Category Archives: Finance

FormFree announces Former JPMorgan Chase Division CEO Kevin Watters joins its Board of Directors

ATHENS, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- FormFree® today welcomed Kevin Watters to its board of directors. Watters is a payments, mortgage lending and business banking leader known for his ability to successfully and rapidly scale financial services businesses through operational and technology transformation.

Watters was a pioneer in the branchless banking space, serving as chief marketing officer of Wingspan (a Bank One subsidiary) and president of Bank One's corporate internet group until its acquisition by JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM). Watters served in multiple senior executive positions during his 18-year tenure at JPMorgan Chase, including five years as president of the investment bank's internet group and five years as CEO of its business banking division. Subsequently, he served as CEO of mortgage banking, where he played a critical role in restoring profitability to the division after the financial crisis. In his final year at the company, Watters was named CEO of Chase card services, which encompasses Chase's consumer, small business and commercial lines of business.

Since retiring from JPMorgan Chase, Watters has taken on roles as an advisor and educator. In 2019, Watters began teaching finance as an adjunct professor at Tulane University. In 2020, Watters joined Lightyear Capital, a New York-based private equity firm focused on financial services, as senior advisor to Fund V, which focuses on digitalization in the financial sector and payments technologies. In March 2021, Watters was tapped by Boston Consulting Group as a senior advisor.

"FormFree's vision for putting consumers in control of their Financial DNA, evangelized by founder Brent Chandler and brought to life by a dedicated team of innovators, is compelling and timely. I am very pleased to help shape FormFree's trajectory as a member of its board of directors," said Watters. "My experience helping financial services businesses scale will be valuable to FormFree as it continues bringing to market innovative technologies that foster a more inclusive financial sector."

"Kevin's deep knowledge of the payments, lending and banking sectors will be a boon to FormFree as we create cutting-edge solutions that promote consumer accessibility to financial services without increasing lender risk," said FormFree Founder and CEO Brent Chandler. "We are proud to count Kevin as an advisor and welcome him to our board."

About FormFree

FormFree® is a market-leading fintech company whose revolutionary products AccountChek® and Passport® make for a more inclusive credit decisioning landscape by enabling lenders to understand people's true ability to pay (ATP®). To date, thousands of U.S. lenders and brokers have ordered millions of FormFree's patented verification reports representing trillions of dollars in loan verifications.

FormFree delights borrowers and lenders with a paperless experience, dramatically reduces origination timelines and offers automated analysis and standardized delivery to lenders and investors using a secure ReIssueKey®.

For more information, visit https://www.formfree.com/ or follow FormFree on LinkedIn.

Twitter: @RealFormFree #mortgageindustry #fintech #financialinclusion #peoplemovers

FormFree® today welcomed Kevin Watters to its board of directors. Watters is a payments, mortgage lending and business banking leader known for his ability to successfully and rapidly scale financial services businesses through operational and technology transformation.

Related link: https://www.formfree.com/

MCT Introduces BAM Marketplace, the First Truly Open Mortgage Loan Exchange

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), a leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced the public introduction of BAM Marketplace™. Originally launched to support existing MCT sellers during the 2020 pandemic liquidity crisis, BAM Marketplace now welcomes new buyers and sellers as the world's first truly open loan exchange between unapproved counterparties.

In the early days of the pandemic, investors bought fewer loans and sellers ran into liquidity issues, especially for specific loan characteristics such as low-FICO government. BAM Marketplace connected distressed sellers with would-be buyers, particularly agency-approved lenders within the MCT client base, some without previous correspondent investing experience. The ability to transact with unapproved counterparties, combined with API-driven automated live pricing, allowed these new buyers to provide a top-tier correspondent experience and quickly build a base of sellers. Today, BAM Marketplace provides quantifiable benefits to lenders of every size for loans of every type.

Sellers benefit by reducing liquidity constraints, growing investor outlets, and increasing loan sale profitability. MCT clients have noted materially improved execution across all loan types. The average spread to cover bids on BAM Marketplace is thirty-two basis points, with that spread extending to forty-six basis points for government production and eighty-nine basis points for low-FICO government loans. Sellers are also finding new outlets for non-owner occupied and second home loans - a key focus area given the new agency limits on such production.

"Gone are the days of a finite set of approved investors, not knowing who has an axe, and incomplete information on who may offer the best price. BAM Marketplace targets systemic issues of limited liquidity and slow turn times for pricing and also helps minimize a lender's exposure to crises and regulatory changes," said Curtis Richins, President at MCT. "It's the only loan exchange where sellers can receive executable bids from unapproved buyers. Through our patent-pending 'security spread commitment', MCT firmly holds its position as the gold standard in best execution and moves one step closer to the ultimate goal - when every loan can be priced by every investor."

Buyers benefit from BAM Marketplace through efficient access to the industry's largest community of sellers and the ability to bid on loans offered by unapproved lenders. Agency-approved lenders can now find unique buying opportunities, even without the prior experience or cost calculations typically associated with launching a correspondent lending channel. MCT's AutoBidTM bid tape pricing solution supports every BAM Marketplace buyer, allowing them to provide automated, algorithm-based live pricing that can be fine-tuned to each seller and loan characteristic.

"By extending the Bid Auction Manager (BAM®) platform, MCT has unlocked additional liquidity and created a turn-key, digital purchasing solution," said Phil Rasori, Chief Operating Officer, MCT. "Proprietary, patent-pending functionality enables immediate access to 'biddable' loan collateral offered by MCT's client base-the largest in the industry."

For MCT clients, BAM Marketplace is part of our core offering with no additional cost or set-up required. It is also available as a stand-alone platform for non-clients.

On June 10, two of MCT's key innovators, Phil Rasori and Justin Grant, will provide a demonstration of the platform and details on the new security spread commitment type. Registration for the webinar is required and easily completed by visiting the BAM Marketplace Industry Webinar registration page: https://mct-trading.com/mct-webinar-introducing-bam-marketplace/.

