirect - a new Web-based mortgage information application that is intended to give credit reporting agencies and wholesale lenders an alternative to costly technology connections and out-of-the-box software packages.

OriginatorDirect will give subscribing CRAs their own private-label credit portals, affording them direct access to the Informative Research Web-based credit system, as well as tradeline verifications, flood determinations, mortgage fraud insurance, automated property valuation and other mortgage-related services. The CRAs can then provide their broker customers direct access to these products and services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Contracting Services Redesigns Web Site

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS), a provider of property preservation and inspection services to the mortgage industry, has launched a newly designed version of its Web site.

The site now includes interactive content and community features, in addition to being populated daily with relevant industry news. There is also a portal to log in to MCS360, the company’s automated workflow application that enables the transfer of information between MCS, its vendor network and its customers in real time.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Cadence Plans New Reverse Mortgage POS System

Mortgage Cadence Inc. has announced that it will provide a new point of sale (POS) technology - Mortgage Cadence Prelude - specifically designed for use by lenders working with reverse mortgages.

Mortgage Cadence Prelude will not be a pre-configured version of Mortgage Cadence Orchestrator. Rather, the new product is a true POS software specifically written for the reverse mortgage market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

Zoot Develops Custom Application User Interface

Zoot, a provider of advanced credit decisioning and loan origination solutions, has internally released a new development tool - the Zoot User Interface (ZUI), which enables financial institutions to rapidly deploy custom applications.

ZUI facilitates the creation of loan origination interface screens and the database interaction layer necessary to provide banks with the application entry and manual underwriting functionality needed to issue credit.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2007

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces the Closing of the Ceridian Acquisition

Fidelity National Financial, Inc., along with its partner Thomas H. Lee Partners, announce the completion of the acquisition of Ceridian Corporation for approximately $5.3 billion. FNF contributed approximately $525 million of the total $1.6 billion equity funding for the acquisition, resulting in a 33% ownership stake for FNF in Ceridian. The majority of FNF's equity contribution was funded through a borrowing under its existing bank credit facility.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity Expands Product Lines to Further Paperless Revolution

SoCalMLS, the second largest Multiple Listing Service in the United States, announced that it is launching DocCentralTM, a new document management system from Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions.

DocCentral has been designed as a simple, intuitive and cost-effective tool that allows real estate professionals to manage and organize their documents. Documents are stored on secure servers and accessible online 24/7 by agents and the clients and vendors they authorize. By taking transaction documentation off agent laptops and out of filing cabinets, DocCentral eliminates redundancy, safeguards information, and ensures there will always be enough space for even the largest document files.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

AppraiserLoft.com, a Nationwide Real Estate Appraisal Portal, Debuts with Proprietary Technology

AppraiserLoft.com is a nationwide appraisal company with the highest standards in finding the true value of your property. AppraiserLoft.com utilizes a nationwide network of over 4,000 appraisers in every state and zip code in the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as FHA and VA appraisers. All appraisers are pre-screened and state certified professionals with verifiable track records. AppraiserLoft is for any individual or company that needs a real estate appraisal.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

ICBA Teams With Wolters Kluwer Financial Services to Offer Community Banks BSA and AML Technology Solutions

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced today that the organization has expanded its Preferred Service Provider relationship with Wolters Kluwer Financial Services to include the company's Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti- money laundering (AML) solutions, which are part of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services PCi line of compliance analytics solutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

Investors Title profit swells on investments, premiumsTriangle Business Journal

The Chapel Hill company, which sells title insurance to mortgage banks and homeowners, said Tuesday that income was $3.86 million, or $1.54 per diluted share, in the quarter. A year prior, it was $3.6 million, or $1.44 per diluted share. Revenue increased to $23.1 million from $21.7 million.

Investors Title (Nasdaq: ITIC) said investment income increased 25 percent, to $1.3 million, in the quarter. Net premiums written, which account for the great majority of the company's revenue, jumped 4 percent, to $19 million, after slipping in the second quarter in the midst of a weak real-estate market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

20 Mortgage Service Providers Added to Calyx Software Network

Calyx Software®, the mortgage industry’s leading provider of loan marketing, originating and processing software, has expanded the Calyx Network® with a new network interface update. The November Calyx Network Interface update contains connections to 20 mortgage service providers and includes the first commercial lender, Silver Hill Financial.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

ReverseMortgageAppraisers.com Set To Launch

A nationwide group of appraisers has created a reverse mortgage appraiser cooperative - www.ReverseMortgageAppraisers.com - that is designed to promote ethical appraisal practices and assist customers in finding qualified appraisers.

The online cooperative will accept only appraisers who subscribe to a code of ethics, the group says, adding that the reverse mortgage industry is currently growing by almost 100% per year. The cooperative encourages lenders to save their borrowers money by using the new Web site - rather than appraisal management companies - to directly locate appraisers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

Cogent Road Automates Credit, Pricing for Brokers

Cogent Road, a provider of Internet-based applications headquartered in San Diego, has launched Funding Suite, a redesigned database architecture underlying the credit report that allows new opportunities and products for brokers. Included in Funding Suite are the following features: Intelligent Credit Report with X-Ray technology; dynamic reimbursement; PaySaver loan officer billing option; automatic discounting; and universal credit file reissuing.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

November 02, 2007

LandAmerica posts quarterly loss

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc posted a quarterly loss on Tuesday, hurt by a decline in the U.S. residential real estate market. The Richmond, Virginia-based company posted a third-quarter loss of $20.8 million, or $1.28 a share, compared with net income of $15.2 million, or 89 cents a share, a year earlier.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

Software provides lenders with at-a-glance risk assessment.

Compatible with scoring models for all 3 bureaus, CreditXpert AU Filter(TM) helps lenders assess impact of authorized user accounts on borrower's credit. Solution compares credit files, including and excluding authorized user accounts, enabling lenders to take true risk impact into consideration when underwriting loans. Solution also provides reason codes that could be used in declining loans, written in consumer-friendly manner for applicant comprehension.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer and Ellie Mae integrate closing and document preparation products

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Ellie Mae have announced a partnership agreement that will create a seamless integration between Desert Document Services, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' document preparation solution, and Encompass Closer, Ellie Mae's comprehensive closing solution that enables users to complete the entire closing process all in one system.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Integrates FEMA Alerts Into FraudGuard(R) Providing Lenders With More Accurate Property Valuations

Interthinx®, Inc., the leading provider of proven risk mitigation, mortgage fraud prevention and regulatory compliance tools for the mortgage industry, has announced the immediate integration of FEMA Alerts into its FraudGuard® product. This enhancement automatically provides lenders with supplemental information when the subject property is located in an area where FEMA has issued an alert.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

TietoEnator releases mortgage origination software

Mortgage Origination Suite is a completely new, end-to-end mortgage origination solution to manage the entire process of mortgage origination from point of sale to completion. Through online integration with credit reference agencies and AVM providers, intelligent product matching to meet customer preferences and a consistent adherence to lending and business rules, mortgage providers will be in a position to confirm unconditional offers in less than 30 minutes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

First e-Recording in Northeast Pennsylvania, Filed by Abstract Resources via Landata e-Link(TM) Software

Mary Dysleski, Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds in Wilkes-Barre, has accepted the first electronic recording in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Abstract Resources submitted the real estate documents into the county’s LANDEX land records management system using Landata e-Link software.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Reports Big 3Q Loss

Radian Group Inc. has reported a net loss of $704 million for the third quarter, compared with net profits of $112 million ($1.36 per share) a year earlier. Among the factors contributing to the loss were an impairment for C-BASS, which accounted for $3.78 per share; marking to market net-interest-margin securities on its balance sheet, $2.96 per share; marking to market its financial guaranty business, $2.06 per share; a second-lien premium deficiency, $1.26 per share; and a reserve for a collateralized debt obligation, $0.41 per share. These were partially offset by a gain on part of its stake in Sherman, which resulted in a $1.47-per-share benefit and an "all-other" benefit of $0.22 per share.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007

FNIS Announces Pursuit of a Plan to Spin-Off the Lender Processing Services Division

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has approved pursuing a plan to spin-off its Lender Processing Services ("LPS") division into a separate publicly traded company.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

Attorneys, Lenders Benefit from Stewart's Pre-Foreclosure Report

Stewart Lender Services Inc. is now promoting its Pre-Foreclosure Report solution, which helps attorneys and lenders correctly assess a property title's current condition. The tool is especially beneficial when a borrower is in financial distress.

According to Stewart, “The new Pre-Foreclosure Report provides a quick 'snapshot' of the subject residential property. The report includes a two-owner search, vesting information, open liens, judgments and pending law suits as well as tax information and myriad of other data.”

The tool is now available in 50 states and includes several “add-on” options such as bankruptcy searches and title updates.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2007 EPS of $0.03

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. reported operating results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

FNRES Launches Real Estate Education Classes Online

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES) is allowing real estate professionals to continue their education online with its new Fidelity National University—an online educational outlet that can be accessed from any computer, 24-hours a day.

With classes offered in three separate divisions—sales, professional development, technology training and personal awareness—students can learn a variety of subjects online without leaving the comfort of their own home. The new educational portal is possible because of FNRES's unique partnership with Instructional Technology Services, Inc., a company that provides customized online training for clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Information Posts 3Q Loss

Stewart Information Services Corp. lost money in the third quarter as the slumping housing market hamstrung demand for real estate services.

Stewart Information Services lost $14.3 million, or 79 cents per share, in the third quarter, compared with profit of $14.2 million, or 77 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2006. Stewart Information's revenue shrank 22 percent to $501.9 million from $641.5 million.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

LOGS Network Chooses CSC’s Mortgage Default Management

The LOGS Network, a nationwide group of commonly-owned and centrally managed law firms and trustee companies, has decided to utilize Computer Sciences Corporation’s EarlyResolution mortgage default software to assist the network with its new home retention division–HEART (Homeowners Equity Assisted Retention Team) Financial Services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

iDatix Corporation Aims At Providing Paperless Mortgage Operations

To ensure mortgage customers receive significant and measurable results, iDatix implemented its iSynergy Mortgage their end-to-end integrated solution that provides a fully scalable, modular architecture to address the core business problem of managing unstructured data. iSynergy Mortgage streamlines end-to-end mortgage processing from loan origination and electronic delivery of mortgage files to the secondary market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

ClearStar.net Partners with SharperLending LLC to Deliver Broad Spectrum of Credit Data Services

ClearStar.net announced the formation of a partnership with SharperLending LLC, technology provider of secure, Web-based lending management platforms. Under terms of the agreement, SharperLending will provide ClearStar.net with real time gateway access to data from all three credit bureaus and its proprietary suite of service offerings in standard MISMO XML format.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

Byte Software Releases BytePro 2.1

Byte Software releases BytePro version 2.1. This latest edition to Byte Software's suite of products boasts enhanced management reports, Web Services and an all-new Software Development Kit (SDK). Additional features include interfaces to new credit and marketing partners as well as added support for ARM and interest-only loans.

Further enhancements include the ability to create loan detail reports based on alert fields, conversation log entries and processing log entries, as well as the ability to screen out duplicates by field, such as social security number or borrower address.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Lenders Corp Adds Docu Prep As Preferred Vendor

Titan Lenders Corp., a mortgage back office fulfillment services provider specializing in closing, funding, and post closing services has added Docu Prep as a preferred document preparation and compliance provider, offering another leading vendor option for Titan’s customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

REIT Automates Due Diligence

Redwood Trust, a real estate investment trust specializing in residential and commercial trusts, has deployed Overture's Mozart Tape Cracking 2.0, a software program that enables secondary-market investors to automatically convert complex bulk loan data submitted by primary market lenders into their own formats.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

Clear Capital Creates Appraisal Unit

Clear Capital, a property valuation outsourcing firm based in Truckee, Calif., has announced the hiring of Dave Shepard as vice president and Scott Richardson as director of product development to lead the company's new Appraisal Division.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

eLynx, Harland Financial Solutions Integrate Doc Technologies

eLynx has partnered with Harland Financial Solutions to integrate eLynx’s suite of mortgage services - called expedite - with Harland Financial Solutions’ GreatDocs print technology.

The agreement is based on leveraging existing GreatDocs technology and loan origination system (LOS) integrations to generate eLynx-compatible transactions, eLynx says. GreatDocs users now have access to all of eLynx’s suite of services for e-signatures, e-delivery, and electronic workflow and collaboration.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Celink Platform Supports LIBOR-based FHA-HECM

Celink, headquartered in Lansing, Mich., has announced that its proprietary reverse mortgage-servicing platform, ReverServ, supports the newly authorized LIBOR-based Federal Housing Agency (FHA)-insured home equity conversion mortgage (HECM).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2007

(FNF)ServiceLink Launches Version 2.0 of the iClose Platform

ServiceLink, the national platform of Fidelity National Financial (FNF) offering title, closing, valuation and settlement services technology solutions, today announced the launch of iClose version 2.0. iClose is a web-based closing technology for mortgage refinance and home equity loan closings that provides borrowers with the ability to close their loans anywhere ...either at home, the office or on vacation at virtually anytime. This major release enhances the current application, allowing enhanced ability to private label brand the site for use by lenders, servicers and other settlement service providers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Expands eMortgage Offering with Electronic Disclosure Solution

Stewart announces the release of its electronic disclosure solution designed to automate the lender’s initial disclosure process. Stewart’s eDisclosure solution provides the ability for lenders to electronically transmit and display initial disclosure documents to their borrowers in a secure, online, consumer-friendly environment for electronic acceptance.

Lenders can leverage and simplify the eDisclosure process to its fullest by ordering compliant, warranted Initial Disclosures packages through Online Documents Inc.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Enhances Servicing Solution with QuestSoft's Instant Geocoder

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS), announced that it has interfaced Laguna Hills, Calif.-based QuestSoft's Instant Geocoder into its Mortgage Servicer® solution. With Instant Geocoder's address verification capability, the interface enables FICS customers to verify the accuracy of borrowers' mailing addresses, ensuring proper delivery and a quicker response time by the borrower.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

ValuFinders Creates Application to Promote Lender, Appraiser Independence

ValuFinders, Inc. announced the availability of Appraisal CONCIERGE to allow lenders to select appraisers without compromising quality or jeopardizing integrity.

Appraisal CONCIERGE, accessible at www.AppraisalConnect.com, is an outsourcing database that places appraisal orders via the Web. Lenders and brokers have the ability to order appraisals through an integrated system that facilitates the entire process. With a click of a button, mortgage experts can order an appraisal from a national network of appraisal professionals. The service also keeps the parties informed through each step in the appraisal process with systematic e-mail alerts. Appraisal CONCIERGE coordinates the date and time of service delivery and archives appraisals for five years.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

CreditXpert Inc. Unveils Dynamic Lender Solution to Authorized User Account Dilemma

CreditXpert Inc. announces the launch of the CreditXpert AU Filter(TM), the first product on the market to help lenders easily assess the impact of authorized user accounts on a borrower's credit. The CreditXpert AU Filter is compatible with scoring models for all three bureaus.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Veros Launches Valuation Review Management System

Veros Real Estate Solutions announced the release of its new Valuation Review Management (VRM) system. Veros' fully-automated VRM system centralizes and streamlines complex workflows - as well as the associated products, analytics and data - resulting in significant cost reductions, productivity gains, and increases in overall review quality and accountability.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

FICS' Loan Origination System Simplifies HMDA Reporting

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS®) announced that it enhanced its Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) reporting features in its residential mortgage loan origination system (LOS), Loan Producer®.

The HMDA reporting feature enables mortgage professionals using Loan Producer to more easily comply with HMDA requirements by eliminating extra steps required to prepare the Loan Application Register (LAR), HMDA's required format for submission to federal financial regulatory agencies.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Flagstar Picks Fiserv for Electronic Mortgage

Flagstar Bank is now managing its eMortgage signing, closing and post-closing processes using the Fiserv eLending platform. Flagstar Bank also uses the technology to securely store electronic notes (eNotes) and other closing documents in the Fiserv electronic vault (eVault) and to facilitate the electronic transfer of assets to secondary market investors and loan servicers. The eLending platform is a natural extension of the bank's existing paperless mortgage initiative.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

eLynx Introduces Unified e-Business Platform

eLynx announced integration of its electronic services into expedite, a unified e-business platform. Under expedite, users gain access to eLynx's electronic document services, including electronic document management, secure delivery, integrated electronic faxing and print-on-demand components and electronic folders. Adaptable to the specifics of a variety of scenarios, expedite can be deployed swiftly to accelerate many different business processes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

Lydian Data Services Releases Turnkey Outsourced Fulfillment Service

Lydian Data Services rolled out a turnkey outsourced fulfillment service specifically designed to assist mid-market originators, banks and credit unions that are either entering the wholesale and retail mortgage origination market or looking to convert their fixed costs operations into a scalable variable cost model.

Lydian’s outsourcing services include a collaborative web-based platform, best practices fulfillment process and staffing. It enables mid-market banks or credit unions to establish or enhance its capability to originate loans without having to establish attendant technology and back office operations.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)

DRI Management Systems, Artemis Enterprises Form Alliance

The DRI-Artemis alliance offers the default mortgage servicing market single-source access to process and information management technology services. Mutual clients gain substantial cost saving benefits through time efficiencies and by reducing the risk associated with untimely and inaccurate communication errors.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

DocuTech, Dynatek Integrate MORvision and ConformX

DocuTech and Dynatek announced production release of the integration of DocuTech’s Web-based document service, ConformX with Dynatek’s MORvision.

The partnership integrates ConformX and MORvision. MORvision users will have instant access to the entire suite of ConformX documents including initial disclosures, processing and closing documents. DocuTech has been a member of Dynatek’s Plug-In Partner Network since 2004. This alliance intends to reduce loan processing time, manual input errors and compliance issues by automatically generating and populating state and federal compliant mortgage documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

William Fall Group Acquires Appraisal Field Offices

The William Fall Group announced acquisition of the residential field appraisal services of EASI. The acquisition now provides the ability to perform services in 13 states with 200 employee appraisers performing residential and commercial valuations.

The integration of offices will provide the William Fall Group with expansion into Northern and Southern California, Arizona, Texas and Illinois.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Acquires NIA Consulting

Interthinx, a unit of ISO and a leading provider of risk mitigation, mortgage fraud prevention and regulatory compliance tools for the mortgage industry, announced acquisition of NIA Consulting, a provider of fraud detection and forensic audit services for the home mortgage and mortgage insurance industries. Terms were not disclosed.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)

FNC Releases Collateral Analytics

Property Scan streamlines multiple data sources for the subject and comparables into one analysis report, providing a look at the property characteristics, legal description, sales history, county tax information, and recent and historical comparable sales. Easy Price Opinion, a Web-based application, provides information for users to quickly declare a price opinion. QC Vigilance lets reviewers compare the appraiser’s selected comparables to the National Collateral Database and confirm their existence and validity.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)

John Adams Mortgage Selects Dynatek as KPO Vendor

Dynatek Inc., an ISGN company in mid-tier mortgage automation, announced that John Adams Mortgage Co., a Southfield, Mich.-based lender, selected Dynatek as the knowledge process outsourcing vendor for its new construction lending operation.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)

PCLender.com Adds Integrated Document Imaging, Management

PCLender.com added integrated imaging and document management to its InHouse Mortgage Enterprise Lending System.