About MCT:

Founded in 2001, Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT) has grown from a boutique mortgage pipeline hedging firm into the industry's leading provider of fully integrated capital markets services and technology. MCT offers an array of best-in-class services and software covering mortgage pipeline hedging, best execution loan sales, outsourced lock desk solutions, MSR portfolio valuations, business intelligence analytics, mark to market services, and an award-winning comprehensive capital markets software platform called MCTlive!

MCT supports independent mortgage bankers, depositories, credit unions, warehouse lenders, and correspondent investors of all sizes. Headquartered in San Diego, California, MCT also has offices in Philadelphia, Healdsburg, and Texas. MCT is well known for its team of capital markets experts and senior traders who continue to provide the boutique-style hands-on engagement clients love.

For more information, visit https://mct-trading.com/ or call (619) 543-5111.

MULTIMEDIA

IMAGE LINK for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0520s2p-bam-marketplace-300dpi.jpg

Caption: BAM Marketplace™ is the world's first truly open loan exchange, where buyers can bid regardless of approval status, and sellers receive automated live pricing from every buyer on the platform.

Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), a leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced the public introduction of BAM Marketplace™. Originally launched to support existing MCT sellers during the 2020 pandemic liquidity crisis, BAM Marketplace now welcomes new buyers and sellers as the world's first truly open loan exchange between unapproved counterparties.

Related link: https://mct-trading.com/

5X Solutions Adds Compensation Analysis to their Mortgage Business Intelligence Platform

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- 5X Solutions, LLC, a mortgage business intelligence and data analytics company, has announced the addition of loan agent compensation analysis to its automated financial reporting and mortgage business intelligence software.

Users of Telemetry BI now have complete visibility to the commissions paid to loan officers. This includes loan-level details, dollars paid, and basis points (bps) for each transaction. In the past, accounting personnel would generate reports manually via spreadsheets, only to have them challenged by loan agents and branch managers questioning the underlying numbers. In other cases, the client risked overpayment due to manual mistakes or incomplete data.

This new reporting tool provides post-payment audit capabilities to accounting and financial staff. Reports are generated automatically by integrating data from the client's loan origination software (LOS) and their accounting system. Compensation is calculated based on units closed, funded amounts, loan types, referrals, and loan assistants, providing transparency and timely access via on-demand compensation analytics.

Corporate executives, branch managers, regional managers, and individual loan officers can view compensation details relevant to them in real-time. This eliminates the need for the constant back-and-forth between accounting staff and loan agents to validate results and answer questions.

A planned release of prepayment commission and bonus reporting for the entire company including loan processors, underwriters, and other staff members will add efficiency and transparency to the mortgage operation. Details can be viewed before payments are made to ensure that commissions and bonuses are correct. This enhances Telemetry MBI's existing Marketing and Expense program that enables loan officers to benefit by claiming pre-tax expenses related to generating business.

Telemetry MBI's new compensation analysis complements existing financial reports, KPIs, performance dashboards, and analytics to provide a 360-degree view of a mortgage business's operational health. Adoption of this feature by clients has exceeded expectations. 5X Solutions' Co-Founder John Beneventi says "Compensation analysis rounds out Telemetry MBI's automated financial reporting capabilities by offering managers the ability to drill down on details and explore trends around each loan officer's performance and compensation."

Learn more about Telemetry MBI: https://www.5xsolutions.com/Mortgage_Business_Intelligence

About 5X Solutions

5X Solutions, LLC is a Fintech company that offers digital mortgage industry solutions that focus on mortgage business intelligence, automated financial reporting, performance dashboards, data analytics, and other BI tools. It offers lenders both advisory and technology services that optimize resources, improves profitability, contain costs, and helps increase scalability. Using its cloud-based Telemetry MBI platform, clients have 24/7 access to critical key performance indicators, metrics, and financial reports needed to measure and manage their company. Their turnkey, cloud-based business intelligence platform offers a best-practice approach to data analytics and reporting.

Learn more at https://www.5xsolutions.com/ or http://www.telemetrybi.com

*LOGO LINK: https://www.5xsolutions.com/images/5x_TBI_logo_lrg.png

5X Solutions, LLC, a mortgage business intelligence and data analytics company, has announced the addition of loan agent compensation analysis to its automated financial reporting and mortgage business intelligence software.

Related link: https://www.5xsolutions.com/

After, Inc. publishes a ‘Risk Management 101’ guide that gives Warranty Leaders a first-hand look at this complex discipline

NORWALK, Conn. /ScoopCloud/ -- After, Inc. a pioneer in the Warranty Services industry, has provided innovative warranty marketing, analytics, and program management solutions to top-tier manufacturing clients since 2005. In delivering program management solutions, After, Inc. found that few manufacturers understand Risk Management - yet it can be one of the most impactful aspects of Warranty Programs. So, After, Inc. prepared this guide to share the basics of the discipline, as there is nothing like it available in the industry today.

After, Inc.'s EVP, Paul Swenson, a highly respected veteran in the Warranty Services industry, helped develop this guide. "A lot of manufacturers and retailers 'don't know what they don't know' about available warranty risk structures and the true costs of risk transfer," said Swenson.

"Frequently, risk oversight is outsourced to companies that use old-school actuarial methods which don't forecast claims or reserves accurately - nor provide the business intelligence needed to optimize and expand the warranty programs. This leads to untapped opportunities that they may never discover or, often worse, unwarranted rate increases that have negative impacts on their programs and the ability to deliver a great customer experience. This guide is designed to give Warranty leaders and their teams a much-needed introduction to the basic concepts of Risk Management - and the impact that inaccurate claims forecasts can have on their profitability."

This "Risk Management 101" guide covers:

* Section 1 - the key components and definitions in Risk Management.

* Section 2 - types of risk structures and the pros/cons of each.

* Section 3 - how to accurately estimate losses and how errors can impact program profits.

* Section 4 - a case study on how After helped Polaris - a long-time client - develop a risk roadmap that led from a completely outsourced risk management structure to creating its own warranty company.

About After, Inc.