PCLender’s imaging component includes web based document storage, allowing users with access to the InHouse Mortgage system to load and view documents via a completely hosted system. All stored document images are linked both to loan status and conditions specific to a loan’s requirements.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)

Reunion Mortgage Originates eMortgages with DocuTech

DocuTech Corp., Idaho Falls, Idaho, a provider of compliance services and documentation technology for the mortgage industry, announced that Milpitas, Calif.-based Reunion Mortgage implemented DocuTech's ConformX with SMART Docs, a Web-based interface that simplifies the process of preparing, processing and closing paperless mortgages using Category 1 SMART Document eNotes.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

DocuLex Launches Web-Based Document Management System

DocuLex announced the launch of Archive Studio Web-based document management for mortgage lending environments. This software as a service offering enables secure document warehousing and sharing with remote access to organizations with a need to share documents among multiple offices, other companies or the public.

DocuLex utilizes Internet-enabled search and retrieval software WebSearch, designed to allow sharing of document collections for colleagues to enable rapid information distribution and workflow collaboration. Each user is presented with a custom portal design specifically to meet their needs.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

Mavent Integrates into Calyx Software

Mavent Inc., Irvine, Calif., a provider of automated regulatory compliance services to the mortgage industry, and Calyx Software, San Jose, Calif., makers of the Calyx Point loan origination and processing system, announced integration of the Mavent Expert System into Calyx Point.

Using Calyx WebConnect technology, the Mavent interface will enable Point and Point Data Server users to review loan data against nearly 300 legislative acts, 200 license types, the rules and regulations of more than 60 regulatory authorities and the mandated compliance policies of the industry’s leading investors, prior to closing.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 3rd Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will release 3rd quarter 2007 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Wednesday, October 24, 2007. A conference call will follow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 25, 2007. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial-in at 888-428-4478 (USA) or 651-291-5254 (International). The conference call replay will be available via webcast through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Introduces Multi-Lingual Language Services to Help Agent Partners Serve Non-English-Speaking Customers

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. has introduced Multi-Lingual Language Services (MLLS), a solutions suite helping the company's Agent Partners grow their businesses by more effectively marketing to, servicing, and supporting non-English-speaking customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Ltd. Extends Title Insurance to Cover Entire European Union

Stewart Title Ltd., the primary underwriter for the European and Australian transactions for Stewart Information Services Corp. announced that it is now offering title insurance coverage in all European Union (EU) countries. Stewart Title Ltd. is one of the leading title insurers in Europe with more than €5 billion in title insured transactions within Central Europe alone.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

Reunion Mortgage Originates eMortgages with DocuTech

DocuTech Corp. announced that Reunion Mortgage implemented DocuTech's ConformX® with SMART Docs, a Web-based interface that simplifies the process of preparing, processing and closing paperless mortgages using Category 1 SMART Document eNotes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)

Lenders First Choice Launches LFC WebClose(SM), Allowing Borrowers to Securely Close Loans Over the Internet

Lenders First Choice has launched LFC WebClose(SM), an interactive closing solution that allows borrowers to close their loans online, from anywhere Internet access is available. Unlike traditional closings that require borrowers to travel to an office to sign closing documents, LFC WebClose enables borrowers to review and approve closing documents securely online.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

Mavent and Digital Risk integrate mortgage technology

Mavent, a provider of automated regulatory compliance solutions to the mortgage industry's leading originators and investors, has integrated with Orlando-based Digital Risk LLC, a risk mitigation solutions provider for the mortgage industry, to provide precise and efficient regulatory compliance risk management reviews.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Lenders Corp. Selects National Mortgage Compliance Services

Titan Lenders Corp. has chosen National Mortgage Compliance Services, LLC, (NMCS) as an advisor on compliance matters related to its services. The relationship offers Titan Lenders Corp. customers reduced rates for NMCS mortgage compliance consulting services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

Zenta Joins BlitzDocs Collaborative Network

Zenta and Advectis®, Inc. announced that Zenta has become a BlitzDocs Certified BPO Provider. Zenta's outsourcing services for loan processing, underwriting, closing, post-closing, and servicing, can now be enabled using imaged loan files and the document management workflow delivered via the Advectis BlitzDocs® network.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

Colonial Savings Selects Interthinx(R) Proven Risk Mitigation

Interthinx®, Inc. has integrated its loan-level fraud detection system, FraudGUARD®, and its automated regulatory compliance tool, PredProtect(SM), with Colonial Savings and its mortgage origination divisions, Colonial National Mortgage, CU Members Mortgage, and Community Bankers Mortgage.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

Bridgelock Capital Selects PCLender's Integrated Mortgage Document Imaging and Management Module

PCLender.com, a web based software and services solutions provider to mid-sized mortgage bankers, has added integrated imaging and document management to its InHouse Mortgage Enterprise Lending System, providing lenders new levels of efficiency for loan processing, underwriting, investor delivery, and file archiving.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

Xerox Completes Acquisition of Advectis, Inc.; Launches Xerox Mortgage Services

Xerox Corporation has completed its cash acquisition of Advectis®, Inc. for $32 million.

This purchase expands Xerox's expertise in automating work processes, helping customers in document-intensive businesses like lending and finance to reduce costs and simplify how work gets done. In a predominately paper-based industry, Advectis' Web-based BlitzDocs Collaboration Suite helps lenders, brokers and investors manage the process needed to underwrite, audit, collaborate, deliver and archive loan documents electronically.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

Canadian Company Buys Majority of Field Asset Services

Austin, Texas-based Field Asset Services (FAS) is the subject of a major transaction in which Toronto, Canada-based FirstService Corp. is acquiring 80-percent interest in the residential property preservation company.

The company—being a comprehensive provider of preservation services, repair, and maintenance for lenders holding foreclosures—jumped on FirstService's radar screen because of the nature of the company's business.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

BasePoint Analytics Launches Default Alert Technology

Carlsbad, California-based BasePoint Analytics, a technology provider that benefits the financial services industry, has designed a new technology that can detect the risk of early payment defaults (EPD) on mortgage loans.

The product, which is called the BasePoint EPD alert ™, utilizes a statistical pattern to detect any loan irregularities that indicate an element of risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

Lead-Generation Site Asks for No Personal Data

Mortgage Marvel from Mortgagebot LLC is a new lead-generation Web site for lenders that targets borrowers who do not want to input personal information in order to receive rate quotes on prime loans. Users of Mortgage Marvel key in their Social Security numbers and other personal data only when they fill out an application--unlike LendingTree and LowerMyBills.com, which require personal information upfront.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2007

WNS Raises Guidance for Fiscal Year 2008

WNS (Holdings) Limited) a leading provider of offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) services, today announced it raised guidance for fiscal 2008 following its rapid response to fluctuations in its U.S. mortgage services business.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Ends Summer Season With Series of Enhanced Technologies to Combat Mortgage Fraud

In response to the increasing turmoil faced by the mortgage industry in recent months, Interthinx®, Inc. has fast-tracked a number of cutting-edge technological enhancements to protect financial institutions across the country from further devastation caused by the epidemic of mortgage fraud and risky loans.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

Lydian, Advectis Form Due Diligence Alliance

Lydian Data Services has become a BlitzDocs Certified Quality Control and Due Diligence Provider Advectis. This means Lydian can now receive electronically imaged loan folders from lenders and investors on the BlitzDocs collaborative document network, and can perform quality control services and due diligence reviews for them, the companies said. Under the partnership, Lydian will be able to accept loans in the full range of delivery formats through the BlitzDocs Collaborative Network, since BlitzDocs supports flow, bulk, or minibulk packaging and delivery of electronic loan folders.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2007

(Fidelity) New Bidders for Wendy's

Potential buyers are waiting to find out the terms of staple financing for the deal that is being arranged by Wendy's advisers. But the shaky credit markets have some bidders and investors concerned about just how easily a deal could go through.

The latest group to emerge includes Fidelity National Financial, a provider of title insurance that also makes investments in acquisitions with private-equity firms, and the private-equity firms Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, Oaktree Capital Management LP and Ares Management.

The chairman of Fidelity National Financial, William Foley, is a former chairman and chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the parent of the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast-food chains.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

FIS Completes Sale of Property Insight

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that it has completed the sale of its Property Insight business to Fidelity National Financial, Inc. effective August 31, 2007.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Ohio Catholic Federal Credit Union Selects MRG for Closing Packages and Disclosures

MRG Document Technologies announced that Ohio Catholic Federal Credit Union (Garfield Heights, Ohio), a faith-based credit union, has selected MRG for its document preparation, closing and upfront disclosure packages.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Launches Mortgage Fraud Prevention Program

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, through its PCi line of compliance analytics solutions, announced today a new mortgage fraud prevention program that can help lenders reduce the number of fraudulent loans they inadvertently originate.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' new mortgage fraud prevention program centers on three critical components -- fraud risk control review, training and audit services. A lender needs all three to detect and prevent fraud before a loan is funded.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Alabama Bankers Association Expands Endorsement With Wolters Kluwer Financial Services

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and the Alabama Bankers Association announced today the association has expanded its endorsement agreement with Wolters Kluwer Financial Services to include the company's new ComplianceOne(TM) solution.

ComplianceOne gives financial institutions all the tools needed to create a complete consumer, commercial and mortgage loan as well as an IRA or new deposit account from a compliance, work flow and data perspective on a single delivery platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

LOGS Network Chooses CSC's Mortgage Default Management Software

Computer Sciences Corporation today announced that LOGS Network, a national group of commonly owned and centrally managed law firms and trustee companies providing real-estate-related legal and title services, has chosen CSC's EarlyResolution mortgage default software-as-a-service solution for its recently launched home retention assistance business. Heart Financial Services, a division of The LOGS Group LLC, will use EarlyResolution's core decision engine to recommend customized workout programs for residential borrowers whose delinquent loans have been referred for foreclosure or bankruptcy legal representation.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2007

RealEC Technologies and FIS to Offer Web-enabled Closing Service

RealEC Technologies Inc. announced a joint effort with Fidelity National Information Services Inc. this week to launch a nationwide platform for delivering innovative, Web-transactions, according to a company press release.

Through the agreement, RealEC has licensed FIS' ClosingStream application and has integrated it into the RealEC collaborative network platform. RealEC can now make the online closing service available to lenders as well as title and closing companies looking to offer the service to their lending clients. In addition, the service allows each certified title and closing provider to control the entire closing process, eliminating the need to coordinate with several third-party providers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

VisiOCR(R) Reaches Milestone by Indexing 10 Million Mortgage Documents Per Month

Visionet Systems has reached a milestone of indexing 10 Million Mortgage Documents per month with its industry-leading auto indexing and data extraction solution VisiOCR.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Integrates Cascading AVM Into Its Proven Risk Mitigation System

Interthinx®, Inc. has announced the integration of advanced cascading AVM technology into its proven FraudGUARD® risk mitigation system. The integration of the two products empowers FraudGUARD users to request a Clear Value(SM) cascading AVM directly from the FraudGUARD interface, providing new workflow efficiencies and reducing overall transaction processing time for lenders nationwide.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

NextAce Releases Automated Title Foreclosure Products

Title automation and business process optimization (BPO) company NextAce(SM)announced the release of automated title products for the bourgeoning foreclosure market. NextAce is expanding its automated title software and services offering, Title EDGE®, to deliver Real Estate Owned (REO) and Mortgage Default (Foreclosure) products that provide title agents the same speed, depth of research, and cost savings as its existing refinance and purchase product offerings.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Financial Plus Federal CU licenses FICS mortgage technology

Financial Industry Computer Systems (FICS) announced that Flint, Mich.-based Financial Plus Federal Credit Union has upgraded its mortgage loan origination and servicing infrastructure with the successful implementation of FICS technology.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

Zillow chief expects great things after scoring another $30 million

Barton's Seattle online real estate startup has scored an additional $30 million from Legg Mason Capital Management and existing investors -- a huge capital infusion that comes just 19 months after the company unveiled its online home valuation service. Total financing now stands at $87 million, making Zillow one of the most heavily funded Internet startups in the country.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Calyx Software Integrates AVM Providers Into Point

Calyx Software® announced the addition of an automated valuation model (AVM) category to the Calyx Network, providing users of Calyx Point loan origination software with connection to participating AVM vendors. The new AVM category is accessed within Calyx Point's services menu and includes four new companies providing appraisal and title insurance services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Radian, MGIC Sell Portions of Sherman JV

Mortgage insurers Radian Guaranty and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. have sold portions of their interest in Sherman Financial Group LLC to an entity owned by Sherman's senior management. Following the sales, Philadelphia-based Radian owns 21.8% of the outstanding equity in Sherman, Milwaukee-based MGIC owns 24.2%, and the remainder is controlled by Sherman management, the companies said. Radian reported that it received a cash payment of approximately $278 million and may also receive a contingent payment based on unspecified terms involving the future rate of return.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Excel Investigations Saves Default Law Firms Time & Manpower

Excel Investigations—a company specializing in process serving, skip tracing, foreclosures and subrogation—is helping one Illinois County Courthouse save time and manpower by successfully implementing a procedure designed “to simplify service of process”—a concept better known as “Standing Orders.”

The model, which approves certain vendors to function as process servers at the courthouse, essentially streamlines and expedites the foreclosure process for courts and law firms by eliminating the need for an appointment motion to be made on every single case.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems Inc. Makes History With New Indexing and Data Extraction Technology

Visionet Systems Inc. (VSI) has reached a milestone in its business processing by indexing ten million mortgage documents a month using its new auto indexing and data extraction solution, VisiOCR.

The new technology can take a raw image mortgage file, convert it into the proper format, index the pages into desired categories and upload the newly categorized documents into a client's imaging repository. Prices range from $2- to $2.50 per file for indexing and guarantee 99-percent accuracy, which is 30-percent lower than the industry average.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007

Ceridian OKs merger with FNF

Ceridian Corp. shareholders approved a $5.3 billion merger with Fidelity National Financial Inc. Wednesday, ending months of sparring between management and a dissident investor over the deal.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

LSSI and Stewart Lender Services Form Strategic Alliance

Lender Support Systems Inc. (LSSI) announced an agreement with Stewart Lender Services, Inc. As a result of this alliance, Stewart's flood products are seamlessly integrated into LSSI's platform through the company's LSSIConnect and Importer, providing lenders easy access to Stewart's flood zone determinations in standard FEMA-required format.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. Completes Acquisition of EFD/eFunds Corporation

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of EFD/eFunds Corporation. Under the terms of the merger agreement, FIS acquired all of the outstanding shares of EFD common stock for approximately $1.8 billion in cash, or $36.50 per share.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Announces the Merger of Stewart Transaction Solutions and PropertyInfo Corp.

Stewart Information Services Corp. plans to merge its two related technology subsidiaries, Stewart Transaction Solutions and PropertyInfo Corp.

The combined entity, PropertyInfo Corporation, will intensify its focus on developing, selling, deploying and supporting Stewart title production technologies for independent title agencies and affiliates as well as real estate information and transaction management for internal and external markets including the title industry real estate professionals, builders, developers, lenders and consumers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Lenders Corp. Enters Strategic Alliance With IDS, Inc.

Lenders Corp. has added idsDoc, a web-based document preparation system that provides closing and initial documents, as an integrated service provider to its outsource services. This relationship creates a direct process route within Titan Lenders Corp's Cerberyx system, a proprietary process management platform. The partnership is founded upon a mutual aim to maintain loan salability amidst a struggling and uncertain secondary market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

IBM mortgage unit approved for federal loans

IBM Lender Business Process Services Inc., a provider of technology used in the mortgage application process, said Monday it was approved to provide those services on loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. IBM Lender Business Process Services provides back-office, private-label underwriting, processing, vendor management, document preparation and loan closings on an outsourced basis for mortgage lenders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Private Data Enables Lenders to More Accurately Value Collateral

Interthinx®, Inc. has announced its exclusive ability to use its own current and timely sales data to significantly increase hit rates and uniquely determine collateral risk, thereby improving the accuracy of their proven loan scoring system. This most recent advancement in a series of Interthinx product enhancements comes at a time when pinpointing actual housing depreciation/appreciation rates is highly critical.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Service Providers Added to Calyx Software Network

The Calyx Network provides users to connect directly with lenders and mortgage service providers, automating data exchange and streamlining the loan origination process.

The following new mortgage service providers have joined The Calyx Network:Automated Valuation Model,PLATINUMdata Solutions,Title Source,
Advanced Credit Services,Credit Service Company,Nations Title Agency
Title Source Inc.,IdsDoc Web,International Document Services, Inc.,AFI Detection,Tritus Insurance Group,Mavent,eXpertivity Mortgage Processing,LenderFlex,and ClosingDesk.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Xerox to Buy Advectis, Re-Enter Mortgage Space

Xerox Corp. plans to buy e-collaboration vendor Advectis, for $32 million. Xerox’s expertise in document outsourcing and related services is what led the company to Advectis, a privately owned business. Xerox's document technology and services portfolio includes consulting and outsourcing services, records management, digital imaging, e-discovery for litigation support, and managed services in more than 160 countries.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

MARI Enhances Antifraud Database

The Mortgage Asset Research Institute, a service of ChoicePoint, has announced the release of what it calls the first phase of a series of enhancements to its Mortgage Industry Data Exchange antifraud database. The redesigned MIDEX 2.5 offers new features to assist the mortgage industry in identifying individuals associated with mortgage fraud.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

L2C Touts New Mortgage Credit Score

L2C, an Atlanta-based credit scoring company specializing in helping lenders reach the "underbanked" market, has announced the release of a new version of its Link2Credit Score customized for the mortgage industry. The mortgage-specific score was launched to provide a more accurate risk assessment tool for evaluating underbanked applicants, the company said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

Compass Releases MSR Valuation Tools

Compass Analytics LLC has announced the release of its Mortgage Servicing Rights Analytics to provide loan-level and aggregated modeling capabilities for mortgage servicers and servicing investors. The system will include both static and option-adjusted spread valuations and will allow analysts to use loan-level adjusters on all models, include integration to industry-standard prepayment models, integrate accounting functionality, and include speed-enhancing parallel processing.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

IMS Web Phone Tool Provides Real-Time Property Inspection Data

Integrated Mortgage Solutions has launched a new Web Phone Application designed to help contractors communicate information to IMS and its mortgage industry clients in real-time.

IMS says its Web Phone Application eliminates the need for printed materials, allowing contractors the time needed to communicate inspection results early in the process. This new-found speed and efficiency gives IMS crucial information that could potentially help servicers “mitigate further errors in the default process.”

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Document Systems Releases LoanMagic Version 4.0

Document Systems Inc., a developer of mortgage technology for compliant loan document preparation and customer contact management, released version 4.0 of its LoanMagic software. LoanMagic is a mortgage customer contact management system that streamlines tasks involved with acquiring leads, managing contacts, creating point of sale comparisons and gathering personal and credit information necessary to secure a loan.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2007

Fidelity National Financial Expands Its Multicultural Marketing Program in the Pacific Northwest

Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. launched its Multicultural Marketing Program in the Pacific Northwest. The program is part of its Multicultural Marketing Division's initiative to help raise the home-ownership rates for underserved and immigrant communities, particularly Latinos, Asians and African-Americans nationwide.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode Introduces New Multimedia Tools That Bring Listings to Life

a la mode announced the availability of a variety of multimedia tools designed to help real estate brokers and agents gain more listings and greatly enhance the web marketing of current homes for sale, all at no extra cost to professional level Agent XSite and Broker XSite users.