After, Inc. ( http://www.afterinc.com/ ) is a pioneer in the warranty business - providing product registration, marketing, analytics, and program administration to warranty organizations across a wide range of industries. Founded in 2005, After has over 15 years of experience delivering innovative warranty offerings to manufacturing clients. After, Inc. partners with some of the world's top brands to help transform their warranty businesses, driving customer satisfaction post-purchase, higher product reliability, deeper brand equity and additional revenue/profit opportunities. Headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, and with offices in New York City, After, Inc. is part of the EPIC Insurance Group, an innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm with 3,600 employees across the United States.

MEDIA CONTACT
Danielle Grusso
203-254-5302
dgrusso@afterinc.com

After, Inc. a pioneer in the Warranty Services industry, has provided innovative warranty marketing, analytics, and program management solutions to top-tier manufacturing clients since 2005. In delivering program management solutions, After, Inc. found that few manufacturers understand Risk Management.

Related link: http://afterinc.com/

Plan sponsors should prepare for smooth sailing for ‘SECURE Act 2.0’ retirement reform bill

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- Independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) issued a statement today notifying plan sponsors of pending bipartisan legislation that could significantly impact employer-sponsored retirement plans. The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021 on Wednesday, May 5; now the bill moves on to the full House, where it enjoys considerable bipartisan support.

Designed to build on the SECURE Act - and, consequently, dubbed the 'SECURE Act 2.0' - the proposed retirement reform legislation seeks to enhance the long-term financial security of millions of Americans by providing wider access to retirement savings. While most provisions of the legislation would apply to plan years beginning after December 31, 2022, certain provisions would apply after December 31, 2021.

SBA Principal Andy Adams offered the following summary of SECURE Act 2.0 provisions that are likely to affect a majority of retirement plan sponsors. According to Adams, the bill:

* Requires plan sponsors to automatically enroll employees in 401(k) and 403(b) plans unless they specifically opt out

* Introduces several changes to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules:

- Raises the RMD age (the age at which participants must begin withdrawing from their retirement accounts) from 72 to 75 over 10 years

- Reduces the individual tax penalty for failure to take the RMD

- Provides more flexibility in the allowable timing, amounts and features of life annuities to satisfy RMD requirements

- Expands the amount that can be excluded from RMD rules if used to purchase qualified longevity annuity contracts

* Ties the IRA catch-up contribution limit, which allows those age 50 and older to make additional contributions beyond the standard limit, to inflation

* Creates new, higher catch-up contribution limits that apply at ages 62, 63 and 64 for those who participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans, including SIMPLE plans

* Allows individuals to pay down a student loan instead of contributing to a 401(k) plan and still receive an employer match in their retirement plan

* Allows employers to offer small, immediate financial incentives to employees to join retirement plans

* Requires plan sponsors to allow part-time employees who work at least 500 hours a year for 2 consecutive years (not 3 years, as under current law) to participate in company 401(k) plans

* Gives plan sponsors greater flexibility in correcting plan errors, for example:

- Allows more time to correct missed contributions to employees' retirement accounts without penalties

- Expands the scope of the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), which allows plan sponsors to self-report errors to the IRS and correct those errors without drastic penalties

* Limits the degree to which plans may seek to recoup excess retirement plans payments from participants

* Instructs the Department of Labor to issue new guidance for benchmarking of target date funds

* Limits the disclosures required to those not participating in plans

* Creates a central data repository for lost participants (the 'Retirement Savings Lost and Found')

* Requires plan sponsors to provide participants with at least one paper account statement per year

* Adjusts top-heavy rules for certain DC plans

* Gives employers latitude to rely on employee self-certification that hardship distribution requirements have been met

Certain additional provisions, Adams noted, apply only to public employer plans or to special classes of individuals such as military personnel, firefighters and first responders. Other provisions not summarized here are likely to affect only a small percentage of plans. Read the full text of H.R. 2954, the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021, here.

"With strong, bipartisan support for this legislation among both House and Senate membership, the odds are good that the so-called 'SECURE Act 2.0' will enjoy a relatively smooth path toward final passage," said Adams. "Retirement plan sponsors should take this opportunity to familiarize themselves with the bill's provisions and put a strategy in place for implementing necessary plan changes by the end of next year."

About Strategic Benefits Advisors

Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) is an independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm focused on creatively and effectively solving complex benefits challenges for clients ranging from 1,000 to over 300,000 employees. Founded in 2002 by veteran consultants Mindy Zatto and Andy Adams, SBA provides practical consulting recommendations and expert implementation of solutions for all types of employee benefits programs, including retirement, health and welfare, financial wellness and employee recognition. With an average of over 25 years in the field, SBA's team of actuaries, consultants and systems specialists is among the most experienced in the industry. For more information, visit https://www.sba-inc.com/.

#EmployeeBenefits #BenefitsConsulting #RetirementLegislation

Independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) issued a statement today notifying plan sponsors of pending bipartisan legislation that could significantly impact employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Related link: https://www.sba-inc.com/

ACES Quality Management Launches ACES CONNECT While Also Integrating 30 New Vendors to Its Core Platform

DENVER, Colo. /ScoopCloud/ -- ACES Quality Management™ (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the launch of ACES CONNECT™, as well as the addition of 30 integrated vendor partners into ACES Quality Management & Control™ software as part of its spring product release.

Designed to give senior management at mortgage lenders and third-party providers on-demand access to key reporting data, ACES CONNECT provides users with the ability to self-remediate audit findings, access reporting and trending data, review audit documents and manage corrective action plans in coordination with their organization's risk department. In addition, ACES CONNECT allows users to have access to the ACES QC reporting to provide easy to view reporting for senior management along with any designated third parties. ACES CONNECT will enhance productivity and boost collaboration in resolving defects, requesting or supplying additional documentation and answering questions and concerns with trackable communications.

"The changing market dynamics of the last year has underscored the need for secure and efficient internal communication and collaboration, especially when viewed through the lens of the ever-shifting financial regulatory and compliance landscape," said ACES CEO Trevor Gauthier. "ACES CONNECT not only provides lenders and financial institutions with a critical viewing window into exactly what's going on in their respective businesses from a quality and compliance standpoint, but it also creates a centralized access point for quick and easy defect identification, remediation and resolution tracking to effectively mitigate risk and maintain quality."

Along with the launch of ACES CONNECT, the company has also significantly expanded its network of integrated vendors, allowing users to order, track and receive re-verification documents and data directly within ACES core platform. With these additions, ACES now supports an additional thirty vendors across five categories: Credit, SSN, Asset, 4506-C and Field Reviews. By leveraging ACES integrations, third party orders are sent and received securely, leveraging existing ACES data, ultimately reducing the time and labor associated with each transaction. ACES has also expanded its relationship with MeridianLink to add support for instant verification of employment and income from The Work Number through MeridianLink's network of resellers.

"Integrations have been available within ACES for several years, and over the last year in particular, we've put tremendous effort into expanding our integration framework to bring added efficiency to our users' quality control audit process and eliminate the manual re-work that often introduces unnecessary errors," Gauthier added. "By dramatically increasing the number of available vendors, we've provided ACES users with even more options for best-of-breed re-verification partners to help support their loan quality and risk management efforts."

ACES' newest upgrades were spearheaded by client requests collected during its annual client survey, the results of which drive and validate much of the company's product roadmap.

"At ACES, we believe in being proactive, not reactive, when it comes to product development and enhancements, and our clients play a critical role in that process by providing us 'boots on the ground' intelligence regarding the challenges they face in maintaining loan quality and mitigating risk," Gauthier explained. "Our annual survey and User Summit, which we've elected to take virtual this year, are two of the many ways in which we actively seek input from our users to ensure our technology continues to meet their needs."

About ACES Quality Management

ACES Quality Management, formerly known as ACES Risk Management (ARMCO), is the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry. The nation's most prominent lenders, servicers and financial institutions rely on ACES Quality Management & Control™ software to improve audit throughput and quality while controlling costs, including:

* 3 of the top 5 and more than 50% of the top 50 independent mortgage lenders;
* 7 of the top 10 loan servicers;
* 11 of the top 30 banks; and
* 1 of the top 3 credit unions in the USA.

Unlike other quality control platforms, only ACES delivers Flexible Audit Technology, which gives independent mortgage lenders and financial institutions the ability to easily manage and customize ACES to meet their business needs without having to rely on IT or other outside resources. Using a customer-centric approach, ACES clients get responsive support and access to our experts to maximize their investment. For more information, visit https://www.acesquality.com/ or call 1-800-858-1598.

ACES Quality Management™ (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the launch of ACES CONNECT™, as well as the addition of 30 integrated vendor partners into ACES Quality Management & Control™ software as part of its spring product release.

Related link: https://www.acesquality.com/

Luma Wealth Has Formed an Advisory Council

CLEVELAND, Ohio /ScoopCloud/ -- Luma Wealth Advisors is pleased to announce that it has formed an Advisory Council to facilitate its national growth as a leading provider of financial advice for women and their families.

Council members, who are thought leaders in their respective industries, have been selected to provide their views and perspectives. They will meet quarterly to help the firm continue to enhance its offerings, improve its client service, and develop strategic partnerships.

In addition to Heather R. Ettinger, Founder and CEO of Luma Wealth, council members include:

* Cassidy Blackwell, Director of International Communications for Airbnb, is experienced in empowering women and underrepresented communities

* Dr. Nicola Finley, a board-certified internal medicine physician and lecturer, has a passion for women's health topics and health equity

* Kate Healy, NextGen Advocate, focuses on advocacy for sustainability issues facing the financial planning profession

* Jenn Kenning, CEO & Co-Founder of Align, has expertise in the impact sector

* Anne Richie, Managing Director at The Mezzanine Fund, has extensive experience helping companies grow

According to Kenneth J. Coleman, Luma Wealth's president, "This talented and diverse group shares Luma Wealth's vision for empowering women and can help guide our focus on women's overall wellness." Heather Ettinger adds, "I look forward to the dialogue we will share as we continue to implement Luma Wealth's mission across the country."

About Luma Wealth

Luma Wealth Advisors is a division of Fairport Wealth that provides women and their families with personalized wealth planning, experienced investment management, and a supportive, enriching community where they can learn, connect, and celebrate with other women. For more information, visit: https://www.lumawealth.com/.

About Hightower

Hightower is a national wealth management firm that provides growth capital and front- to back-end support services to independent-minded financial advisory businesses. Operating as a Registered Investment Advisor, Hightower provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices. Corporate services include 401(k) consulting and corporate cash management. For more information, visit https://hightoweradvisors.com/.

Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC, Hightower Advisors, LLC is a SEC Registered Investment Adviser.

MULTIMEDIA:

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0517s2p-luma-council-300dpi.jpg

*PHOTO CAPTION: Top (L-R): Cassidy Blackwell, Dr. Nicola Finley, Kate Healy; Bottom (L-R): Jenn Kenning, Anne Richie

Luma Wealth Advisors is pleased to announce that it has formed an Advisory Council to facilitate its national growth as a leading provider of financial advice for women and their families.

Related link: http://lumawealth.com/

Expetitle and Nada Partner to Create a Next Generation Real Estate Experience

DALLAS, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Today, Expetitle announces a service expansion into Texas via a strategic partnership with Nada to offer a streamlined and centralized home closing transaction.

Now more than ever, homebuyers are seeking a more technology-enhanced approach within the real estate industry. Expetitle employs unique closing technology and seasoned title agents to simplify transactions; helping agents and brokers minimize time spent on transaction management and maximize client-agent relationship enhancement.

With Nada, real estate owners save thousands on fees and discover new ways to build and grow real estate wealth, starting with their own home. Together, these two tech startups empower real estate agents, buyers and sellers to make a better customer experience for their clients.

"Our joint-venture with Expetitle enables us to bring our title and escrow service fully online and to vertically scale this service to new markets," said Micah Lindsey, Vice President of Operations. "Nada shares Expetitle's vision to bring the entire real estate experience online and to streamline the process for consumers."