All of the new software enhancements are available at no extra cost to a la mode's Agent and Broker XSite professional level users (http://www.agentxsites.com).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

BearingPoint Offers Risk Management Tools

BearingPoint Inc., a management and technology consulting firm based in McLean, Va., has announced tools aimed at helping lenders manage growing portfolio risks before they result in loan defaults and foreclosures. BearingPoint's Credit Navigation Tools provide capabilities to help evaluate portfolio risk and manage and improve lending processes, the company said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Radian and MGIC Cancel Deal One Called Distracting

The merger of MGIC Investment Corp. and Radian Group Inc. has been terminated mainly due to weakening market conditions and uncertainty surrounding the transaction due to financial losses on both sides. Losses tied to their subprime joint venture, C-Bass LLC, will eliminate $300 million of Radian's equity; though the company believes its profitable mortgage insurance division and its high standing among major lenders will offset these losses and help it weather the market downturn. Radian no longer takes a first-loss position on second liens, and the company says it would speak with the government-sponsored enterprises if it was no longer able to ensure conforming mortgages due to a downgraded credit rating.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2007

LandAmerica Announces 1,100 Job Cuts

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. announced a 13-percent staff reduction in its residential and lender services sector this week. By year's end, the company expects to eliminate 1,100 positions.

The decision to implement staff reductions is part of LandAmerica's initiative to improve operating efficiencies in a marketplace where mortgage loan originations are on the decline.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Provides Information for Midwest Flood Insurance Customers

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services through a portfolio of companies, has provided information for its flood insurance customers affected by recent flooding in the Midwest portion of the United States.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart settles with California insurance agency

Stewart Title Guaranty Co. will pay $1 million to the California Department of Insurance to settle a claim against the company. The Houston insurance company originally was sued by the CDOI for $46.7 million which claimed that Stewart purchased reinsurance from alleged captive reinsurance companies.

In June 2007, the CDOI amended its pleadings to dismiss its claims that Stewart did business with a non-admitted insurer and that the company violated the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart signs on for homeownership study

Stewart Title Guaranty Co. is sponsoring a study to improve homeownership among American Indians.

The Tribal Land Title and Recordation Office Study is a research partnership between First Nations Development Institute and the National Congress of American Indians' Policy Research Center.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

Kroll Factual Data's Mortgage Credit Services Now Available through eMagic's Platform

Kroll Factual Data and eMagic announced today the availability of Kroll Factual Data's mortgage credit reporting services through eMagic's online platform. eMagic is a service-ordering platform that enables originators, lenders and vendors to conduct business together on one system, all in one convenient place.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Adds Mortgage Insurance Interface to Loan Producer(R)

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS®), a mortgage technology specialist that provides in-house residential origination and servicing technology and commercial servicing technology to the mortgage industry, announced that it has added a new Mortgage Insurance interface to its residential mortgage loan origination system, Loan Producer®.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

US Technology Expands Mortgage BPO Contract with a Global Financial Services Provider

US Technology announced today that a global leader in credit and information management has added additional services to the three-year agreement they signed earlier this year with US Technology's mortgage BPO division. The client, a major provider of settlement services to the mortgage lending industry, selected US Technology to support their appraisal (valuation) business based on the overall US Technology mortgage banking and financial services background and the extensive experience of its on-site and offshore teams.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)

Bilzin Sumberg Forms Distressed Property Group

The Miami, Florida-based real estate law firm of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP has formed a distressed property group that will focus on troubled areas in the marketplace by providing services that help distressed owners, investors, lenders and financing sources focus on handling problems and forging productive solutions in the marketplace. The new group will include attorneys who specialize in areas such as real estate, corporate and securities, litigation, and restructuring and insolvency.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

Carteret Uses Tech to Enhance Loan Quality

Carteret Mortgage will deploy credit analysis technology to all its 300 branches to raise the bar on doing quality originations. Specifically, Carteret will use Market Kinetix's patent-pending credit analysis software solution Deal Maker Score. The application provides step-by-step directions to raise a borrower's credit score. A mortgage originator downloads the borrower's credit findings to the product, and the program produces a customized set of recommendations, which show a borrower how to raise their credit score by the target number of points designated by the loan officer.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)

Kroll Expands Risk Assessment Services

Kroll Factual Data has announced an expansion of its risk assessment services with the introduction of FullFacts. The service assesses the risk of misrepresentation by brokers, appraisers, loan officers, closing agents, and other participants in the mortgage loan process. "FullFacts comprehensively identifies loan party collusion, conflict of interest, and non-arm's-length transactions for every participant involved in a mortgage loan" and determines whether any participant is included on exclusionary and compliance lists, said Jeff Gentry, vice president of Kroll Factual Data.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2007

Insurance commissioner subpoenas Fidelity National Title

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued subpoenas to nine title insurance companies concerning the companies' business practices and premiums.

Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title Insurance Co. and Ticor Title Insurance Co. of Florida were subpoenaed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

McCarty wants representatives from the title insurers to testify about eight issues, including auditing procedures, actual premium charged, affiliated business arrangements, costs of producing title insurance and the operation of the title plant.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces the Opening of LandAmerica Commonwealth Title Republica Dominicana

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces the opening of LandAmerica Commonwealth Title Republica Dominicana, a joint venture of its Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company subsidiary.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Adds Customizable Work List Feature to Loan Producer

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS) announced that it has added a new feature, My Work List, to its residential mortgage loan origination system, Loan Producer®.

The My Work List feature empowers users involved with the originating, processing, tracking, underwriting, closing, funding and secondary marketing functions, to query loans in Loan Producer based on individually-selected criteria, open the resulting loans to perform a task, and then refresh the list to return only those loans that still meet the criteria.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Credit Systems Design Expands CreditXpert Partnership

CreditXpert Inc. and Credit Systems Design announced that UltraAMPS users may now access the complete, upgraded versions of Credit Assure, CreditXpert Essentials and the CreditXpert What-If Simulator -- software solutions designed to maximize consumer credit scores.

Using the CreditXpert Solution Suite brokers and lenders have found that:

-- 13% of consumers with middle scores in the 620-639 range could increase their middle score to 640 or above
-- More than 25% of consumers can improve their middle scores to 620 or above
-- One-third of consumers who normally would be declined a loan can now be salvaged
-- More than 75% of consumers can potentially increase their middle score
-- One in four consumers can qualify for a better loan

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

Brokers/Agents Can Now Route Sales Leads via iPhones(TM) With a la mode

a la mode announced the release of lead routing tools built for the Apple® iPhone(TM). iPhone lead routing and management functionality is part of a la mode's broader "real estate now" mobile technology initiative.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

New Products Manage Prepayment Data

DocuTech Corp. recently launched ConformX 3.10, which aims to help both lenders and consumers manage prepayment penalty information in the loan origination process. ConformX 3.10, an upgrade to DocuTech’s mortgage document and compliance products and services, manages more than 500 prepayment penalty configurations through its direct interface with loan origination systems.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

MGIC Sues Radian for Information

MGIC Investment Corp. has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Milwaukee to gain immediate access to information from the bond insurer that would aid the takeover decision-making process. Though Radian claims it has complied with the demands, MGIC says the company was "uncooperative and essentially unresponsive" when asked to provide information. MGIC has expressed concerns about the proposed $5 billion acquisition, considering that the value of the companies' $1.03 billion subprime mortgage venture, C-BASS, has been called into question due to rising defaults and margin calls.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:42 AM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2007

Pershing Square Cap Now Backs $36/Share Ceridian Buyout

Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. shifted its stance and said it will support the proposed buyout offer of Ceridian Corp. (CEN) by Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P. and Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF).

Pershing, a hedge fund, had opposed the pending $36-a-share merger, and has mounted a proxy contest with Minneapolis-based Ceridian. But Pershing said Tuesday it now believes the offer is the highest all-cash price reasonably attainable for Ceridian in light of current market conditions.

Pershing added, however, that it will continue its proxy contest with Ceridian, citing its concerns regarding credit and broader markets, as well as the buyout group's walk-away right if it chooses to pay a $165 million break-up fee.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces Closing of the Acquisition of ATM Holdings, Inc.

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. , a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services through a portfolio of companies, today announced the closing of the previously announced acquisition of ATM Holdings, Inc. ("ATM"), a provider of nationwide mortgage vendor management services to the loan origination industry.

ATM's primary subsidiary is a licensed title insurance agency which provides centralized title and closing services and a full suite of valuation and appraisal services to national residential mortgage originators, banks and institutional mortgage lenders throughout the United States. It has relationships with eight of the top fifty mortgage originators in the country and is licensed in forty-two states, as well as the District of Columbia. ATM also owns and operates Vision Global Solutions, a proprietary software system that is used to manage the fulfillment of third-party settlement services by more than eleven major lenders.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Servicing Customers Can Now Import Directly into Fannie Mae's MBS Reporting System

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. announced that it has successfully completed testing with Fannie Mae for import into the MBS Reporting System. FICS users will now have the ability to import Fannie Mae MBS pools through the MBS Reporting system with FICS' residential mortgage loan servicing system, Mortgage Servicer(TM).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio Accelerates its National Appraisal Knowledge Warehouse(TM)

Zaio Corporation's USA subsidiary Zaio Inc. announced today its plans to accelerate its national Appraisal Knowledge Warehouse(TM) and valuation solutions due to increased demand from the Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) and Asset Backed Securities (ABS) markets which hold more than $20 trillion in loans secured with real estate.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

Colorado House Finders Launches “One-Stop” Real Estate Online

Colorado House Finders, LLC today announced the launch of www.coloradohousefinders.com, a cutting edge online suite of resources that offers consumers a cost-effective solution for buying and selling real estate in Colorado. Designed to optimize the home buying experience, Colorado House Finders merges the successes of Visionary Lending Corporation (VLC) and ACE Appraisers; founded in 2001, providing opportunities to access and leverage Colorado’s most successful Realtors, mortgage professionals and property valuation specialists.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Baker Hill Strengthen Alliance

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Baker Hill, an Experian company, announced the two companies are creating an interface between Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' ComplianceOne® solution and Baker Hill's Bank2Business® credit origination solution and OnePoint® relationship management platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

Calyx Software Releases Point and Point Data Server Version 6.0

Calyx Software® announced the release of Point® and Point Data Server® versions 6.0. The latest version of the Point application includes a new enhancement that allows the integration of mortgage broker and mortgage banker functionalities. New marketing tools and a powerful report generator are also included. Both Point and Point Data Server Versions 6.0 are now being shipped to current customers at no additional cost.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Zenta Expands its Default Service Solutions

Zenta, a global outsourcing firm, is expanding its Default Service Solutions to the residential mortgage industry—a move that's expected to benefit mortgage loan servicers and law firms specializing in default.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2007

Peru's Largest Bank Selects Fidelity National Information Services' TouchPoint(R) Delivery Channel Suite

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced today that Banco de Credito del Peru (BCP) has signed an agreement to install the FIS TouchPoint® channel product suite to support BCP's network of branch banking operations.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces Purchase of a One Million Share Block of Common Stock

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced that it has purchased a one million share block of its common stock directly from its Chairman of the Board of Directors, William P. Foley, II. Mr. Foley intends to use the proceeds from the sale to make an investment in the wine industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Lender Services Introduces eZLoss Mitigation for Mortgage Lenders and Servicers

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces the release of eZLoss Mitigation, a new solution for mortgage lenders and servicers to better manage problem loan portfolios and improve overall profitability. LandAmerica Lender Services supplies the industry with default management services assisting its clients in curing delinquencies and reducing overall loss severity.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica AgentXtra(SM) Program Celebrates Its Third Anniversary

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. this month celebrates the third anniversary of LandAmerica AgentXtra(SM) Program, a first-of-its-kind program that helps the company's Agent Partners grow their businesses.

The Program features a menu of 28 customized solutions spanning Executive, Support, Technology, and Transaction Services. Executive Services help agents achieve business expansion or get their businesses back on track. Support Services help them boost the efficiency of their daily operations. Technology Services put agents on the leading edge of technological innovation -- then keeps them there. And Transaction Services enable agents to save time and money while serving their customers better.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

DSI upgrades LoanMagic software

Document Systems, Inc. has released version 4.0 of its popular LoanMagic software. The new application combines tools for lead management, contact management, mortgage loan calculators, side-by-side loan comparison and marketing into a single tool.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

WESTCAP CORP Chooses Ocwen's REALSynergy Commercial Loan Servicing Platform

Ocwen Financial Corporation announced today that WESTCAP CORP has chosen REALSynergy(r), Ocwen's commercial and multi-family loan servicing platform, to support its growing commercial loan portfolio.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

Remend Inc. Launches Updated Default Management Tool

Remend Inc. has launched Remend OnDemand (TM) Summer 2007, which is a new version of the company's Remend OnDemand suite that's expected to provide default servicers with a new tool that can streamline the complex process of managing properties in default, while also cutting expenses.

Remend OnDemand Summer 2007 is the latest solution linked to the Remend OnDemand suite, which was launched to serve as a solution for lenders and investors who are dealing with the default management process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

BasePoint Analytics and Bohan Group Probe for Fraud Risk in Loans

BasePoint Analytics is now providing the Bohan Group LLC with additional predictive analytic fraud and risk management solutions by combining its Enhanced Fraud Review process with BasePoint's due diligence process.

The key factor in the merger of the two company's solutions is BasePoint's FraudMark solution, which calculates a fraud score overnight to determine the amount of risk within each loan that appears in an investment bank's portfolio.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems Launches VisiDataBridge

Visionet Systems has launched VisiDataBridge—a product designed to streamline and improve the process of transferring data and images among investors, lenders, and servicers.

Visionet says one of the other benefits is the product's Web-based system, which allows due diligence contractors to access data wherever they go, while also permitting third parties to perform due diligence tasks at a nominal cost.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

CSC Expands Loss Mitigation Technology

El Segundo, California-based Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), a provider of global information technology, has added new loss mitigation capabilities to its Early Resolution mortgage default software to help servicers improve the development of workout solutions for borrowers and investors.

The improved technology allows servicers to process data on loan modifications, short sales, and deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure solutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Insurer's Deal in Doubt

MGIC Investment is considering scrapping its deal to acquire Radian Group a week after the two mortgage insurers disclosed problems involving subprime mortgage investor C-Bass, their $1 billion partnership. Banks have made margin calls on C-Bass' credit lines due to the spike in delinquencies and defaults on subprime mortgages, and now the value of MGIC's and Radian's investments in C-Bass may be virtually zero. MGIC has agreed to acquire Radian for $4.9 billion in stock in a deal that would create a combined company with nearly $15 billion in total assets. In light of the new developments, however, MGIC is seeking more information from Radian so that its board of directors can determine whether or not to proceed with the acquisition.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2007

Fidelity National Financial buys ATM Holdings

Fidelity National Financial announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ATM Holdings, Inc. ("ATM"), a provider of nationwide mortgage vendor management services to the loan origination industry.

ATM's primary subsidiary is a licensed title insurance agency which provides centralized title and closing services and a full suite of valuation and appraisal services to national residential mortgage originators, banks and institutional mortgage lenders throughout the United States. It has relationships with eight of the top fifty mortgage originators in the country and is licensed in forty-two states, as well as the District of Columbia. ATM also owns and operates Vision Global Solutions, a proprietary software system that is used to manage the fulfillment of third-party settlement services by more than eleven major lenders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)

FIS Announces Results of Non-Strategic Business Review

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Opens New Zealand Branch

Stewart Information Services Corp.'s Stewart Title Ltd. unit has opened of a branch in Auckland, New Zealand. The company has appointed Megan Fraser as business development manager for New Zealand.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

Sydion Financial selects MRG for document management

MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of document preparation services for the financial industry, announced that Sydion Financial, a wholesale mortgage banker, has selected MRG for its efficient document preparation, management and delivery services associated with the closing process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Courthouse Retrieval System, Inc. (CRS) Integrates with Tucson Association of REALTORS(R)' MLS System

Courthouse Retrieval System, Inc. (CRS), working in conjunction with Rapattoni Corporation, has implemented a sophisticated security industry standard that transmits data between the Real Estate PowerTool by CRS and the Rapattoni MLS system. The integration went live today for more than 7,000 members of the Tucson Association of REALTORS®.

CRS is the first tax provider to integrate with an MLS system using SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language). With the SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) account-linking feature, members can log on to the Rapattoni MLS system once and access the Real Estate PowerTool seamlessly without reentering a user ID or password. This gives members the ability to search all of the CRS tax property data plus mortgages, sales, maps, comps and more through one convenient interface.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode for iPhones(TM) - Agents Process Sales Leads While Staying Mobile

a la mode, inc. announced the release of lead management tools built for the Apple® iPhone(TM). a la mode is the first company to provide agents the ability to manage website leads on an iPhone.

The company said that today's introduction of real estate lead management for the iPhone is the first of several major product releases that will enable real estate professionals on the go to more effectively manage, monitor, and respond to leads - even when agents are away from the office

Posted by S. Germain at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

Calyx to Offer eXpertivity's End-to-End Outsourced Mortgage Loan Processing

Calyx® Software announced that they have entered into an agreement with eXpertivity Mortgage Processing Solutions (aka eXpertivity Mortgage Solutions Corp.), a leading national provider of mortgage loan processing services. eXpertivity provides end-to-end loan processing services, including full compliance and post closing services. Technology enabled outsourced loan processing should become available after the next Point I-Update in September, and will directly connect Point users with eXpertivity from the Point software interface, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of outsourcing right after the initial data is entered.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Offers Comprehensive Criminal and Civil Background Checks for Vital Fraud Prevention and Compliance

Interthinx®, Inc. is now offering comprehensive batch processing of criminal records, civil records and bankruptcy/liens/judgment records, allowing lenders to make better informed decisions about today's business partners. The extensive coverage provides the financial services industry essential background information on brokers and appraisers when complying with investor "entity review" policies. Interthinx provides same day results in 46 states.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2007

Stewart Reports Earnings for Second Quarter 2007

Stewart Information Services Corporation reported the results of its operations for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2007.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

Wachovia Bank Signs Multiyear Contract with FIS

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced that Wachovia Corporation has selected FIS' Mortgage Servicing Package (MSP) to process the bank's mortgage and home equity lines of credit. Wachovia has been servicing its first-mortgages on MSP for 10 years.