"We are excited to join forces with Nada to combine their affordable, tech-enabled, streamlined home search and selection process with our leading-edge technology and closing services to renew the homeowner service relationship," said Sean Daly, Chief Executive Officer of Expetitle.

About Expetitle

Expetitle is a multi-state title company that delivers fully digital and hybrid closings through one secure collaborative platform that adds transparency to the entire closing process. Founded in January 2019 and based in Miami, FL with satellite offices in Dallas, TX. Expetitle's mission is to provide a better, transparent closing experience for buyers, sellers, and their agents and brokers. Today's consumer is used to doing everything on their phone in real-time, why should buying a home be any different? To learn more about Expetitle, visit http://www.expetitle.com/.

About Nada

Nada is a vertically integrated real estate services & technology platform that offers residential realty, insurance, title, and financial services to retail consumers and real estate investors--making real estate ownership more accessible and affordable for everyone. By integrating all services into a single digital solution, Nada is able to deliver a full-service listing to homeowners for as low as $0 to sell their home when they also buy their next one with Nada. For more information about Nada, visit http://www.nadahomes.com/.

Today, Expetitle announces a service expansion into Texas via a strategic partnership with Nada to offer a streamlined and centralized home closing transaction.

Related link: https://www.expetitle.com/

Sales Boomerang integration with Volly enables lightning-fast lead response for increased mortgage loan volume and customer retention

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Sales Boomerang, the industry's top-rated automated borrower intelligence and retention system, today announced its integration with Volly, an industry-leading provider of SaaS-based fintech and creative marketing services to the financial services industry. The combination of Sales Boomerang and Volly positions lenders to take immediate action when a customer or prospect is ready for a loan, enabling higher borrower retention, increased loan volume and lower per-loan costs.

Sales Boomerang monitors customer and prospect databases on behalf of mortgage lenders and their referral partners. By combining market intelligence with a lender's own credit underwriting preferences, Sales Boomerang identifies exactly when a prospect or past customer is ready for a new loan. Sales Boomerang opportunity alerts may be triggered by both market factors (for instance, interest rate changes and home price appreciation) and consumer behaviors (such as listing a home for sale, shopping with another lender or improving one's credit score).

Built for the mortgage industry, the Volly Portal includes a full-service CRM contact and campaign management hub that makes it easy for lenders to manage leads and deploy automated marketing journeys for customers and partners. Volly also offers a mortgage point-of-sale (POS) platform, custom website solutions and the Volly Marketing Portal, a storefront loan officers and mortgage brokers can use to self-provision pre-approved marketing workflows, collateral and closing gifts on demand.

By piping Sales Boomerang opportunity alerts into Volly, lenders can use rules-based automation to take immediate action, such as enrolling a consumer in a relevant marketing campaign or scheduling follow-up tasks for the loan originator who owns the contact. Loan originators can even invite referral partners to share their own contacts for monitoring by Sales Boomerang and automated co-marketing powered by Volly.

"Sales Boomerang serves up hyper-relevant loan opportunities that deserve immediate action, and our integration with Volly makes it easy to follow through before competitors even know the consumer is in the market for a loan," said Sales Boomerang CEO Alex Kutsishin. "In fact, the average lender that uses Sales Boomerang in conjunction with automated marketing sees an 11.6% improvement in borrower retention and 20% to 40% lift in loan volume."

"Volly's marketing automation solutions help loan originators do their jobs more effectively and efficiently," said Volly CEO Jerry Halbrook. "By layering on criteria-driven portfolio monitoring from Sales Boomerang, we're enabling lenders to engage with opportunities even faster in a market when speed to lead is perhaps the single most important factor in customer retention."

About Sales Boomerang:

Sales Boomerang revolutionized the relationship between a Mortgage Lender and Borrower with the introduction of the only automated Borrower Intelligence System in 2017, which tells lenders when anyone in their database is ready for a loan. Today, Sales Boomerang is the #1 Borrower Retention strategy in the industry and has discovered over $30B in new volume for Lenders. Sales Boomerang's notifications are integrated with the best CRM/Marketing Automation Systems in the industry to provide a seamless experience for Lenders and Borrowers. Sales Boomerang's employees are dedicated to improving the lending experience for Lenders and Borrowers, and united behind the ethos - No Borrower Left Behind(tm).

About Volly:

Volly is powering the dream of home ownership through industry-leading technology and dynamic marketing that drives the customer journey. The Volly Portal Platform is a fully integrated, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service platform that combines Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Collateral, Borrower Journey Campaign Management, Portfolio Retention programs, Point of Sale (POS) application and transaction management, and Custom Websites, all integrated with digital and print marketing capabilities and industry-leading creative marketing services. Among other awards, Volly was named a HousingWire HW Tech100 Mortgage technology company in both 2020 and 2021. For more information, visit https://myvolly.com/ or call (866) 435-7050.

Twitter: @SalesBoomerang @VollyTech #MortgageIndustry #MortgageMarketing #CustomerRetention #NoBorrowerLeftBehind

Sales Boomerang, the industry's top-rated automated borrower intelligence and retention system, today announced its integration with Volly, an industry-leading provider of SaaS-based fintech and creative marketing services to the financial services industry.

Related link: https://www.salesboomerang.com/

SimpleNexus applauds Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for targeting federal Remote Online Notarization (RON) legislation as National Advocacy Conference priority

LEHI, Utah /ScoopCloud/ -- SimpleNexus (https://simplenexus.com/), developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today praised the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for naming federal Remote Online Notarization (RON) legislation as a core issue of its National Advocacy Conference.

"Our industry has taken sweeping measures to provide mortgage consumers with the mobile and online home buying experience they prefer, but existing notarial laws impede the shift in technology," said SimpleNexus Founder and CEO Matt Hansen. "To date, only 32 states have passed RON-enabling legislation, hindering the housing finance industry's ability to provide a broad swath of American homebuyers with the safety and convenience of a remote online closing ceremony. SimpleNexus commends the Mortgage Bankers Association for leading the charge on this critical issue."