MSP will provide securitization, default, escrow management and regulatory oversight capabilities for Wachovia's home equity loans. In addition, FIS will provide transaction processing services for the credit cards tied to Wachovia's home equity lines of credit. FIS' real- time card access allows Wachovia to obtain a complete solution from a single provider.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions and DocuSign, Inc. Integrate Their Leading Technologies in Transaction Management and Digital Signing

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions and DocuSign, Inc., the leading Web-based electronic signature service with over 3 million e-signature events, announced today the launch of DocuSign’s e-signature solution with FNRES’ TransactionPoint® platform, a leader in transaction management solutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Builder Software Integrates With Interthinx(R) FraudGuard(R) Detection System

Interthinx®, Inc. has integrated its loan-level fraud detection system, FraudGUARD®, with Mortgage Builder Software. Mortgage Builder® is a robust end-to-end loan origination software (LOS) system providing solutions for mortgage bankers, community banks, credit unions and financial institutions for nearly 10 years. As a result of this integration, loans originated through Mortgage Builder can be submitted to FraudGUARD for validated risk assessment and mortgage fraud detection within seconds.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Lenders Corp. Deploys Mavent Compliance Console (MC2)

Mavent Inc. announced a partnership with Denver-based Titan Lenders Corp., a closing, post closing and mortgage fulfillment outsource services provider.

Enabled by its Cerberyx web-based technology platform, Titan Lenders Corp. can submit its client loan data for quality control and due diligence to the Mavent Compliance Console (MC2)

Posted by S. Germain at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

'DocuSign It' Real-a-Save Uses eSignature Technology to Close Deals Faster

DocuDocuSign announced that Real-a-Save, a Colorado-based online real estate company, has been using eSignature technology from DocuSign to reduce the time it takes for an agent to close deals and sign up new clients from several days to in some cases less than one hour. Instead of the usual week or longer to have paper documents signed using traditional mail, high priced couriers, overnight delivery or unreliable fax machines, Real-a-Save can now close a deal or sign up a new client in under an hour. Not only is this a huge productively boost for both buyers and sellers, it assures Real-a-Save that it has won the business and locked out the competition.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode Now Providing Free Websites to Real Estate Agents

a la mode, inc., announced the release of free Standard level Agent XSites websites for real estate agents.

Free Standard level Agent XSites are not stripped down placeholder sites. They come with 24/7/365 support, a user's own domain name, robust listings presentations, integrated blogging and other powerful lead capture tools and a proven, effective integrated marketing arsenal.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

Indecomm Global Services Acquires US Recordings

Indecomm Global Services, a leading international business process outsourcing and services firm, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of US Recordings, Inc., headquartered in St Paul, Minnesota. US Recordings is a pioneer in electronic technology for the mortgage recording industry serving the residential mortgage market, including all of the top ten lenders, the title industry and the legal community. The company covers over 3,700 jurisdictions across all 50 states.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Selected by Sydion Financial for Document Preparation and Delivery

MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of document preparation services for the financial industry, announced that Sydion Financial, a wholesale mortgage banker, has selected MRG for its efficient document preparation, management and delivery services associated with the closing process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Profit Plummets 86 Percent

Philadelphia-based mortgage insurer Radian Group Inc. cited increasing defaults as a key reason for its 86 percent decline in profit during the second quarter. "Our second-quarter results clearly illustrate the credit challenges in today's mortgage market," especially in California and Florida, explained Radian Chief Executive S.A. Ibrahim. Net income fell to $21.1 million from $148.1 million in the second quarter of 2006, and revenue declined to $243.2 million from $304.6 million. The quarterly results included a $173.96 million provision for loan losses because of the mortgage problems, nearly doubling the $84.86 million set aside a year ago; and income from partly owned Credit-Based Asset Servicing & Securitization LLC--which issues, services and invests in risky mortgage assets--fell to $23.21 million from $61.4 million.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2007

Visre Unveils New AVM Photo Library

Visre Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., has announced that it will provide appraisal software firms, automated valuation model providers, and mortgage lenders immediate accessibility to millions of auditable residential photos through its Residential Appraisal Image Library. Geo-coded to property addresses, Visre can deliver singular 2-megapixel parcel photos as well as larger panoramas blended from multiple photos to showcase subject properties, comparable properties, and neighboring parcels.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

Zenta Partners With Ellie Mae

Zenta, a knowledge and business process outsourcing company based in New York, and Ellie Mae, Dublin, Calif., have entered into an affiliated partner agreement to offer Zenta's Broker Services through Ellie Mae's ePASS Network Web portal. Zenta Broker Services is a hybrid onshore/offshore service delivery platform that provides a low-cost alternative to in-house loan processing. Zenta said the platform has been designed to provide rapid turn times on loan processes and to comply with strict quality guidelines to improve processes by eliminating defects in the loan processing service. By combining Zenta's loan processing approach with Ellie Mae's Encompass Mortgage Management software, "users will get faster, higher-quality, and more-secure transfer of data and documents," the companies said.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2007

AOL and Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions Partner to Provide Real Estate Listings on AOL

AOL today announced a partnership with Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES). Through this agreement, FNRES will aggregate broker and MLS listings for the 3 million monthly AOL Real Estate users, and provide access to instant home evaluations through FNRES’ Cyberhomes expert tools at http://realestate.aol.com.

Later this fall on AOL Real Estate, home buyers and sellers will also be able to search the real estate

Posted by S. Germain at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Selected by HelpUFinance.com for Document Preparation Services

MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of document preparation services for the financial industry, announced that HelpUFinance.com, a national mortgage banker, has selected MRG for its document preparation services.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Baker Hill Strengthen Alliance

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Baker Hill, an Experian company, announced the two companies are creating an interface between Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' ComplianceOne® solution and Baker Hill's Bank2Business® credit origination solution and OnePoint® relationship management platform.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' ComplianceOne solution allows financial organizations to create a complete loan, mortgage, deposit or IRA package from a compliance, work flow and data perspective on a single delivery platform. Organizations accessing ComplianceOne from Baker Hill's Bank2Business and OnePoint solutions will utilize ComplianceOne's loan documentation functionality.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Integrates PayScale Income Analytics

Interthinx®, Inc., the leading provider of proven risk mitigation, mortgage fraud prevention and regulatory compliance tools for the mortgage industry, is bolstering its loan level fraud detection tools by integrating income/compensation metrics from PayScale. The integration of PayScale compensation analytics will provide lenders and investors more accurate income profiling of borrowers when assessing risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Expands Its Customer Base

Visionet Systems Inc., a leading provider of technology and business process outsourcing services, has signed with six new clients in the first half of the year. Visionet's India subsidiary is expected to grow by 100% in 2007 as well. Their mortgage centric product suite has expanded and now includes eleven distinct products covering the mortgage value chain from end to end.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

Fidelity National Reports Big Data Breach, Axes Worker

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. said a database administrator stole and sold customer data, exposing as many as 2.3 million bank and credit card records, and that the worker has been fired.

The employee, who worked at the company's Certegy Check Services Inc. unit, sold the information to a data broker, which in turn sold some of it to a "limited number" of direct marketers.

These activities led to customers receiving marketing solicitations, though there is no evidence of fraud, Fidelity said. The stolen data include names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and bank account and card information, it said.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Title Group Announces New Program to Curb Mortgage Fraud

Fidelity National Title Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced a new product offering that will help its customers protect against mortgage fraud. The new partnership with Experian Consumer DirectSM will offer customers one year of credit monitoring, fraud resolution assistance and a credit report at no cost.

Fidelity National Title Group's offering is the first of its kind in the title insurance industry, providing customers with daily monitoring of their Experian credit report, a comprehensive Experian credit report delivered online and e-mail alert notifications to inform them of key changes to their Experian credit report including new inquiries, newly opened accounts, delinquencies, address change and public record items. Toll-free support from fraud resolution representatives and educational information also are included in the year-long credit monitoring membership.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)

Zenta Announces a Range of Processing Services for Mortgage Brokers in Collaboration with Industry Partners

Zenta, a leading world-class Business (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) Company, today introduced a complete range of loan processing services for residential mortgage brokers under the Zenta Broker Services brand. These services will allow mortgage brokers to more effectively control their costs, reduce the time to close loans, identify and reduce fraud and enhance the customer experience for a mortgage broker's client. Zenta Broker Services are delivered using a hybrid outsourcing solution with a unique onshore / offshore operations model.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems Electronic Lien Release Solution Goes Live at Four of the Top Ten Residential Mortgage Loan Servicers

Visionet Systems VisiRelease solution processes approximately twenty percent of all residential mortgage releases in the US. It is a workflow and rules based solution designed for large and mid-size servicers. Visionet continues to respond to the cost pressures on mortgage servicers by automating as many mortgage processes as possible. VisiRelease has set the productivity benchmark for the banks to process 10,000 releases a month with 10 employees including paper based lien releases. This has resulted in in-sourcing of lien release functions at the most of Visionet's clients.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

WKFS Launches E-Docs for Reverses

In response to growing demand for reverse mortgages, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, Minneapolis, is equipping lenders with a new line of electronic documents they can use to help comply with regulatory requirements tied to Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. A HECM, the most common form of reverse mortgage in the United States, allows borrowers aged 62 or older to convert the equity in their homes into income through a lump sum, monthly payments, or a line of credit offered by lenders. The WKFS line of electronic upfront disclosures and closing documents for HECMs allows lenders doing business in the top 10 states underwriting HECMs to create compliant document packages.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

(Fidelity) More Companies Use E-Signatures to Cut Costs, Fraud

E-signature products have gained legitimacy after withstanding a number of legal challenges, which has given business leaders more confidence that documents signed online are just as binding as those signed by hand with a pen. To this end, Fidelity National Financial Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., is preparing to launch a pilot with a major mortgage company, under which refinancing borrowers can accelerate the process and possibly save money by inking a power-of-attorney agreement online with DocuSign Inc. In general, customers now face a wide range of product choices, especially now that such smaller firms as DocuSign and EchoSign Inc. are launching Web-based technology that makes electronic signatures eas! ier and more user-friendly. E-signature services are proving popular because of their cost savings and convenience; in many cases, companies can download the various e-signing software programs right onto their computers after paying for them.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

Titan Launches Back Office Outsourcing

Titan Lenders Corp., Denver, a closing, post-closing and mortgage fulfillment services provider, launched yesterday in an effort to meet the growing demand of outsourcing variable cost operations.

Titan’s work is automated and customizable by Cerberyx, a web-based technology platform that was designed specifically for handling outsourcing processes.

Built on eSys Technologies, Rochester, N.Y., platform for managing cost and increasing productivity for lenders, Titan’s Cerberyk is an information management tool that provides lenders with assistance from loan application through sale of the loan. Cerberyk provides security and Titan said it meets MISMO compliance requirements as well. The system aims for high efficiency, bringing together service and transaction processes under one platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2007

Fidelity National Information Services Acquires Applied Financial Technology

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS - News), announced today that it has acquired Applied Financial Technology (AFT), one of the fastest-growing providers of intelligent and predictive risk analytics, analysis and data for the mortgage industry. AFT's quantitative analytics, which can be fully integrated into a variety of third-party systems, are used by brokers, banks and investors to price, fund, trade and hedge mortgages and mortgage-backed securities.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National to Purchase EFunds for $1.8 Billion

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. and EFD/eFunds Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby FIS will acquire EFD in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion.

EFD is a leading provider of risk management, electronic funds transfer (EFT) services, prepaid card processing, and global outsourcing solutions to more than 10,000 financial services companies in more than 80 countries. The company also provides point-of-sale fraud prevention solutions to retailers and electronic benefits processing services to government entities.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Title Group Announces New Program to Curb Mortgage Fraud

Fidelity National Title Group today announced a new product offering that will help its customers protect against mortgage fraud. The new partnership with Experian Consumer Direct(SM) will offer customers one year of credit monitoring, fraud resolution assistance and a credit report at no cost.

Fidelity National Title Group's offering is the first of its kind in the title insurance industry, providing customers with daily monitoring of their Experian credit report, a comprehensive Experian credit report delivered online and e-mail alert notifications to inform them of key changes to their Experian credit report including new inquiries, newly opened accounts, delinquencies, address change and public record items. Toll-free support from fraud resolution representatives and educational information also are included in the year-long credit monitoring membership.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces Dates for Second Quarter 2007 Results & Conference Call

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces that it will release its preliminary operating results for the second quarter after the market closes on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Additionally, the company will sponsor a conference call on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at 10:00 AM ET to discuss the preliminary results.

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-877-407-0782 and request to be connected to the LandAmerica conference. Additionally, the call will be simultaneously broadcast over the internet via LandAmerica's website (http://www.landam.com/). Click Investor Information > Financial Information > Webcast events. Investors can also access the webcast at

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Integrated Asset Services Launches i-Series(TM)

Integrated Asset Services (IAS), a leading provider of residential asset management, today announced i-Series, a nationwide due diligence platform. IAS's i-Series features the Company's professional valuation services provided through their national network of licensed brokers and appraisers combined with its new iAVM(TM) and iMVI(TM) technology.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Credit Systems Design Helps Raise Credit Scores by Adding Access to Credit Analysis Tool Deal Maker Score

In a move to provide their affiliated credit reporting agencies (CRAs) tools to help borrowers raise their credit scores, Credit Systems Design (CSD) has announced its decision to make the credit analysis solution Deal Maker Score available to its broad base of credit reporting company clients.

CSD's affiliated credit reporting agencies service the mortgage industry's lenders and brokers on CSD's UltraAMPS mortgage processing system. By providing access to Deal Maker Score, CSD is making it easy for mortgage originators to show borrowers how they can raise their credit scores to a target score.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Enhances Performance for Mortgage Servicer

Financial Industry Computer Systems announced that it has undergone an optimization of its residential mortgage loan servicing system, Mortgage Servicer(TM), to improve the runtime of its system and allow for increased productivity by its users.

By increasing the performance of Mortgage Servicer, FICS is providing customers with a system that enables users to reduce the amount of time it takes to execute programs, especially larger batch programs, within the servicing solution. Routine tasks are completed quicker, results are analyzed sooner, loans are serviced more efficiently and reporting to borrowers and investors occurs more promptly. These improvements further ease the stress associated with today's industry demands.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode Now Offering Free Mortgage Websites

a la mode announced the release of free 'Originator' level Mortgage XSites at the National Association of Mortgage Brokers annual convention here.

'Originator' level Mortgage XSites are powerful, flexible, attractive loan originator websites including such robust features as a sleek, user-friendly online loan application, the user's own dot-com domain name and virus- and spam-fighting dedicated e-mail.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

RealEC Passes 31 Million Mark

RealEC Technologies Inc., Santa Ana, Calif., has announced that its business-to-business exchange has surpassed 31 million orders processed since its 1998 launch. The company also announced it has surpassed 2,000 participating lenders (including 17 of the top 20). On a monthly basis, the RealEC Collaborative Partner Network now processes more than 300,000 loans, 600,000 orders, 2 million documents, and 7 million "unique loan fulfillment events."

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

WKFS Launches E-Docs for Reverses

In response to growing demand for reverse mortgages, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, Minneapolis, is equipping lenders with a new line of electronic documents they can use to help comply with regulatory requirements tied to Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. A HECM, the most common form of reverse mortgage in the United States, allows borrowers aged 62 or older to convert the equity in their homes into income through a lump sum, monthly payments, or a line of credit offered by lenders. The WKFS line of electronic upfront disclosures and closing documents for HECMs allows lenders doing business in the top 10 states underwriting HECMs to create compliant document packages.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

Former GMS Exec Forms Outsourcing Firm

Former Guardian Mortgage Services executive Mary Kladde has gone out on her own to form Titan Lenders Corp., a closing, post-closing, and mortgage fulfillment services provider based in Denver. Titan services will act as a variable-cost alternative for mortgage bankers, brokers, and investors to increase their loan-closing capacity while reducing risk, errors, and overhead costs, the company said. Titan offers an established service model, extensive industry experience, and customized solutions automated by Cerberyx, a contemporary Web-based technology platform designed specifically for its processes, according to the company.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

Guaranty Title Under Investigation

An investigation into whether Missouri-based Guaranty Title Co. misappropriated funds has been launched by LandAmerica Financial Group, Guaranty's sole underwriter. LandAmerica is now examining the title company's books, with the audit expected to wrap up soon. A misappropriation occurs when money in an escrow fund is used for either personal purposes or business operations. The state's Department of Insurance will take action based on the audit's conclusions, which could lead to Guaranty's license being suspended or even revoked.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

LandAmerica Announces Dates for Second Quarter 2007 Results & Conference Call

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces that it will release its preliminary operating results for the second quarter after the market closes on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Additionally, the company will sponsor a conference call on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at 10:00 AM ET to discuss the preliminary results.

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-877-407-0782 and request to be connected to the LandAmerica conference. Additionally, the call will be simultaneously broadcast over the internet via LandAmerica's website (http://www.landam.com/). Click Investor Information > Financial Information > Webcast events. Investors can also access the webcast at http://www.investorcalendar.com/. The event will be archived and available for replay starting two hours after the completion of the live call through September 1, 2007.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

DocuTech and PCLender.com Form Strategic Alliance, Streamline Mortgage Documents Processing

DocuTech Corp., a leading provider of compliant mortgage documents and services, announced today its strategic alliance with Honolulu-based PCLender.com, a web based software and service solution. The alliance integrates DocuTech's compliant documents with the PCLender.com enterprise mortgage lending system.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)

Canadian Bar Association Selects Emergis as Preferred Supplier of Electronic Mortgage Processing Services

Emergis Inc. (TSX: EME) today announced that it has concluded an agreement to become the exclusive preferred supplier of electronic mortgage processing services to the Canadian Bar Association (CBA). According to the five-year Canada-wide agreement, CBA members who handle real estate transactions will be offered favourable pricing on Emergis' Assyst Real Estate solution as it is launched in each province across Canada. The CBA represents some 37,000 lawyers, judges, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

DaVinci, a Revolutionary Field Data Gathering and Sketching Application For Appraisers Debuts

a la mode launched a revolutionary prototype of a new appraisal inspection data gathering and analysis application -- with built in area sketcher -- at its Annual Convention here.

Dubbed DaVinci, the new software is the first prototype released by a la mode labs, a research and development "idea farm" whose mission is to bring the best new big ideas to life for the nation's real estate appraisers. A DaVinci CD was distributed to some 1,000 convention attendees with a secret "unlock" password they learned at the event's opening session.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

Fifth Third Bank Chooses Fiserv to Image-Enable Mortgage Loan Origination and Processing

Fiserv Imagesoft, a business unit of Fiserv, Inc. today announced that Fifth Third Bank, with $99.8 billion in assets, has chosen to image-enable its mortgage processing functions -- from loan origination to servicing -- with the Fiserv Imagesoft Nautilus Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

Kroll Factual Data's Flood Certification and Identity Verification Services Now Available through Innovative Software Solutions' Platform

Kroll Factual Data, a leading national provider of customized mortgage screening services, and Innovative Software Solutions (ISS), a consumer reporting technology provider, today announced an agreement to integrate Kroll Factual Data's flood certification and TruAlert identity verification services with ISS's platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2007

Snag in Fidelity's buyout plans?

Ceridian Corp.'s largest shareholder says combined offer of $5.3 billion is not enough.

Ceridian Corp.'s largest shareholder said Wednesday he opposes a proposed buyout of the company by Fidelity National Financial Inc. and Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P., because the $5.3 billion price is too low.

Pershing owns 14.9 percent of Ceridian's stock.

Ceridian, a Minneapolis-based company that provides outsourced human resources and payment processing services, announced last month that its board of directors had agreed to the $36-a-share buyout.