The MBA is coordinating with association partners and members to encourage Congress to reintroduce and enact The Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote Online Notarization Act (SECURE Notarization Act). Initially introduced with bipartisan sponsorship as Senate Bill 3533 in March 2020, the SECURE Notarization Act would permit immediate nationwide use of RON with minimum standards necessary to protect consumer data and provide certainty for the interstate recognition of RON. States with existing RON laws on the books would retain the flexibility to implement their own RON standards.

Each year, the MBA organizes housing finance stakeholders for its National Advocacy Conference to directly educate lawmakers about key industry policy priorities and hear directly from elected officials. This year's conference will be held virtually, May 11-12, 2021.

About SimpleNexus, LLC:

SimpleNexus is a homeownership platform transforming the mortgage experience and connecting borrowers, loan officers, real estate agents and settlement service providers throughout the homebuying process. The platforms' native mobile toolset enables lenders to originate, process and close home loans from anywhere with increased efficiency and convenience. Loan officers can manage their loan pipelines, order credit, run pricing, send pre-approvals, sign disclosures and execute eClosings - all on the go. SimpleNexus provides borrowers with a single sign-on experience from home search to the application, document upload, eClose and beyond for a more streamlined homeownership journey.

Learn more at: https://www.simplenexus.com/

Twitter: @SimpleNexus #digitalmortgage #mortgagelending #RON @MISMO @MortgageBankersAssociation

SimpleNexus, developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today praised the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for naming federal Remote Online Notarization (RON) legislation as a core issue of its National Advocacy Conference.

Related link: https://simplenexus.com/

EPIC Adds Sam Wagener as Principal – Further Strengthens P&C and Captive Capabilities in West Region

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property and casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Sam Wagener has joined the firm.

Wagener will focus on providing risk management and insurance solutions, including captive insurance programs, to organizations with whom he will partner. He will leverage relationships across EPIC in the areas of Property & Casualty, Employee Benefits and Executive Benefits.

Wagener brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role, and has held positions on the brokerage and carrier sides of the insurance industry throughout his career. He joins EPIC from Artex Risk Solutions, Inc. where he was Senior Vice President - Group Captives, focusing on managing relationships, operations and related services of five member-owned captives.

"We are excited to continue the growth of our Property & Casualty operations in the West Region with the addition of Sam's experience and expertise," commented EPIC West Region President, KJ Wagner.

"Sam brings insight and a unique perspective on managing risk to the firm. We look forward to leveraging his knowledge across the entire organization to the benefit of our clients," said Brian Quinn, Managing Principal. Wagener will report to Quinn, who is based in San Ramon, California.

Wagener earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. While in the Navy, he served as a Division Officer on the USS Elliot, based in San Diego, CA, and as an Instructor in the Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island.

Sam Wagener
sam.wagener@epicbrokers.com
Cell 630.453.1644

About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, a retail insurance brokerage, has more than 2,600 team members operating from more than 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs, and Private Client solutions to clients. EPIC ranks among the top 15 retail insurance brokers in the U.S.

Learn more at: https://epicbrokers.com/

EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property and casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Sam Wagener has joined the firm.

Related link: https://www.epicbrokers.com/

DocMagic to Give Away its Popular Bunny Slippers to Donors at Upcoming Los Angeles-Area Blood Drive

TORRANCE, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, automated regulatory compliance and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that it will be offering its signature pink bunny slippers to each person that donates blood at an upcoming mobile blood drive on Sunday, May 16, in downtown Los Angeles.

The blood drive is being held by non-profit organization Golden Heart LA in conjunction with Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to help patients. A single pint of blood can save up to two patients' lives, according to the hospital.

Every month, CHLA patients need approximately 2,000 units of blood and blood components as part of the life-saving care provided at the hospital. To provide these units to patients, CHLA collects blood from approximately 800 blood donors per month. Nearly 90 percent of the blood transfused at the hospital comes directly from its donor center. CHLA says that in order to cover patient use, it requires continued blood donations to sustain the needs of patients.

EVENT DETAILS:

* What: Mobile blood drive

* When: Sunday, May 16, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. PDT

* Where: Onsite Bus - 530 Ramirez Street; Los Angeles, Calif. 90012 (Denny's Parking Lot)

Golden Heart LA is dedicated to helping children who suffer from life-threatening diseases, disabilities, and illnesses. The organization regularly works with CHLA and other entities to hold blood drives at various locations throughout Southern California.

DocMagic was founded in 1987 by Dominic Iannitti and has developed a reputation of getting involved in events that help charitable causes, especially those pertaining to children. The company's long-time mascot, named "Doc," is a novel bunny that has become a recognizable part of its brand within the mortgage industry.

Notable is that the genesis behind the bunny slippers started in 2016 when they were officially introduced at a mortgage technology convention in Los Angeles to celebrate the release of DocMagic's Total eClose™ eClosing system. Hundreds of conference attendees wore the slippers, which symbolized comfort and borrowers' newfound ability to easily close a mortgage loan electronically in the comfort of their own homes.

As a result of the pandemic, DocMagic's eClosing solution has been paramount to ensuring the safety of consumers by eliminating the need for borrowers to travel and sign loan documents in person.

DocMagic's slippers have grown in popularity over the years after being provided at the Total eClose product launch as well as other events and special occasions. Typically pink in color, the latest version of the slippers has been switched to purple to represent DocMagic's corporate branding. They are regularly given to good causes as a way of saying "thank you" to volunteers and participants.

More details about the one-day event are available on Golden Heart LA's Instagram page @GoldenHeartLA. Appointments can be made by visiting Children's Hospital Los Angeles's blood donation website https://www.chladonateblood.org/ or by calling 323-361-2441.