Jacksonville-based Fidelity and investment firm Thomas H. Lee are equal partners, but the firms expect other investors to join them in the deal, so Fidelity would end up owning less than 50 percent.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial to Leverage ID Analytics ID Network to Safeguard Customers and Combat Identity Fraud

ID Analytics, Inc., the leader in Identity Risk Management, today announced that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will be using ID Analytics ID Network(TM), the nation's first and only real-time fraud prevention network, to manage identity risk. Fidelity National Financial is the largest U.S.-based title and escrow company to become a member of the ID Network. By joining the ID Network, Fidelity will gain unique visibility and insight into the risk level of mortgage applicants and can protect more consumers and lenders from mortgage fraud.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Pecos Mortgage Completes Upgrade to LSSI's Servicer3D

LSSI, a global provider of eMortgage enabled lending and loan servicing technology systems, announced that San Antonio, Texas-based Pecos Mortgage, an independent loan servicing company, has successfully completed an upgrade to Servicer3D, LSSI's next generation of loan accounting software that replaces the company's LoanBase SERVICER application.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) Exchange of Critical Information Provides Financial Industry Unmatched Risk Management Results

Interthinx®, the leading provider of proven risk mitigation, mortgage fraud prevention and regulatory compliance tools, has launched a powerful expansion to its existing set of Global Variances, already contained within its proven FraudGUARD® scoring system, to provide lenders and investors access to unparalleled and essential mortgage fraud and risk management results. Over 1400 Interthinx customers will benefit from this newly expanded data sharing network and application of advanced analytics.


Breakthrough analytics have been applied to Interthinx FraudNET(SM) technology; the platform that allows Interthinx to coalesce massive amounts of data from multiple sources, deeming it the largest loan level fraud detection database in the industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)

Quantrix Provides Interface for ADCo

Portland, Maine-based Quantrix has announced that it is providing a modeling interface for risk-analytics provider Andrew Davidson and Co. The partnership between Quantrix and ADCo will deploy the Quantrix Modeler as the interface for ADCo's new LoanDynamics Mortgage Credit Model to serve fixed-income investors in the mortgage-based securities industry. The model incorporates historical data from approximately eight million loans by 144 issuers over 15 years to analyze borrower behavior and predict mortgage loan dynamics. The Quantrix LoanDynamics Interface enables mortgage credit analysts to analyze loan data, define interest rate and housing price scenarios, and model any combination of loans and scenarios with Quantrix Modeler. According to the announcement, customers receive a turnkey solution that includes ADCo's LoanDynamics Model, Quantrix Modeler licenses, and the Quantrix LoanDynamics Interface.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2007

LandAmerica Investor Suggests Sale

A shareholder of LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. has asked the title insurance company's board to consider selling the company, according to a regulatory filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

LandAmerica shares jumped $10.30, or 11 percent on the news, to a fresh 52-week high of $106.22 in morning trading. During the past 52 weeks, the stock has climbed from a low of $58.75 in July 2006 to its previous high of $93.50 on Tuesday.

In a letter to the board on Friday, the shareholder, Viking Global Performance LLC, said it "generally been pleased" with management's performance but said the company should consider a sale to further improve value for shareholders.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

First Houston Mortgage Originates Fully Electronic Loans with Encomia eMortgage Solution

Encomia, a provider of end-to-end eMortgage technology, announced today that Houston-based First Houston Mortgage Corp. has successfully launched its eMortgage solution, enabling fully electronic mortgage origination.

With full, in-house mortgage banking services, First Houston Mortgage implemented Encomia's eMortgage solution as a comprehensive tool kit for the creation of SMART Docs, electronic signature capability and secure document archival. Using Encomia technology, the loans are stored in the electronic vault of Horesham, Pa.-based GMAC Bank. Through the elimination of manual processing, First Houston Mortgage gains a significant efficiency advantage over its competitors.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode's SureDocs e-mortgage Application Delivers for Flagstar Bank

Flagstar Bank, a proven leader in paperless mortgage processing, and a la mode, developer of mission critical desktop, mobile and Web tools for mortgage originators, announced the completion of a custom software plug-in to a la mode's SureDocs system, which will streamline document delivery for Flagstar brokers who use the application

Posted by S. Germain at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)

Netupdate Adds Consumer Loan Functionality to Originator Pro

Netupdate, Inc. has added consumer lending functionality to Originator Pro, the company's Web-based online point of sale technology for the mortgage lending industry. The company has already created its first interface from the application to the ARTA(R) Lending Documentation System, a solution built upon the more than 50 years of experience and knowledge behind Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' Bankers Systems product line.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

Portellus Offers CollateralLogic Service for Appraisal Automation

Portellus, Inc., a leader in business-user driven change-management solutions, today announced it will offer CollateralLogic, a transaction-based service that automatically reviews appraisal reports against guidelines for fast, accurate risk identification and scoring. The solution allows lenders and investors to mitigate risk, realize best execution, minimize fraud and achieve straight through processing (STP) of appraisal reviews.

CollateralLogic works by using automated data capture to extract all key data points off a PDF or scanned appraisal report, then translates the data to XML, stores it to a database, and runs the information against a rules engine. The engine houses customer specific risk tolerance guidelines and a library of specific logic verification. CollateralLogic's evaluation results include flagged risks along with explanations behind each issue, thus allowing users to immediately identify a detailed process for risk resolution and informed decisioning.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

Mavent Leverages Pitney Bowes' Group 1 Software Technology to Enable Real Estate and Mortgage Industry Compliance

Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes Company, today announced that Mavent, Inc. has extended its relationship to continue utilizing Group 1 Software's geocoding technology as an integrated part of its Mavent Expert System solution.

The Mavent Expert System is a patent-pending rules-based engine that applies a model compliance decision set, based on Mavent legal rules as modified or supplemented by the client, to every loan in a client's pipeline or entire pools of whole loans. Mavent offers its solutions through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. The Mavent Expert System has conducted more than 20 million compliance reviews to date for some of the industry's largest originators and purchasers, including Fannie Mae, National City Mortgage Corp., AmTrust Bank, First Franklin, Ocwen Financial Corp., Credit Suisse, GreenPoint Mortgage, and HomeLoanCenter (a division of LendingTree).

Posted by S. Germain at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

Monroe County, N.Y., Awards Contract to Landata Technologies Inc. for Landata e-STAR Plus(TM)

Landata Technologies, Inc. announced that Monroe County, N.Y., (Rochester) is awarding a contract to install the Landata e-STAR Plus land document recording system in 2007.
Upon completion of a technical review of the Landata e-STAR Plus System, Monroe County concluded that the e-STAR system offered the best value proposition.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)

June 01, 2007

Lloyds TSB signs for Fidelity's commercial loans suite

Lloyds TSB is to implement the advanced commercial banking system (ACBS) product suite from US based Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) to support its commercial lending operations.

ACBS is an integrated package that streamlines and automates the commercial lending process and includes SyndTrak, LoanTrak, Origination, Servicing and DataMart. FIS says that these tools manage the life of a loan, covering origination, syndication, servicing, trading, portfolio management, reporting and analysis.

Lloyds will use ACBS to manage its corporate markets unit's loan syndication, distribution and trading activities and lending portfolio.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial in $5.3 billion deal

Ceridian Corp. has reached an agreement to be bought by a private equity firm and Fidelity National Financial Inc. in a deal worth $5.3 billion. Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm based in Boston, and Jacksonville-based Fidelity (NYSE: FNF) will pay $36 per share in cash for Ceridian. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and a shareholder vote.

Bloomington-based Ceridian (NYSE: CEN) provides human resources services. The company has previously announced that it was exploring "strategic alternatives" for the future of the company.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces Management Changes

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. today announced the promotion of Alan L. Stinson, currently Co-Chief Operating Officer, to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Raymond R. Quirk, currently Co-Chief Operating Officer and Brent B. Bickett, currently President, have been named Co- Presidents. Each of these executives has been a long-time member of the FNF senior management team. William P. Foley, II will continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors, actively focusing on strategic issues and acquisitions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Suntell Team to Help Lenders Mitigate Risk and Improve Operational Efficiencies

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Suntell, Inc. announced today that Suntell will integrate several of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' PCi compliance analytics solutions with Suntell's LMS.Net Loan Management System. These solutions will help Suntell customers mitigate lending risks and improve operational efficiencies by eliminating the need to re-key data or maintain separate compliance software programs.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Accenture Provides Post-Closing BPO

First National Bank of Arizona has turned to Phoenix-based Accenture for post-closing business process outsourcing. The Accenture service combines personnel, process, and technology to fully automate this part of mortgage fulfillment. Financial terms of the two-year contract were not disclosed. Accenture said it will provide the bank with file-room services, including imaging to convert paper documents into electronic form, indexing to capture relevant information in digital form, workflow services to speed processing, and performance metrics spanning the process. It will also offer data and document review to confirm that loans have met underwriting, servicing, and secondary-market salability requirements. Accenture will deliver the service both onsite and through its Global Delivery Network, which includes more than 40 centers in 30 cities around the world.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Internet Becomes the New Home for Closing Loans

The Internet-based mortgage settlement service ClosingStream is now being offered by companies such as E-Loan, Wachovia and other big lenders. According to Albert Verkuylen, chief strategy officer of Santa Ana, Calif.-based LSI--the provider of the ClosingStream system to lenders--about 1,000 home loans a month are being closed using ClosingStream, and 80 percent of the transactions involve refinancing. Filling out documents online for refinanced and home-equity loans is more convenient for borrowers and can save them hundreds of dollars in closing fees, lenders add.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)

Eppraisal.com in Partnership With Yahoo

Yahoo's Real Estate Home Values Center now will offer residential valuations that are provided by Eppraisal.com. The deal calls for the national property valuation Web site run by Orlando-based Saris Technologies to provide access to local realty brokers through the Real Estate Home Values Center. Yahoo will offer a link to eppraisal.com on its Web site.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2007

Use of Mortgage Builder Software's Secondary Marketing Tool Continues to Grow

Mortgage Builder Software, Inc., a leading provider of end-to-end mortgage banking software solutions, announced an upsurge in user demand for its secondary marketing tool, which is fully integrated into the Mortgage Builder® loan origination system. The secondary marketing tool seamlessly performs the processes required to efficiently manage pipeline risk, perform best execution analysis, sell and deliver loans to secondary market investors.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems Offers Mortgage Enterprise Risk Management Framework (MERM) for Mortgage Lenders & Investors

Visionet Systems has launched its Mortgage Enterprise Risk Management Framework (MERM) solution that enables lenders and investors to define, track and report on operational performance.

Visionet's MERM Framework is the coupling of best practice processes, metrics and automated tools to Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve & Control (DMAIC) and report on operational performance. The solution employs a "middleware" concept that connects all data and document inflow to a mortgage operation that applies, tracks and reports on task execution against loan level attributes. MERM ensures that loans entering the system are governed by prescribed product, corporate and regulatory governance as well as deal guidelines.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

eXpertivity Mortgage Solutions Corporation Awards Intelligroup a Contract for Business Process Outsourcing

Intelligroup, Inc., a global provider of business consulting, technology, and outsourcing services, announced today that the company has entered into a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) agreement with eXpertivity Mortgage Solutions Corp., a leading national provider of mortgage loan processing services. Under the terms of the agreement with eXpertivity, Intelligroup will provide infrastructure and facilities to the BOT employees to perform the Mortgage Processing services managed by eXpertivity with a systematic ramp up plan to manage eXpertivity's growth. The contract calls for up to 30 people within 12 - 18 months.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Avista Solutions Completes Integration to Interthinx's FraudGUARD® Mortgage Fraud Detection System

Avista Solutions, a leading web-based mortgage loan origination software company and Interthinx, the leading provider of mortgage fraud prevention and risk mitigation for the financial industry, announce today that integration to FraudGUARD®, Interthinx's fraud detection and prevention system has been completed. This seamless integration provides Avista's customers a web-based automated fraud protection and detection tool at the point of sale.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

Accenture Launches Mortgage Post-Closing Business Process Outsourcing Service at First National Bank of Arizona

First National Bank of Arizona has awarded Accenture (NYSE: ACN - News) the mortgage industry's first-ever end-to-end post-closing business process outsourcing (BPO) assignment. The Accenture service combines personnel, process and technology to fully automate this part of mortgage fulfillment.

Accenture will provide the bank with file-room services including imaging to convert paper documents into electronic form, indexing to capture relevant information in digital form, workflow services to speed processing, performance metrics spanning the process, and data and document review to confirm that loans have met underwriting, servicing and secondary-market salability requirements.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

ATM Corp. Touts Settlement Benchmark

ATM Corporation of America, a settlement provider based in Coraopolis, Pa., has announced that its Streamlined Settlement Package has established an industry benchmark by enabling the mortgage loan settlement process to occur within six days from application, "four days faster than its nearest competitor." Boasting complete automation of every step in the collateral valuation, title, and settlement process, SSP gives lenders greater control and improved quality via a centralized Web-based document management system that also facilitates the e-mortgage process, the company said. It also allows lenders to guarantee all settlement costs, including recording fees and mortgage tax, to the borrower at the point of sale. SSP includes VisionCTI, which enables the loan officer and borrower to pre-schedule the appraisal and closing date, time, and location at the point of sale to improve the borrower experience.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2007

Fidelity National Information Services Signs Exclusive Agreement with ICBA

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS - News) today announced that the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has signed an agreement with FIS to endorse the company's core processing and item processing solutions.

FIS currently provides processing services to more than 1,000 ICBA Bancard member banks. ICBA has a relationship with nearly 5,000 community banks. Under the new agreement, ICBA will exclusively recommend FIS for its members' core and item processing needs.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)

VeroSELECT 2.0 Links Investors and Third-Party AVM Specialist for Cascade Management

Veros Real Estate Solutions, the industry leader in predictive technology, announced today that, in addition to its VeroVALUE AVM, the company's VeroSELECT 2.0 collateral valuation and risk management platform has been chosen by Luminent Mortgage Capital, Inc., Philadelphia, Penn., to provide valuation management and validation for the collateral underlying the whole loans the REIT buys in the secondary market. AVMetrics, Simi Valley, Calif., has been retained to consult for Luminent and will serve as a third-party administrator for the VeroSELECT platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

a la mode's SureDocs e-mortgage Application Delivers for Flagstar Bank Originators and Brokers

Flagstar Bank, a proven leader in paperless mortgage processing, and a la mode, developer of mission critical desktop, mobile and Web tools for mortgage originators, announced the completion of a custom software plug-in to a la mode's SureDocs system, which will streamline document delivery for Flagstar brokers who use the application.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

Technology to Predict Nonperforming Loans?

Interthinx, Agoura Hills, Calif., has released the results of its latest data analysis, which it says can accurately predict which loans will be nonperforming over time. The Interthinx score predicts the likelihood of foreclosure and early payment default. In this study, Interthinx configured and evaluated performance data on over two million loan application records from its database. Through an alliance with one of the top three U.S. credit bureaus, Interthinx analyzed late payments, defaults, and foreclosure data from mortgage trade lines and compared the data with previous scores and red flags for possible mortgage fraud within loan applications. Using the Interthinx scoring system, the analysis quantitatively demonstrated that loans with a low score have a much higher level of risk than loans with a high score, the company said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

New Database Targets Homeowners

Mortgage lenders, title companies, appraisers, developers and insurance brokers will be able to find a wide range of information on absentee and onsite homeowners and their properties at the Melissa Data Web site. Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based Melissa Data has been adding more than 2 million records a month to its online Homeowner database, which now includes more than 100 million records covering 2,600 counties and 98 percent of mortgage transactions in the country.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2007

Chevy Chase Bank Selects Fidelity National Information Services' Commercial Lending Solutions

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., (FIS) and Chevy Chase Bank announced today that Chevy Chase Bank has selected FIS' Advanced Commercial Banking Systems (ACBS(R)) to support its growing commercial loan business.

Chevy Chase Bank will deploy ACBS origination and servicing solutions in its back-office operations, via FIS' Application Service Provider (ASP) solution, to efficiently originate and service commercial loans. FIS' ACBS Lending Solutions is an integrated family of commercial lending products that automates the entire range of commercial lending activity, from deal origination through settlement, accounting, and risk and loan management.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

New Expansion into Southwestern Colorado for Stewart Title of Colorado

Stewart Title of Colorado has expanded into the southwest portion of the state for the first time, with the May 1 opening of Stewart Title of Colorado - Durango and Cortez divisions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial Launches its Multicultural Marketing Program to Fresno and Stanislaus Counties in California

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF), one of the nation's leading providers of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services, today launched its Multicultural Marketing Program to Fresno and Stanislaus counties in California. This is the company's second major launch in the Central

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

DPS eMortgage Studio® Supports eSigned PDFs

Document Processing Systems, Inc. announces today the immediate ability to fully sign, close, and register eNotes using the just-released MISMO(R) eSigned PDF Guidelines v1.0 and the draft MERS(R) eRegistry PDF Guidelines.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Includes Logic with Document Bundles for Loan Origination Solution

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS), a mortgage technology specialist that provides in-house residential origination and servicing technology and commercial servicing technology to the mortgage industry, announced that it has enhanced its mortgage loan origination system, Loan Producer®, to allow logic to be imbedded in its Document Bundle feature.

The ability to imbed automated logic in the Document Bundle feature allows lenders to easily print all documents required for different loan products and investors or for any city, county or state with the click of a single icon. Implementing logic into document bundling enables the system to recognize which documents are required to meet the state investor, and loan product requirements, along with government regulations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

Financial Crossing Announces New Release of Advanced Mortgage and Liability Advice Solution

Financial Crossing, Inc. today announced the availability of Liability Manager 3.0, the financial industry's most advanced mortgage and liability management solution. The platform enables financial institutions and lending professionals to deliver actionable advice on their clients' portfolios of mortgages and other consumer debt.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Announces Flood Indicator Functionality Within Flood Wiz

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, through its line of PCi compliance analytics solutions, announced today the availability of Flood Indicator functionality within its Flood Wiz® solution. Flood Wiz gives lenders access to the most up-to-date and accurate flood risk data, and can produce a flood determination within seconds. The indicator functionality, accessed via the Flood Wiz web site (http://www.floodwiz.com), enables lenders to begin the flood risk assessment process earlier in the lending cycle to better prepare borrowers for a potential flood insurance purchase.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

What's KPO?

Boasting offshoring credentials for the mortgage industry going back to 2000, Global Realty Outsourcing, Blackheath Financial, and Zenta (formerly H-Cube) have announced that they are uniting under the Zenta brand to offer business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) services to the real estate and financial services industries. According to the announcement, the combined company has 5,000 employees in six locations across three continents, with many employees holding MBA degrees and chartered accountant certifications. In an earlier announcement, American Capital Strategies Ltd. said it invested $17 million in H-Cube LLC to support the acquisition of Blackheath Financial, which provides outsourced real estate analysis and consulting services to commercial mortgage-backed securities underwriters and investors.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2007

Fidelity National Information Services Acquires Marketing Solutions, Inc.

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced today it has acquired Marketing Solutions, Inc. (MSI), one of the fastest-growing providers of customer relationship management (CRM) and profitability offerings to community financial institutions.