About DocMagic:

DocMagic, Inc. is the leading provider of fully compliant document generation, automated compliance, eSignature and comprehensive eMortgage solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops award-winning software, mobile apps, processes, and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company's solutions connect industry participants, promote collaboration, and data integrity to execute precision-based digital lending transactions. The company's compliance experts and in-house legal staff consistently monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy. For more information on DocMagic, visit https://www.docmagic.com/.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles:

Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the highest-ranked children's hospital in California and fifth in the nation on the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of best children's hospitals. U.S. News ranks Children's Hospital Los Angeles in all 10 specialty categories. Clinical care at the hospital is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also operates the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children's hospital in the Western United States. The Saban Research

Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles is home to all basic, translational, clinical and community research conducted at the hospital, allowing proven discoveries to quickly reach patients. Our mission: to create hope and build healthier futures. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, and visit our blog at https://www.chla.org/chla-blog.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joe Bowerbank
Profundity Communications, Inc. for DocMagic
949-378-9685
jbowerbank@profunditymarketing.com

Social Media: @DocMagic #ChildrensHospitalLosAngeles #GoldenHeartLA #BloodDonations #MobileBloodDrive #SaveLives

DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, automated regulatory compliance and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that it will be offering its signature pink bunny slippers to each person that donates blood at an upcoming mobile blood drive on Sunday, May 16, in downtown Los Angeles.

Related link: https://www.docmagic.com/

MCT’s Enhanced Best Execution (EBX) Technology Automates MSR Retain-Release Decisions

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Mortgage Capital Trading®, Inc. (MCT), the leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced today their Enhanced Best-Execution (EBX) tool used for MSR retain-release decisions has now automated the function of pulling comprehensive data from MCTlive!® and MSRlive!®. This new automation eliminates the need entirely for secondary marketing professionals to manually upload data and provides users with real-time execution to inform their servicing retain-release decisions.

The release of this new automation marks an industry first, allowing users to analyze loan sale and MSR data for speedy retain-release decisions. With the click of a button, clients can get much more strategic about their servicing decisions than previously possible by better understanding the impact of retaining servicing, including cash break-even point, cash drain and tax implications.

This tool equips clients for advance decision making by leveraging all of the relevant data elements, while the automation quickly analyzes the data and provides a simple, user friendly recommendation.

"The automation of our EBX functionality is instrumental to ensuring our clients can quickly make the most accurate and strategic retain-release decisions, especially during times of increased market volatility," said Phil Laren, Director of MSR Services, MCT. "What was once a cumbersome process has now been completely automated with EBX. With a click of a button, clients obtain valuable insight designed specifically to assist with strategic and thoughtful retain-release decisioning."

EBX is just one of the many tools that MCT offers in addition to support and a dedicated client services team. Visit https://mct-trading.com/, email David Burruss at dburruss@mctrade.net, or call (703) 286-9389 to learn about the numerous functionalities of the platform.

About MCT:

Founded in 2001, Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT) has grown from a boutique mortgage pipeline hedging firm into the industry's leading provider of fully integrated capital markets services and technology. MCT offers an array of best-in-class services and software covering mortgage pipeline hedging, best execution loan sales, outsourced lock desk solutions, MSR portfolio valuations, business intelligence analytics, mark to market services, and an award-winning comprehensive capital markets software platform called MCTlive! MCT supports independent mortgage bankers, depositories, credit unions, warehouse lenders, and correspondent investors of all sizes. Headquartered in San Diego, California, MCT also has offices in Philadelphia, Healdsburg, and Texas. MCT is well known for its team of capital markets experts and senior traders who continue to provide the boutique-style hands-on engagement clients love.

For more information, visit https://mct-trading.com/ or call (619) 543-5111.

Media Contact:
Ian Miller
Chief Marketing Officer
Mortgage Capital Trading
619-618-7855
pr@mctrade.net

Mortgage Capital Trading®, Inc. (MCT), the leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced today their Enhanced Best-Execution (EBX) tool used for MSR retain-release decisions has now automated the function of pulling comprehensive data from MCTlive!® and MSRlive!®.

Related link: https://mct-trading.com/

Top of Mind launches ‘Retention Center’ to help loan originators foster customer loyalty

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- Top of Mind Networks (Top of Mind), a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation software for the mortgage lending industry, today announced it has launched the Surefire CRM Retention Center to help loan originators (LOs) foster loyalty among their clients.

The Retention Center is an online retention gift store that enables loan originators (LOs) to curate a gift-receiving experience for clients in lieu of or in addition to corporate-level client retention initiatives. Within the Retention Center, LOs can build automated retention gift campaigns based on rules such as loan type (refinance or purchase), loan amount and occasion. Once a retention gift campaign has been activated, Top of Mind dynamically customizes, professionally packages and ships the retention gift to its recipient. Retention Center gift options include bamboo cutting boards, premium whole-bean coffee, a self-inking address stamper and dynamic birthday cards.

"There are innumerable studies that illustrate how customer retention is a critical component of company growth. Retaining customers is less expensive than acquiring new ones, and loyal customers are more likely to spend more and refer family and friends," said Top of Mind Chief Revenue Officer Nick Belenky. "We launched the Retention Center to help lenders strengthen borrower repeat business with unique gifting opportunities that make clients feel valued and help originators stay 'top of mind.'"

Top of Mind's Surefire CRM is the most-used CRM and marketing platform in the mortgage industry. Mortgage professionals of all stripes - including retail, wholesale, consumer direct and bank lenders - strengthen referral partnerships and deepen their emotional connections with borrowers to cultivate clients for life.

About Top of Mind Networks:

Founded in 2003, Atlanta-based Top of Mind Networks (https://www.topofmind.com) started as a bootstrapped direct-mail marketing company. Today, the company is recognized as the mortgage industry's most-relied-upon provider of marketing automation and creative content solutions. From individuals to enterprise lenders, Top of Mind's Surefire CRM helps thousands of mortgage professionals win new business, earn repeat business and deserve referral business. With intuitive, "set it and forget it" workflows and award-winning content, mortgage professionals are able to effortlessly maintain and deepen their emotional connections with clients.

Top of Mind Networks (Top of Mind), a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation software for the mortgage lending industry, today announced it has launched the Surefire CRM Retention Center to help loan originators (LOs) foster loyalty among their clients.