MSI develops highly intuitive, Web-based technology products that enable community financial institutions to tailor offerings, cross-sell products and maximize client relationships. Through accurate analysis and automated functionality, MSI offers financial institutions a valuable resource to sharpen their competitive edge. In addition, MSI offers financial institutions the unique opportunity to provide personalized direct mail to clients, using outsourced marketing options.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)

Home Buyers, Sellers and Other Stewart Title Customers to Benefit from Translation Services Offered via Telephone and Live Interpretation

Home buyers, sellers and other closing customers in more than 900 Stewart Title offices across the nation will have access to over-the-phone interpretations in 150 languages through a new agreement made by Stewart's multicultural markets group with a language services provider.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

Avista Solutions Announces Integration to DataVerify's DRIVE™ Anti-Fraud Platform

Avista Solutions announced that it has completed integration to DataVerify Corporation's Data Risk Integrity Verification Engine (DRIVE). This integration provides Avista's customers a web-based anti-fraud decisioning and data verification platform to predict fraud and mitigate losses, including repurchase and early payment default. The seamless integration is available for loan submissions from the Avista Agile LOS™ Wholesale, Retail and Correspondent mortgage platforms.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)

IntraPrise Solutions and The Servicing Source Announce Joint Venture

IntraPrise Solutions, Inc. and The Servicing Source today announced a joint venture to launch a new brand of valuation and pricing products and services. Combining IntraPrise Solutions' loan product and pricing content and software engineering expertise, with The Servicing Source's modeling technology, market knowledge and business expertise, the companies have created a jointly-branded suite of products and services to deliver whole loan and servicing valuation solutions to the mortgage industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)

Hyland Software Announces Strategic Alliance with Gallagher Financial Systems

Hyland Software Inc., developer of the OnBase enterprise content management (ECM) software suite, announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Gallagher Financial Systems Inc. (GFS), a leader in enterprise loan origination system technology. As part of the alliance, Hyland will integrate OnBase with GFS's NetOxygen loan origination system (LOS) to provide additional document management options to GFS's new and existing customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

Hybrid E-Notarization Alliance Formed

Cincinnati-based eLynx has formed a strategic partnership with MortgageDocs, a nationwide mobile notary and attorney service provider, to further facilitate the use of hybrid electronic mortgage practices. Through eLynx's automated package delivery application, lenders can electronically submit documents to MortgageDocs, which then manages the signing and notarization process. On average, a notary is assigned to an individual borrower within 30 minutes of receipt, and sometimes as quickly as one minute in highly populated locations, the companies said. The network also provides real-time performance history statistics.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2007 EPS of $0.37

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF) , a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services, today reported operating results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2007.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica First-Quarter Earnings Plunge

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., one of the largest providers of title insurance in the United States, said on Tuesday earnings fell sharply in the first quarter, hurt by weakness in the residential real estate market.

The real estate insurer said earnings were $4.7 million or 26 cents a share, down from $13.7 million or 78 cents a share in the year earlier quarter.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Reports Earnings for First Quarter 2007

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC) today reported the results of its operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2007.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

Veros Delivers GMAC-RFC Propertywise(SM) for AVM Risk Management

Veros Real Estate Solutions today announced the expansion of GMAC-RFC's Propertywise(SM) automated valuation model (AVM) cascade. Propertywise represents GMAC-RFC's proprietary risk strategy for its acceptance of AVMs, based on years of extensive research into AVM performance and validation. Earlier this year GMAC-RFC implemented new policies for the acceptance of Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) and now requires that loans sold to GMAC-RFC on select waived appraisal programs conform to GMAC-RFC's Propertywise specifications. Lenders that use AVMs in this approved manner may also benefit from lower collateral risk and decreased repurchase risk.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

Reliant Signs on with Filogix

Reliant Home Warranty Corporation (OTCBB:RHWC - News), Boyd Soussana, President & CEO announced today that Reliant, through its Canadian subsidiary, Reliant Home Mortgage Canada Inc., has executed a comprehensive operating agreement with Filogix related to its acceptance/processing of mortgage applications. The relationship will complement Reliant's current infrastructure. Reliant will be added to Filogix's roster of institutional lenders thereby increasing its accessibility to over 9,500 originators across Canada

Posted by S. Germain at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

Veteran Mortgage Broker Thwarts Decades of L.O.S. Problems With the Launch of eMortgedge 1003POWER V1

Donna Iwane, CEO & Founder of eMortgedge Corporation, announces the inaugural release of 1003 POWER Version 1, an innovative loan origination system (LOS) that speeds and simplifies all facets of loan processing. With the debut of 1003 POWER (www.1003POWER.com), flawed loan origination software programs will find themselves surpassed by a comprehensive online system that offers more benefits than its competitors, greater flexibility with its 24/7 secured interface and the added convenience of never again having to pay for expensive add-ons. This innovative technology is so versatile it is about to set a new precedent in loan origination and processing, eliminating all the irritants and wasted time endured by both brokers and loan processors.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)

BasePoint Launches New Services to Help Mortgage Lenders and Investment Banks Fight Fraud

BasePoint Analytics, a leading provider of scientific fraud analytics and consulting services, today announced the availability of two new fraud consulting services - Enhanced Fraud Review and Fraud Organizational Framework. Both services will help identify and prevent the funding and purchase of fraudulent loans by incorporating proven best practices into the loan review process.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)

US Technology Announces its First Mortgage BPO Client Win

US Technology, a leading provider of IT services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions for Global 2000 enterprises, today announced that one of the top 10 U.S. mortgage lenders became the first mortgage BPO client following the recent launch of the company's Mortgage BPO practice.

(NOTE: Client wasn't named in the press release)

Posted by S. Germain at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

Vendors Align to Mitigate Fraud

Rapid Reporting, Fort Worth, Texas, has announced a partnership with Calyx Software, a broker loan origination vendor based in San Jose, Calif., to help brokers detect fraud earlier in the process. Rapid Reporting said it will offer mortgage fraud detection capabilities to users of Calyx's core group of products and services, including the company's flagship loan origination application, Calyx Point. As part of the agreement, Calyx Software users will be able to interface to Rapid Reporting's Web-based IncomeChek and DirectChek tools. Through established relationships with both the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration, Rapid Reporting enables users to detect and reveal potential mortgage fraud associated with deceptive income and identity information, the company said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2007

Matthew W. Morris Named President of New Stewart Business Group

Matthew W. Morris has been named president of Stewart Professional Solutions (SPS), a newly formed business group aligned to provide best-in-class support services to Stewart Title Co. and Stewart Title Guaranty Co. and their affiliates.

Forming the core of Stewart Professional Solutions are current Stewart home-office service centers and their associates, including: marketing and communications, technology infrastructure services, employee services, legal services, finance and accounting, and audit services.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica announces write-down

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. announced a noncash write-down of $21 million, or $13 million after taxes. The write-down is related to a probable loss of business from a customer.

Freemont General Corp., a tax and flood processing customer of LandAmerica, received a cease and desist order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. relating to lending practices in its mortgage origination business.

The $21 million charge will be reflected in LandAmerica's first-quarter earnings. The intangible assets after the write-down are expected to be $29 million, with $7 million relating to LandAmerica Tax and Flood Services.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

SigniaDocs' Mortgage Servicing Solution Backed by Real Estate-Focused Law Firm

SigniaDocs, Inc., a service provider of solutions for mortgage document preparation, guarantees compliance for all mortgage loan documents by partnering with an experienced real estate-focused law firm, Shanks Darby, P.C. The attorneys have close to 30 years of experience working with real estate regulations and the mortgage industry. The associates of Shanks Darby stay abreast of the latest laws and ordinances from the federal and state levels all the way down to local municipalities.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) Now Accepts PRBC Reports Through Credit Plus

PRBC (Pay Rent Build Credit) Reports, which are available through Credit Plus, Inc., a leader in the credit information industry since 1928, will be accepted by Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC), the primary subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corp. (NYSE: MTG - News) to automate approval and pricing decisions. MGIC is the first private mortgage insurance provider to make approvals based upon the PRBC Bill Payment Score (BPS).

Posted by S. Germain at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

Document Systems, Inc.'s DocMagic Delivers Free, Open-Source PCL Viewer

Document Systems, Inc. (DSI), a leading developer of mortgage technology for compliant loan document preparation and customer contact management, including DocMagic® and LoanMagic(TM), announced the release of OpenPCL, the industry's first free electronic document viewer capable of representing documents saved in Printer Control Language (PCL). The native language used to communicate with computer printers, PCL is widely used throughout the mortgage industry because it delivers the most accurate electronic representation of what the final document will look like on the printed page.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2007

Questys Solutions Releases Powerful, New Integration Module

Questys Solutions, the leader in providing comprehensive and affordable document management solutions to small/mid-sized businesses, is unveiling its newest product, Questys AppLink.

Questys AppLink "links" to many popular business applications, such as, QuickBooks, Peachtree Complete Accounting, Microsoft Great Plains, MAS 90, Goldmine, ACT!, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Small Business Accounting, and PeopleSoft, with a GUI designer to speed the integration and remove the complexity of programming.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

Reverse Mortgage Solutions opens in Spring

Reverse Mortgage Solutions Inc. has been formed to provide loan servicing and private-label subservicing technology and consulting for reverse mortgage products.

El Segundo, Calif.-based JAM Equity Partners LLC and its affiliates have made a $7 million investment in RMS. RMS said proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate entry into the reverse mortgage sector, including refinement of the RMS servicing technology platform, funding the company's infrastructure, sales and marketing and general working capital needs.

RMS' first product offering is the RM Navigator system, which handles unique reporting and cash distribution characteristics required in the servicing of reverse mortgages.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)

First Magnus Renews with Lender Support Systems, Inc.'s WebDocs

Lender Support Systems, Inc. (LSSI), a global provider of eMortgage enabled lending and loan servicing technology solutions, announced Tucson, Ariz.-based First Magnus Financial Corp., one of the nation's largest privately held mortgage companies, renewed its contract for the ninth consecutive year for use of LSSI's core document preparation technology.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2007

NewAlliance Bank Signs Merchant Processing Agreement with FIS

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. today announced a five-year agreement with NewAlliance Bank to provide a full array of merchant processing solutions.

With $8 billion in assets, NewAlliance is the sixth-largest bank headquartered in New England and the third-largest bank in Connecticut. FIS will provide transaction authorization capture, online debit, and associated services for new and existing merchants.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 1st Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF - News), a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services, will release 1st quarter 2007 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Wednesday, April 25, 2007. A conference call will follow on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through FNF's Investor Relations website at http://www.fnf.com. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial-in at 888-428- 4472(USA) or 612-332-0932(International). The conference call replay will be available via webcast through FNF's Investor Relations website at http://www.fnf.com. The telephone replay will be available from 1:30p.m. Eastern Time on April 26, 2007, through May 3, 2007, by dialing 800-475- 6701(USA) or 320-365-3844(International). The access code will be 869684.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces Dates for First Quarter 2007 Results & Conference Call

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: LFG - News), a leading provider of real estate transaction services, announces that it will release its preliminary operating results for the first quarter after the market closes on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Additionally, the Company will sponsor a conference call on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at 10:00 AM ET to discuss the preliminary results.

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-877-407-0782 and request to be connected to the LandAmerica conference. Additionally, the call will be simultaneously broadcast over the internet via LandAmerica's website (http://www.landam.com). Click Investor Information > Financial Information > Webcast events. Investors can also access the webcast at http://www.InvestorCalendar.com.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

Advantage Credit Becomes First in Nation to Offer CreditXpert Solution Suite in All Modes

CreditXpert Inc., a credit analysis and management solutions provider, and Advantage Credit, a credit reporting and loan origination services provider, today announced that Advantage Credit has officially become the first company in the nation to launch the entire CreditXpert® Solution Suite of products that runs in all modes.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

DPS eMortgage Studio(R) Supports eSigned PDFs

Document Processing Systems, Inc. announces today the immediate ability to fully sign, close, and register eNotes using the just-released MISMO® eSigned PDF Guidelines v1.0 and the draft MERS® eRegistry PDF Guidelines.

Using the DPS eMortgage Studio®, lenders and title companies now have a choice between using SMART Docs(TM) or Adobe's PDF file format for loan documentation being closed electronically. The PDF format is in many industries and businesses the de facto standard by which to preserve the exact look of a document in a device-independent manner. While also available using SMART Docs, lenders have become comfortable using PDF's inherent form fields, which provide such features as checkboxes and initials sections. That comfort level also extends to PDF's ease of document set-up and support of intelligent workflow management systems.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Austin Logistics Provides Risk Mitigation for Beleaguered Mortgage Lenders

Austin Logistics’ ActionSelect, based on predictive analytics and action decisioning, gives lenders the innovative tools they need to remain ahead of the risk curve.

Two of the key areas in which lenders can alleviate losses due to volatile market conditions are in risk and collections. The solution provides the ability to manage risk from early in the mortgage credit lifecycle through to collections, to help lenders reduce their back-end losses. Moreover, ActionSelect slashes operational time and cost of implementing risk strategies, giving lenders a more efficient, effective way to preempt losses.

ActionSelect for Risk and Collections Optimization shortens strategy design-to-deployment time using Action Analytics, Optimization and Simulation. Using ActionSelect, mortgage lenders can determine the best treatment for each account to achieve maximum impact, taking into consideration not only the account profile, but business objectives and resource constraints. It predicts the risk of default or delinquency plus profitability across many different treatment options, and then finds the best strategy to maximize ROI for a given business objective.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2007

Systemware and Fidelity National Information Services Announce Strategic Partnership

Systemware, Inc., the leading enterprise content management (ECM) company, and Fidelity National Information Services today announced a partnership agreement to integrate Systemware's world-class content management technology into FIS' extensive suite of banking applications. Together, the combined offering will provide FIS' worldwide banking clients an end-to-end, high-value solution for becoming paperless.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Transaction Solutions Optimizes SureClose(R) With ''Best of Breed'' Scanning Solution

SureClose, Stewart's online transaction management platform, provides a whole new level of service with the release of the SureScan integrated scanning solution, developed in partnership with innovative software provider, Certify Data Systems, Inc.

SureClose eliminates the hassle of paper-based closing documentation by integrating with SureScan - a simple, easy-to-use scanning solution created to streamline the entire list-to-close process. SureScan is a desktop scanning solution that can be loaded onto any PC connected to the Internet with a twain-compliant scanner. SureScan also has the option for a freestanding or wall-mounted touch-screen scanning kiosk to digitally process images and securely transmit documents to SureClose.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Strengthens eMortgage Platform with Electronic Vault Management System

Stewart announces the release of its complete electronic vault management system.

The Stewart electronic vault is designed to store, maintain and transfer original electronic loan documents. In conjunction with other Stewart solutions, the electronic vault expedites a full end-to-end eMortgage process.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

eGistics Introduces End-to-End Lending Process Management Solution

eGistics, Inc., today launched a hosted solution that image-enables the lending process from end-to-end. The solution streamlines the lending process from loan application to resale by using on-demand images, routing and workflow to significantly reduce the friction, time and cost of paper constrained processes.

Built on a hosted, archive-driven platform, eGistic's image-based solution enables work to be electronically distributed across an unlimited geographical area, and provides for concurrent document processing and access, with no investments in infrastructure or vendor-specific technology. Additionally, the eGistics infrastructure incorporates world-class security, unlimited storage capacity and very attractive per-image pricing.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

UBS Home Finance Approves DocuTech as Doc Provider

DocuTech Corp. announced that UBS, a global financial services firm serving a diverse client base, has made UBS-approved loan closing documents available to its correspondent through DocuTech.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

DocuTech and Xetus Form Strategic Alliance to Deliver Compliant, Accessible Mortgage Documents

DocuTech Corp., a leading provider of compliant mortgage documents and services, announced today a strategic alliance with Mountain View, Calif.-based Xetus Corp. The alliance integrates DocuTech's compliant documents with Xetus' collaborative loan operating system

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems Enhances VisiLoanReview Enterprise Resource Management System

Visionet Systems Inc. has announced the availability of its new Workflow Solution Templates for its VisiLoanReview product for correspondent purchases (automating bulk and flow purchase of loans), investor due diligence and QC/QA (Quality Control/Quality Assurance).

Visionet has designed VisiLoanReview in the Enterprise Supply Chain Management (ESCM) model for the mortgage industry by connecting different mortgage processes from loan origination to servicing while providing all the intermediate processing functions from a single portal.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Announces New, More Flexible Architecture for iNetAp

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS®) announced today that it has implemented an enhanced version of iNetAp®, the company's online application tool used in conjunction with FICS'loan origination system, Loan Producer®.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Lender Support Systems, Inc. Releases LSSIConnect

Lender Support Systems, Inc. announced the release of LSSIConnect, a single Internet connection point for ordering any LSSI product, service and specific third-party partner services sold through LSSI.

Products and services accessed through LSSIConnect include Docs3D, WebDocs, DocWin, LSSI E-Disclosure services, LSSI Flood certificates and access to ComplianceEase products.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

MRG Selected by Greenlight Financial to Provide Document Preparation Services

MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of document preparation services for the financial industry, announced at the MBA's National Technology in Mortgage Banking Conference and Expo, that Greenlight Financial, an Irvine, Calif. mortgage lender, has selected MRG to provide compliance documents, disclosures and closing document packages for its lending products.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx(R) HCL(SM) Scoring System Integrated Into Harland Financial Solutions' Interlinq(R) E3(R)

Interthinx®, the leading provider of comprehensive fraud prevention, regulatory compliance and risk mitigation tools for the mortgage industry, has successfully integrated its HCL-High Cost Loan Filter(SM) real-time automated compliance tool into Harland Financial Solutions' Interlinq® E3 enterprise mortgage lending solution. HCL now performs nearly a dozen loan-level compliance reviews and identifies high cost loan violations as defined by federal, state and local laws and investor guidelines. Harland Financial Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH - News).

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

New Technology from Mortgage Cadence Reduces Manual Labor and Aids Compliance

Mortgage Cadence announces the Mortgage Cadence Captivus(TM) Advanced document management application. As an enhancement to their already robust imaging platform, the Denver-based financial services vendor adds advanced document recognition, separation of documents and data capture to the Mortgage Cadence Captivus(TM) application.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Adobe and Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Team to Deliver Mortgages Electronically

Adobe Systems Incorporated and Wolters Kluwer Financial Services today announced an agreement to provide lenders with a new option for delivering mortgages electronically. With this agreement, the companies will work together to provide integration between Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Expere® Integrated Enterprise (IE) solution and Adobe® LiveCycle® interactive process management software.

The Expere IE solution serves as a central repository for the multitude of data comprising a mortgage institution's documents. When data is added, deleted, or changed in the repository, appropriate updates are automatically made to all of the documents--allowing an institution to use a single document library instead of multiple ones. Wolters Kluwer Financial Services plans to deliver its Expere IE content with support for PDF.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

Equifax Mortgage Solutions Continues Growth Path With New Acquisitions and Expanded Product Offering

Within the first quarter of 2007, Equifax Inc. has acquired two mortgage services providers, further positioning the company to expand its portfolio of mortgage solutions and settlement services for lenders of all sizes.

EMS first strengthened its market position this year when it acquired the mortgage credit reporting business of Memphis Consumer Credit Association, Inc. (MCC). Prior to the acquisition, EMS had a long-standing relationship with MCC, which enabled this credit agency to deliver mortgage credit services across the Southeast. The second strategic acquisition occurred in February, when Equifax integrated the services offerings of Credit Financial Services (CFS) into its EMS business. This 100-year old credit agency also utilized the Equifax credit engine to provide mortgage credit services across the Southeast.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose(TM) Announces Credit Insurance Markets as Latest Reseller Partner

FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data, Inc. (FLDI), an Austin, Texas-based provider of bundled mortgage settlement services, announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Credit Insurance Markets to offer the FirstClose platform and suite of products to existing and future Credit Insurance Markets customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

Origen Picks Thunderhead

Origen Financial, a national provider of manufactured housing loans, has picked the Thunderhead multichannel enterprise communication platform to automate, streamline, and control loan product documentation. A major consideration was the fact that the Thunderhead platform integrates with the IBM FileNet ECM Suite.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Archive Launches Aspen 360 LoanDepot

Archive Systems announced the introduction of LoanDepot as a collaborative service to manage content throughout the entire loan document life cycle. The offering is an extension of the services currently offered under the company's flagship service, Aspen 360. LoanDepot's collaborative services provide document imaging and workflow-enabled process automation to support loan origination, underwriting, post-closing and auditing, and loan servicing functions, Archive said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

DRI Launches Web Services Capability

Default management vendor DRI Management Systems, Newport Beach, California, has deployed a Web services portal for its flagship software, The Default Solution. Through this portal, The Default Solution now features additional connectivity to third party services providers via the Internet. The portal¹s secured hosted environment will allow current DRI clients the opportunity to request and receive specific information from their third party vendors right from within The Default Solution. The types of services incorporated into this Web portal offering are credit, appraisals, automated valuations, title reports, broker price opinions, flood certification and insurance, skip tracing, and second lien analysis.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

Lydian Adds Post-Closing and QC Services

Lydian Data Services, a provider of end-to-end outsourcing services for all aspects of the mortgage operation, is now offering post-closing quality control services to supplement the capabilities of InvestorExpress, its electronic loan delivery platform. With this combined service, Lydian Data Services is offering a solution that can extract data out of a loan origination system, move it seamlessly into post-closing and quality control services, and fulfill investor delivery on the back end as well.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

IBM to Process Mortgages

IBM is moving into the mortgage arena, putting systems from FileNet and Palisades Technology Partners--acquired by IBM in 2006--to work in processing mortgages. A new unit has been established to undertake tasks related to application processing, underwriting, document preparation and closings to help lenders adjust to a climate of weaker demand and higher defaults.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2007

Stewart Title Discontinues Business with Richmond Title in California

On March 14, 2007, the California Department of Insurance (CDOI) announced that it has issued a Cease and Desist Order to Richmond Title Services, L.P. (Richmond), Stewart Title Guaranty Co. (Stewart), and Electronic Closing Services Inc., a Stewart affiliate. The CDOI alleges that Richmond is not properly licensed under California law. Upon receipt of the CDOI's Cease and Desist Order, Stewart discontinued doing business with Richmond in California.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)

US Technology Launches Mortgage BPO Practice

US Technology, a leading provider of IT services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions for Global 2000 enterprises, today announced at the Gartner Outsourcing Summit the launch of their Mortgage BPO practice. The US Technology Mortgage BPO practice, which ranges from loan origination processing (or any portion thereof) to loan servicing, helps mortgage lenders and mortgage services providers significantly reduce their back office processing costs while improving processing efficiencies.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

FirstClose(TM) Announces Mortgage Service Solutions as Latest Reseller Partner

FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data, Inc. (FLDI), announced today that it has partnered with North Texas-based Mortgage Service Solutions.

Through FirstClose, Mortgage Service Solutions now has the ability to provide its customers with several vendor options when ordering credit reports, flood zone determinations, AVMs, insured AVMs, desktop appraisals, income verification, document preparation services, closing services, title reports, lien reports, title insurance, recording services, and more.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

VirPack Receives Patent

Vienna, Va.-based VirPack has been awarded a patent for its document management and imaging technology, MortgageWire has learned. "This certifies that the e-packaging and e-delivery technology pioneered by VirPack is truly unique and provides value to both the lender and investor," stated VirPack president and CEO Michael Coar. The VirPack e-package contains all data, documents, images and other files permitting a business to share loan and other files with their partners, allowing fully automated processing through a free downloadable browser.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

Origen Picks Thunderhead

Origen Financial, a national provider of manufactured housing loans, has picked the Thunderhead multichannel enterprise communication platform to automate, streamline, and control loan product documentation. A major consideration was the fact that the Thunderhead platform integrates with the IBM FileNet ECM Suite.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

Fidelity National Financial Expands Multicultural Marketing Program to San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties in California

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced the expansion of their Multicultural Marketing Program into San Joaquin and Sacramento counties in California. The program, led by the company's Multicultural Marketing Division, is a continuing effort by FNF to close the home-ownership gap for Latinos, Asians, and African-Americans.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions Acquires Realigent's Award Winning Broker and Agent Technologies

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions, a division of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., announced today that it has acquired the assets of Realigent, an Irvine, California-based technology company that provides software solutions for real estate professionals.

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES) will now own and offer Realigent's industry-leading rDesk(TM), CMA Deluxe, VantagePoint and SearchPoint, as well as HomeSeekers.com, Realigent's established consumer portal for locating properties and REALTORS.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Zaio To Acquire Realink Corporation

Zaio Corporation announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Realink Corporation. Realink operates two divisions that provide services to the appraisal and mortgage banking industries. The assets are valued at US$3.4 million. The transaction is expected to close, subject to receipt of all regulatory approvals including the TSX Venture Exchange, within the next 45 days.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

Ace Mortgage Funding Selects Lender Support Systems, Inc.'s Servicer3D

Lender Support Systems, Inc. (LSSI), a global provider of eMortgage enabled lending and loan servicing technology solutions, announced that Ace Mortgage Funding, LLC, an Indianapolis, Ind.-based independent mortgage banker that provides wholesale and retail lending, has selected LSSI's recently released Servicer3D software for servicing their mortgage loans.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

Old Republic Credit Services Complements Suite of CreditXpert(TM) Services

CreditXpert Inc., the leading credit analysis and management solutions provider, today announced that Old Republic Credit Services expanded its partnership with CreditXpert Inc. by upgrading to the full suite of CreditXpert® services.

CreditXpert will enable Old Republic Credit Services customers to close more loans by providing the most advanced, consumer-friendly credit management tools and content. CreditXpert products utilize proprietary technology based on advanced statistical techniques and analytical methods. They provide powerful new ways for lenders, brokers and credit service providers to attract, engage, and retain customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

Mortgage Cadence Announces Complete Reverse Mortgage Capabilities

Mortgage Cadence, a leading provider of enterprise lending solutions (ELS) for the mortgage industry, announces complete reverse mortgage capabilities for Lenders.

Mortgage Cadence's reverse mortgage technology was built upon a robust, native business rule management system (BRMS) incorporating automation features within the Mortgage Cadence Orchestrator(TM) application. The configurable workflow supports reverse mortgage process flows and requirements. Additionally, it provides Lenders with the ability to enter 1009s and HUD supplements, complete calculations for FHA HECMs and Fannie Mae Home Keeper(TM) products, as well as the ability to add additional customized calculations for custom products.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

VirPack Receives Patent

Vienna, Va.-based VirPack has been awarded a patent for its document management and imaging technology, MortgageWire has learned. "This certifies that the e-packaging and e-delivery technology pioneered by VirPack is truly unique and provides value to both the lender and investor," stated VirPack president and CEO Michael Coar. The VirPack e-package contains all data, documents, images and other files permitting a business to share loan and other files with their partners, allowing fully automated processing through a free downloadable browser. The patent number is 7,191,392, issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2007

Fidelity National Title Launches Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese Websites

Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, an underwriter for Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF - News), one of the nation's largest title insurance companies, today launched four websites in traditional Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese dedicated to providing consumers in these segments with instant, accessible information on real estate, escrow and title insurance to help better prepare them for buying a home.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial Report

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Information Services Financials

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

ICBA and Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Partner to Offer Community Banks 'One'

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced an expanded Preferred Service Provider relationship with Wolters Kluwer Financial Services which will offer ICBA member community banks the comprehensive ComplianceOne(TM) solution. ICBA made the announcement at the 2007 ICBA National Convention and Techworld in Honolulu.

A comprehensive solution that is capable of pulling together all aspects of a financial organization's major business lines, ComplianceOne gives community banks the tools they need to create complete loan, mortgage, deposit or IRA packages. ComplianceOne's enterprise-wide access to customer information allows community banks to open new accounts and complete transactions more quickly through a common database structure.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

Lender Lead Solutions Introduces STORM Technology for Reverse Mortgage Originators

Lender Lead Solutions, a comprehensive reverse mortgage services company, introduced the Specialized Technology for the Origination of Reverse Mortgages (STORM) application to automate the tasks of managing the sales and loan origination processes for reverse mortgage loans. All originators purchasing reverse mortgage leads and wholesale partners of Lender Lead Solutions have access to the Web-based application.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston Partners with DocuSign

Sean Nally, CIO of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston, has announced that the firm has partnered with DocuSign, the number one on-demand electronic signature service, allowing the firm’s clients to electronically sign documents, contracts, agreements and other records. The DocuSign on-demand infrastructure can handle thousands of transactions which will save agents and clients time by eliminating travel to sign documents, as well as eliminating the paper hassles of scanning, faxing and using overnight delivery for documents.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:49 AM | Comments (0)

Interthinx Expands Fraud Investigations Team to Train Government Agencies and Assist Major Lenders

Interthinx(TM), Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive fraud prevention, compliance and decision support tools for the mortgage industry, has significantly expanded the comprehensive services and manpower offered by its mortgage fraud Investigations Team in response to high customer demand and upward fraud trends.

To answer the industry's growing need for expert loan file review, Interthinx is offering broadened services to lenders including reviews that can be used to either verify or disprove information presented at the time of application to determine possible fraudulent activity. The reviews provide factual information to address concerns involving misrepresentations and to identify information that may have been undisclosed, misrepresented, or altered.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:46 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2007

Fidelity National Information Services Expands Offshore Outsourcing Presence in India

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. today announced that it has expanded its offshore presence in India through the acquisition of Second Foundation, Inc., a leading provider of offshore global information technology services. As a result of the acquisition, FIS' wholly-owned subsidiary, Fidelity Business Solutions India Private Limited now operates in Bangalore and Chandigarh, India.

Since 2003, FIS has offered the cost and productivity advantages of a global delivery model to its clients, including software application development and maintenance, as well as business process outsourcing services through more than 2,000 India -- and Philippines -- based staff contracted through strategic partners. As a result of the acquisition, FIS has expanded its captive offshore global delivery staff by more than 600 personnel and broadened its service offerings, with plans for future growth both in personnel and services.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

Amstar Financial Announces Affiliation With Amsure Title

Amstar Financial Holdings, Inc. announces the next step in financial growth with an investment in preferred stock of Amsure Title, Inc.

Amsure Title recently announced a partnership with Fidelity National Title Insurance Company to underwrite Amsure Title's title insurance. Amsure Title now offers services in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title of Wisconsin has acquired Title One of Waupaca

Stewart Title of Wisconsin Inc. has acquired Title One of Waupaca, with branches in Wautoma, New London and Shawano in east central Wisconsin. The offices will become part of Stewart Accurate Title, a division of Stewart Title of Wisconsin.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Executive Title Insurance Services, a Stewart Title Affiliate, Acquires Hardee County Title and Abstract Co.

Executive Title Insurance Services Inc. has acquired Hardee County Title and Abstract Co. of Wauchula, Fla., from owner Margaret C. Bennett, who has retired.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Everybody Wants 'One' Says Wolters Kluwer Financial Services

At next week's Independent Community Bankers of America's Convention & Techworld, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services will introduce financial organizations to ComplianceOne(TM) -- a comprehensive new solution capable of integrating and uniting all of an organization's major business lines, including lending, deposit, mortgage and IRA, as well as administrative functions on a single delivery platform.

ComplianceOne gives community and regional banks and credit unions all the tools needed to create a complete loan, mortgage, deposit or IRA package from a compliance, work flow and data perspective.

Posted by S. Germain at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2007

Launching Expense-Reducing Technology

Fidelity National Information Services launched FIS Desktop -- an enterprise workflow, document and expense management offering -- at the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo. FIS Desktop provides mortgage lenders, servicers and investors with technology to manage the post-origination loan cycle from loan acquisition and boarding through loss mitigation and real estate-owned property disposition.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title Makes Deposit with Legacy Bank of Milwaukee to Promote Homeownership

Stewart Title, a leading real estate information and transaction management company, has made a sizable deposit with Legacy Bank of Milwaukee. Legacy Bank, founded by three African-American women in 1999, is a part of Legacy Bancorp Inc.

The deposit will provide an opportunity for Legacy Bank to help minorities achieve the American dream of homeownership and commercial development.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces Additional Common Stock Repurchase Program and Quarterly Dividend

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: LFG - News), a leading provider of real estate transaction services, announces that its Board of Directors has approved a program to purchase up to 1,500,000 shares between now and the end of October 2008, or approximately 8.5% of its fully diluted outstanding shares as of December 31, 2006.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2006 Results

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: LFG - News), a leading provider of real estate transaction services, announces preliminary operating results for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2006.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

DPS Revamps Industry and Delivers Paperless eMortgages With Oracle(R) 10g Software

Document Processing Systems, Inc. (DPS), a pioneer in the electronic mortgage processing industry, is using Oracle(R) Database 10g for its DPS eMortgage Studio(TM), the company's new paperless, electronic mortgage document management system. Running a Linux platform, DPS provides its customers with the ability to electronically create, execute, register and store all mortgage settlement documents -- greatly improving efficiencies, delivering enhanced quality control, and ensuring that each mortgage closing is accurate and complete.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Lender Support Systems, Inc. Launches Servicer3D

Lender Support Systems, Inc. (LSSI), a global provider of eMortgage enabled lending and loan servicing technology solutions, announced the release of Servicer3D, LSSI's next generation of loan accounting software that replaces the company's LoanBase Servicer application. Servicer3D provides users with improved searching, sorting and querying abilities that simplify the way loan information is accessed for mission-critical applications.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Announces Option ARM Servicing Capabilities with Mortgage Servicer

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. announced today at the Mortgage Banker's Association National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo that users of its Mortgage Servicer solution now have the capability to easily service Option ARM loans. This type of adjustable rate mortgage loan enables borrowers to manage monthly cash flow by having the flexibility of making one of several possible monthly payments on their loan.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

Home Values Falling, Consumers Going Online for Property Appraisals

Electronic Appraiser (EA), the most accurate source* of property valuation information available to consumers online, reported today that traffic to its ElectronicAppraiser.com website is surging as reports proliferate that property values across the country are continuing to fall. EA is the industry's leading provider of automated valuation model (AVM) reports to consumers each month through its website.

MSN Money called the service the most accurate of its kind in a 2006 report.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

Visionet Systems' VisiRelease Processed More Than One Million Lien Releases and Recordings in 2006

Visionet Systems has reported that its lien release, reconveyance and mortgage recording platform, VisiRelease (the lien release and recording platform of choice at four of the top ten loan servicers along with three outsourcing service providers), processed 12 percent of all lien releases in 2006. This milestone was reached just 24 months after the initial launch of VisiRelease.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

Integra Software Systems Offers Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' SDX Secure Document Exchange to Its Customers

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Integra Software Systems, LLC today announced that Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' SDX Secure Document Exchange now seamlessly integrates with Integra's Destiny Loan Origination system (LOS). Integra's clients can use SDX to electronically and securely deliver both upfront disclosures directly to consumers and loan packages to the closing table from Integra's Destiny LOS.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Sub Buys Desert Docs

A U.S. subsidiary of the Amsterdam-based Wolters Kluwer has purchased Desert Document Services Inc., an origination technology provider based in Tempe, Ariz. Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, Minneapolis, has hired DDS chief executive officer Ruth Thompson and DDS chief operating officer Joe LaBonty as senior principal and director of operations, respectively, for its line of business serving wholesale and correspondent mortgage originator clients. Wolters Kluwer said it also plans to use DDS's Tempe office for that business line's home base and make it a complement to its Troy, Mich.-based VMP product line serving the retail mortgage industry. In addition, DDS's back-end document technology applications will complement Wolters Kluwer's VMP X4 front-end document preparation platform from its previous acquisition of Entyre, according to Wolters Kluwer.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2007

Stewart Reports Earnings for 2006

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC - News) today reported the results of its operations for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2006.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Title of Pinellas, Fla., Acquires Title First in St. Petersburg

Stewart Title of Pinellas has acquired Title First Inc. in St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Stewart Title Co. has acquired Gulf Coast Title Co. LLC in Brooksville, Fla.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

The PPF Network has Launched the Pay Per Closed Loan Mortgage Lead

PPF has launched the new pay per mortgage closing network. The new Mortgage Lead System Lets Loan Officers Pay Per Closed Loan instead of paying for each mortgage lead. Many loan officers spend thosands of dollars on useless mortgage leads. PPF is trying to take the risk away with the new PayPerFunding.com web system.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

FICS Enhances Credit Bureau Request Functionality in Loan Producer System

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS), a mortgage technology specialist that provides in-house residential origination and servicing technology and commercial servicing technology to the mortgage industry, announced that it has implemented enhanced credit bureau request functionality into its mortgage loan origination system, Loan Producer®. This interface enables customers to order a credit report directly from within the Loan Producer system, view the credit report, and import the liabilities back into the system through the use of a single platform.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

EquityDepot and Intelligent Document Systems form Partnership

Equity Depot.NET and Intelligent Document Systems today announced a partnership agreement. Under the terms of the partnership, Equity Depot will provide data services for Intelligent Document Systems through use of their Intelligent Document Vault Technology for Public and Private organizations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Outsourcing Benefits Made Accessible to Mid-Market Lenders NDS Infoserv & TPG The Performance Group

NDS InfoServ (NDS) a global provider of IT and BPO services has teamed with TPG The Performance Group ® (TPG), a management consulting firm, specialists in the mortgage banking industry, to enable mid-sized mortgage lenders to adopt business process outsourcing (BPO) services that are affordable, rapidly implemented, and proven to enhance competitive advantage.

The NDS/TPG services include processing, pre-funding audit as well as definitive post-closing document management, audit and control functions. By adopting the NDS/TPG services, companies not only convert traditionally fixed costs into a variable cost model, but also save on labor costs and, because work is performed and quality is measured under strict service level agreements, the hidden costs of poor quality can be eliminated. Because work can be performed in parallel with lender operations and overnight, companies achieve gains in productivity and speed in delivering results to borrowers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

DepotPoint Product to Detect Risky Loans Early On

DepotPoint's new TrackPoint Lien Monitoring Alert Service has the ability to speed up the risk management process by automatically monitoring all lien foreclosures, tax defaults, bankruptcy filings, and other substandard classifications that pose a risk to lenders.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2007

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Advanced Total Imaging, Inc.

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced the acquisition of Advanced Total Imaging, Inc. ("ATI"), a document management company.

ATI offers software applications, custom designed workflow solutions and project management expertise as well as document conversion services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions Announces Acquisition of Go Apply

Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Go Apply.

Go Apply, founded in 2002, is a provider of on-line mortgage loan leads to lenders and brokers. Its customers include nearly 30 mortgage lenders and more than 2,500 mortgage brokers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter 2006 EPS of $0.34; Pro Forma EPS of $0.42

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF - News), a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services, today reported operating results for the three-month and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2006. FNF's reported earnings include the financial results of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. ("FIS"), the former majority-owned subsidiary of FNF, through October 23, 2006, and also include all transaction costs related to the reorganization completed in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Read the entire story here.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

Stewart Transaction Solutions Strengthens End-to-End Electronic Real Estate Transaction with Majority Investment

Stewart Transaction Solutions, Inc. announced today it has made a majority investment in Reveal Systems, Inc., a leading forms provider for the real estate industry. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Expands Commercial Real Estate Valuation Capabilities With Butler Burgher Acquisition

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces through its LandAmerica Valuation Corporation (LVC) subsidiary the acquisition of Butler Burgher, Inc., a commercial real estate valuation company based in Dallas, Texas.

The Butler Burgher purchase is the latest move in LVC's targeted growth strategy. With this acquisition, LVC gains greater geographic coverage, significant customer relationships in new market niches, and a strong management team joining forces with LVC's current leadership, which is well- respected inside the industry.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

Kroll Factual Data Releases State-of-the-Art Borrower Risk Assessment Tool

Kroll Factual Data, a subsidiary of Kroll Inc. and a leading provider of customized mortgage services, today announced an expansion of its suite of risk assessment services with the release of FactualID. A cutting-edge risk assessment engine, FactualID evaluates identity risk, occupancy risk, strawbuyer risk, and also searches the OFAC, Palestinian Legislative Council (NS - PLC), and other exclusionary lists.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

Advectis Secures Patent for Mortgage Document Sharing and Collaboration Methods

Advectis®, Inc., provider of the most widely-used solution for electronic mortgage document collaboration, announced it was issued US Patent No. 7,146,367 for a Document Management System and Method on Dec. 5, 2006. The patent broadly protects Advectis' BlitzDocs® technology, with respect to the collecting, organizing, retrieving, viewing and storing of imaged mortgage loan documents within a shared electronic loan folder that can be accessed by multiple parties, including brokers, lenders, MI companies, investors and other service providers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

DepotPoint Unveils Foreclosure 'Knowledgebase'

To help attorneys handle a mounting volume of foreclosed properties amid the tangle of state regulations, Bellevue, Wash.-based DepotPoint has introduced "the mortgage industry's first fully integrated intelligent foreclosure regulatory knowledgebase." Leveraging an automatic document-processing system embedded directly into the TrackPoint suite, this newest enhancement is designed to help attorneys remain in compliance with state foreclosure laws and manage processing foreclosure property files more efficiently, DepotPoint said. TrackPoint receives regular electronic communications from each jurisdiction detailing any changes to regulatory guidelines and updates the knowledgebase to reflect these modifications.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

February 02, 2007

Fidelity National Information Services Announces Tax Processing Agreement with EMC Mortgage Corporation

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. today announced that EMC Mortgage Corporation (EMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. (NYSE: BSC - News), has signed a multiyear contract to outsource its tax processing to Fidelity National Tax Services, Inc. (FNTS), an FIS-affiliated service entity.

FIS provides a wide range of real estate tax services and data to mortgage lenders and servicers nationwide, through in-source and outsource solutions. Specifically, FIS' automated escrow reporting and payment system enables all escrowed taxes to be reported and paid on a timely basis without penalty or loss of discount. Additionally, FIS' comprehensive delinquency management program helps mitigate the loss of properties to tax sale and accommodates the diverse tax requirements of multiple geographic locations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Announces Dates for Fourth Quarter & Year-End 2006 Results & Conference Call

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces that it will release its preliminary operating results for the fourth quarter and year-end 2006 after the market closes on Wednesday, February 21, 2007. Additionally, the company will sponsor a conference call on Thursday, February 22, 2007, at 10:00 AM ET to discuss the preliminary results.

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-877-407-0782 and request to be connected to the LandAmerica conference. Additionally, the call will be simultaneously broadcast over the internet via LandAmerica's website (http://www.landam.com). Click Investor Information > Financial Information > Webcast events. Investors can also access the webcast at http://www.InvestorCalendar.com. The event will be archived and available for replay starting two hours after the completion of the live call through March 31, 2007.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

SigniaDocs Releases Innovative Mortgage Servicing Solution

SigniaDocs, Inc., a service provider of compliance technology and solutions for mortgage document preparation, announced the release of its fourth-generation document preparation system, Signet Direct. The product of more than three years of research and development, Signet Direct provides an innovative way to process all loan data at the origination stage, and then view, print and deliver documents in a digital format. The company assures reliability and offers guaranteed compliance.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

Five Star Bank Outsources End-to-End Insurance Tracking Operations to Loan Protector

Loan Protector Insurance Services, a leading provider of customizable lender-placed insurance programs for lenders and mortgage servicers announced Warsaw, N.Y.-based Five Star Bank is successfully using EasyTrack® and EasyPlace® to automate its insurance tracking operations. The bank began outsourcing the process to Loan Protector in early October 2006.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

Clayton Holdings Launches New Fraud Risk Management Services

Clayton Holdings (NASDAQ:CLAY - News), a provider of information-based analytics, outsourcing and consulting solutions to leading capital markets firms, fixed income investors and loan servicers, today announced a new suite of fraud detection services designed to protect conduits, Wall Street issuers and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) bond and residual holders from losses due to origination fraud and breaches of representations and warranties.

The new services draw upon Clayton's extensive due diligence and credit risk surveillance experience, and leverage the information contained in Clayton's database of more than $1 trillion in subprime and Alt-A loans.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

Information Capture Solution: Flagstar Bank Expands Kofax Solution With New Document Separation Technology

Kofax (LSE:DCM), the world's largest information capture vendor, today announced that Flagstar Bank (NYSE:FBC), one of the nation’s leading originators of residential mortgage loans, has expanded its current Kofax information capture solution to include the Kofax INDICIUS 5.0 suite. With the newly integrated automatic document separation technology, Flagstar Bank will be able to further increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with processing the hundreds of thousands of mortgage and loan documents the bank receives on a weekly basis from its national network of home loan offices and wholesale lending customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' SDX Secure Document Exchange Joins Dynatek's Plug-In Partner Network

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Dynatek today announced that Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' SDX Secure Document Exchange will seamlessly integrate with Dynatek's MORvision mortgage software through the company's Plug-In-Partner Network.

The partnership is a collaborative effort by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and Dynatek to help Dynatek customers address the growing concerns of data privacy and identity theft.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)

Clayton Unveils Fraud Detection Services

Clayton Holdings, Shelton, Conn., has announced the introduction of fraud detection services designed to protect conduits, Wall Street issuers, and holders of mortgage-backed securities from losses due to origination fraud and breaches of representations and warranties. Clayton said the new services draw upon its "extensive" due diligence and credit risk surveillance experience. They include: high-risk loan identification; expanded fraud reviews; put-back reviews; and trend analysis. "We're drawing on the breadth and depth of our data, experience, and technology to spot issues prior to securitization, and we have the analytics and surveillance tools to identify exceptions that, when cured, enhance bond performance," said Keith Johnson, Clayton's president and chief operating officer.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2007

Fidelity National Financial Expands Cultural Competency Program Throughout California

In response to the dramatic population growth among Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans in California, Fidelity National Financial today announced plans to expand the company's Cultural Competency Training Program throughout the state of California. The training program enables employees to better understand key demographics and traits of multicultural communities and to improve communications skills with multicultural customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

With Acquisition, Stewart Transaction Solutions Enters the Business of Online Forms for Residential Real Estate Professionals

Stewart Transaction Solutions, Inc. announced today its acquisition of Formulator and key product, WebForms from Realigent. Stewart acquired Formulator on Jan. 4, 2007.

Formulator is an innovative online forms provider in the real estate industry. Introduced in 1992, the forms product has evolved from a DOS-based application, to Windows®, and over the past 15 years has matured to the current online Web-based format, WebForms.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

LandAmerica Selected to Provide Closing Services for Trump Ocean Resort Luxury Development in North Baja, Mexico

LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. announces its participation in the Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico development. The three-tower, 526-unit hotel-condominium luxury resort is located 30 minutes from downtown San Diego in North Baja, Mexico.

LandAmerica will serve as escrow agent, manage the escrow process, and issue title insurance policies on the condominium units or "out-sales" on behalf of the resort's developers, the Trump Organization of New York and Irongate, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and investment company.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. Selects Quantrix Modeler as Data Modeling Engine for iMAP Risk Analysis Platform

Quantrix today announces that Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. has implemented Quantrix Modeler as the core data modeling engine for its market risk analysis platform, iMAP. With $22 billion in assets covering 323 metropolitan areas in all fifty states, Impac is among the largest companies active in non-conforming residential mortgage loans in the United States. iMAP is a decision-support system that models and presents key risk indices in multiple dimensions to provide executive management, mortgage brokers, underwriters, and lenders with a comprehensive analysis of state and metro markets. Users simply enter a zip code and are presented with comprehensive credit risk analysis for each particular mortgage.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

Advectis' BlitzDocs Solutions Doubles Loan Volume During 2006

Advectis®, Inc., provider of the most widely-used solution for electronic mortgage document collaboration, more than doubled the volume of loans processed or delivered through its collaborative document network in 2006. The company, which has grown its employee base by more than 83 percent in 2006, also grew revenue by more than 100 percent.

Advectis' overall volume of 2006 loans in the BlitzDocs network increased 226 percent from 2005. Advectis also increased its customer base by 45 percent during 2006. By the end of 2006, BlitzDocs users benefit from a network of more than 20,000 broker shops, the top seven mortgage insurance companies and three of the top due diligence providers, and investor participants that represent more than 60 percent of loans purchased in the secondary market.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

BasePoint Releases FraudMark(TM) for Investment Banking

BasePoint Analytics, a leading provider of scientific fraud analytics and consulting services, today announced the availability of FraudMark(TM) for Investment Banking, a statistical pattern recognition software product designed to assess mortgage fraud risk. FraudMark uses sophisticated analytic scoring technology to identify suspicious mortgage loans, enabling investment banks and due diligence firms to score and identify each loan's fraud risk before it is purchased, during the bid tape selection or due diligence review process. FraudMark for Investment Banking was developed in response to investment bank and due diligence provider demand for more sophisticated, analytics-based solutions to help curtail the growing multi-billion dollar mortgage fraud problem.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

Loan Protector Launches First EasyTrack(R) Upgrade of 2007

Loan Protector Insurance Services, a leading independent provider of customizable lender-placed insurance programs for lenders and mortgage servicers, has enhanced several features of EasyTrack to improve overall functionality. This is the first of six updates scheduled for 2007.

This system enhancement features an upgraded database platform that has dramatically increased processing speed and improved performance. As a result, clients will realize faster processing of insurance data, saving time and gaining efficiencies in the process.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

LSSI and Portellus Form Strategic Alliance

Lender Support Systems Inc. (LSSI), a global provider of lending and loan servicing technology solutions, and Portellus Inc., a software solution provider for the mortgage and insurance industries, have announced a strategic alliance and successful systems interface.

The alliance joins Portellus' origination platform, with LSSI's mortgage closing, servicing and imaging technologies, fully automating the ordering of loan closing documents. The seamless interface compiles loan data from Portellus and directly links with LSSI, enabling users to increase efficiencies in loan processing through the use of a single system. When users of Portellus' origination platform request loan closing documents through the automated interface, the information is transferred to LSSI and the document packages are completed and returned to the user.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2007

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. Announces 4th Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF - News), a leading provider of title insurance, specialty insurance and claims management services, will release 4th quarter 2006 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Monday, February 5, 2007. A conference call will follow on Tuesday, February 6, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial-in at 800-230-1085 (USA) or 612-332-0228 (International). The conference call replay will be available via webcast through FNF's Investor Relations website at www.fnf.com. The telephone replay will be available from 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on February 6, 2007, through February 13, 2007, by dialing 800-475-6701 (USA) or 320-365-3844 (International). The access code will be 859634.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

Flagstar Bank Expands Kofax Solution with New Document Separation Technology

Kofax (LSE:DCM - News), the world's largest information capture vendor, today announced that Flagstar Bank (NYSE:FBC - News), one of the nation's leading originators of residential mortgage loans, has expanded its current Kofax information capture solution to include the Kofax INDICIUS 5.0 suite. With the newly integrated automatic document separation technology, Flagstar Bank will be able to further increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with processing the hundreds of thousands of mortgage and loan documents the bank receives on a weekly basis from its national network of home loan offices and wholesale lending customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Acquires Banconsumer Service, Inc.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, part of the Wolters Kluwer Corporate & Financial Services division, today announced an agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of Banconsumer Service, Inc. (BANCO), a leading provider of regulatory compliance-related documentation solutions in the Northeastern region of the United States. BANCO's main offerings include pre-printed and electronic forms for the indirect lending market, as well as for the mortgage and home equity markets.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Edeus now one of MDA's top ten valuation solution users in UK

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA - News), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that its UK subsidiary xit2 is providing Edeus Mortgage Creators Limited with its property valuation management solution. Edeus, owned in part by Merrill Lynch, entered the UK lending market in late 2006 and has already grown to become one of MDA's top ten valuation solution users.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

PropertyInfo Corporation Acquires Advanced Title Search (ATS)

PropertyInfo Corp. has announced the acquisition of a proprietary title search application, Advanced Title Search (ATS), from CST Title Abstractors, LLC. The application provides efficiently managed title searches from a broader variety of data sources, both public and private. Offered by PropertyInfo, ATS will offer title agents a Web-based automated search tool that:

creates a consolidated property Title Search Report (TSR) from various public and private databases
applies rules-based search analysis technology
delivers an electronic title search package to the title professional

Posted by S. Germain at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Ace Mortgage Funding Implements Lender Support System's DocWin

Lender Support Systems, Inc. (LSSI), a global provider of lending and loan servicing technology solutions, announced the implementation of LSSI's mortgage document preparation technology, DocWin, by Ace Mortgage Funding, LLC, an Indianapolis, Ind.-based independent mortgage banker that provides wholesale and retail lending.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Free Anti-Fraud Tool, Anyone?

Informative Research, Garden Grove, Calif., has announced launch of a free fraud prevention tool, Credit Score Verifier, that offers to reduce mortgage lender risk and loan fallout. The company said the proprietary Web-based utility was developed to enable a lender to verify credit scores reported by any of the repositories before undertaking the time and expense of underwriting the file or ordering a backup credit report. The tool addresses the risk associated with the increasing popularity of nontraditional loan types that allow for no documentation and stated incomes, where fraud is always a major consideration, according to an Informative Research spokeswoman. The enhanced tool, formerly called Credit Score Validator, provides a way to assure a lender that a paper copy of a credit report has not been altered, Informative Research said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2007

DigitalGlobe Acquires GlobeXplorer

DigitalGlobe®, provider of the world's highest resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products, today announced the acquisition of GlobeXplorer®, a leading geographic data integration and publishing company, from Stewart REI Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Stewart Information Services Corp. (NYSE: STC - News).

The combination of DigitalGlobe and GlobeXplorer creates the industry's most complete, most current provider of high resolution digital Earth imagery and products. Together, DigitalGlobe's industry-leading archive and high-resolution, high-capacity satellite and GlobeXplorer's effective Web-based search and delivery applications create the commercial remote sensing (CRS) industry's most extensive, complete and easy-to-use solution for acquiring, integrating and distributing all types of high-quality digital Earth imagery and data.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

CoreLogic Announces Significant Enhancements to Cascading AVM Solution

CoreLogic, the leading provider of mortgage risk assessment and fraud prevention solutions, announced significant enhancements to its cascading Automated Valuation Model (AVM) solution, AVMSelect(TM), that delivers increased hit rates and valuation accuracy within its standard system while enabling cascade customization at a greater level of detail where needed. These enhancements reinforce AVMSelect's leadership position in providing highly reliable automated valuations.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Gallagher Financial Systems and IntraPrise Solutions, Inc. Form Mutual Alliance

Gallagher Financial Systems, Inc. (GFS), a leader in enterprise Loan Origination System technology, and IntraPrise Solutions, Inc. (ISI), a premier software solutions managed services and software products provider, have formed an alliance to use Merit Matrix Connect (MMC) to create a unique tightly integrated interface. Merit Matrix, a loan product eligibility information outsourcing service, is ISI's flagship product. MMC integrates the investor lending guide information compiled by Merit Matrix with the workflow/pipeline management technology of GFS to offer a fully automated system to their mutual customers.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Lending Solutions Inc. Partners with MortgageClick(R)

Lending Solutions Inc., a provider of lending center services and consulting programs for financial institutions across North America, has allied with Woburn, Mass.-based MortgageClick, a network of credit unions sharing Web-based mortgage origination technology.

The partnership with Lending Solutions will enable MortgageClick to offer its credit union customers origination, processing and closing services nationwide, including access to the National Loan Processing Center, which offers 24/7 online loan processing and collections services.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

CoVantage Credit Union Brings Mortgage Servicing Operations In-House with FICS

Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS), a mortgage technology specialist that provides in-house residential origination and servicing technology and commercial servicing technology to the mortgage industry, announced today that Antigo, Wis-based CoVantage Credit Union, a non-profit financial cooperative that is presently one of the most secure financial institutions in Wisconsin, is successfully utilizing FICS' residential mortgage loan servicing solutions.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

Radar Logic Launches as Data Biz

Radar Logic Inc., New York, has announced its launch as a technology-driven analytic and data business (whose first products relate to residential real estate) that has merged with Ventana Systems Inc., Harvard, Mass. Radar Logic said the two companies have developed proprietary mathematical tools and algorithms that extract statistical information from public source data relating to residential real estate transactions. This information will be used to maintain indices representing daily cash market-equivalent prices for various categories of real estate in different metropolitan statistical areas, Radar Logic said.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

Radian Reports Exec Change, Aussie Expansion

Radian Group Inc., a Philadelphia-based mortgage insurer, has announced a change in the leadership of its international mortgage business and an expansion into the Australian market. Radian said Roy Kasmar will step down as head of its international mortgage business on April 1, but will remain as an adviser through the end of the year. S.A. Ibrahim, Radian's chief executive officer, will assume primary responsibility for strengthening the company's international business, while Jeff Cashmer, senior vice president of the international mortgage business, will continue to direct day-to-day operations, Radian said. The company also reported that it had formed Radian Australia Ltd. late last year, and that managing director Andrew Morgan has relocated from London to Sydney and will be responsible for business development in Australia.

Posted by S. Germain at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

Credit Plus, Premier Mortgage Join Forces

Credit Plus Inc., Salisbury, Md., has been named a preferred credit vendor by Premier Mortgage Funding Inc., a national lender with 700 branch offices throughout the U.S. Through the partnership, Premier Mortgage Funding’s affiliate branches will use Credit Plus for credit reports to support its mortgage lending business.

Credit Plus also announced that it is offering PRBC Reports to mortgage professionals. PRBC is a national consumer reporting agency that allows consumers and small business owners to build their credit through timely payments of rent and other recurring bills.

Posted by S. Germain at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

January 05, 2007

Stewart Title Acquires Bo