Related link: https://www.topofmind.com/

Tapcheck Announces New Website Launch

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Tapcheck, a leading financial service provider that offers an innovative and easy-to-integrate financial wellness benefit that allows employers to give employees the ability to access their earned wages before payday, today announced the launch of its new website. With a vibrant design and expanded feature offerings, the new site delivers accessible information and an engaging user experience.

The redesigned website builds on the company's original site, expanding to provide details and information tailored to Tapcheck's primary audiences: employers, employees, and corporate partners. Over the last six months, Tapcheck has grown over 215% in client size and over 325% in user base, which increased the need for a website with greater functionality.

"We believe our earned wage access program offers incredible benefits for employees and businesses," said Kayling Gaver, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Tapcheck. "I am excited about this launch, not only because our new site looks incredible but also because it does a wonderful job of sharing all the ways that Tapcheck's on-demand pay benefit can drive profitability for companies and financial wellness for employees."

Tapcheck will update the new website regularly with product developments, corporate news, and career opportunities. Visitors to the new site will be able to keep up with industry trends and financial wellness-related content on the Tapcheck blog - https://www.tapcheck.com/blog/.

About Tapcheck

Tapcheck is a financial wellness benefit that allows employees to access their earnings before payday. Available at no cost to employers, Tapcheck uses an intuitive mobile app to give workers greater control over their finances, which reduces their stress at home and increases their productivity at work. Thanks to Tapcheck's seamless integration with existing payroll programs, employers who incorporate on-demand earnings into their employee benefits packages find it to be a cost-effective way to improve profitability, distinguish their company from competitors, reduce turnover rates, and provide the financial flexibility that employees want. For more information, visit https://www.tapcheck.com/.

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-1210s2p-tapcheck-logo-300dpi.jpg

Tapcheck, a leading financial service provider that offers an innovative and easy-to-integrate financial wellness benefit that allows employers to give employees the ability to access their earned wages before payday, today announced the launch of its new website.

Related link: https://www.tapcheck.com/

FormFree’s Christy Moss Lauded as 2021 Mortgage Star by Mortgage Women Magazine

ATHENS, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- FormFree® today announced Christy Moss, head of sales and marketing at FormFree, has been named a Mortgage Star by Mortgage Women Magazine for her trailblazing 30-year career in the mortgage industry.

Moss has held advanced positions at organizations such as CitiMortgage, Wachovia and GE Capital Mortgage Services. Notably, she held an 11-year tenure at Fannie Mae, where she played a critical role in restoring strength to the mortgage economy by educating lenders and vendors about digital transformation initiatives. At Fannie Mae, Moss personally helped over a hundred lenders gain seller-servicer status and annually addressed over 3,000 mortgage industry professionals at industry engagements.

Currently, Moss is driving digital transformation for consumers, lenders and investors at FormFree, with the goal of building a more inclusive credit decisioning landscape. By encouraging lenders to view borrower ability to pay (ATP) with FormFree's revolutionary products AccountChek® and Passport®, Moss and FormFree are enabling lenders to expand their credit box without increased risk.

"2008 opened my eyes to how important the housing industry is to the US economy and since then it's been my calling to improve the mortgage process for everyone," said Moss. "I'm humbled to receive this award and I'm extremely proud of the work we're doing at FormFree."

Recipients of the Mortgage Women Magazine Mortgage Star award will be featured in the magazine's May/June issue in addition to being recognized at the Mortgage Star conference in Memphis May 4-7.

About FormFree®

FormFree® is a market-leading fintech company whose revolutionary products AccountChek® and Passport® make for a more inclusive credit decisioning landscape by enabling lenders to understand people's true ability to pay (ATP®). To date, thousands of U.S. lenders and brokers have ordered millions of FormFree's patented verification reports representing trillions of dollars in loan verifications. FormFree delights borrowers and lenders with a paperless experience, dramatically reduces origination timelines and offers automated analysis and standardized delivery to lenders and investors using a secure ReIssueKey®. For more information, visit https://www.formfree.com/ or follow FormFree on LinkedIn.

Twitter: @RealFormFree #mortgageindustry #fintech

FormFree® today announced Christy Moss, head of sales and marketing at FormFree, has been named a Mortgage Star by Mortgage Women Magazine for her trailblazing 30-year career in the mortgage industry.

Related link: https://www.formfree.com/

SimpleNexus President Cathleen Schreiner Gates Named 2021 Mortgage Star by Mortgage Women Magazine

LEHI, Utah /ScoopCloud/ -- SimpleNexus (https://simplenexus.com/), developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced Mortgage Women Magazine has recognized Cathleen Schreiner Gates as a Mortgage Star.

Known for her reputation in early-stage global and software-as-a-service (SaaS) organizations, Schreiner Gates was recognized by the Mortgage Women Magazine for her recent successes with SimpleNexus. As president of SimpleNexus, Schreiner Gates has grown staff by 63% and overseen the release of new features designed to facilitate a more streamlined, "from anywhere" lending experience for all stakeholders in the mortgage lending transaction. In January 2021, Schreiner Gates helped lead a $108 million Series B funding round led by global venture-capital and private-equity firm Insight Partners and TVC Capital.

"I'm humbled to be selected by Mortgage Women Magazine for this award. Developing people and companies has long been a passion of mine," said Schreiner Gates. "It is thrilling to have a hand in the vision SimpleNexus has for mortgage technology."

Before her engagement with SimpleNexus, Schreiner Gates served as EVP of sales and marketing at Ellie Mae. Constructing unprecedented growth in 2017, Schreiner Gates led the company to earn reported revenue of $417.0 million, up from $360.3 million in 2016. That same year, Schreiner Gates' sales and services department was responsible for booking 40,800 Encompass seats, taking the total number of users to 242,000. Her career has been characterized by expertise in both outside and inside sales channels, business development, market assessment, professional services, demand creation, customer service, operations and support.

Recipients of the Mortgage Women Magazine Mortgage Star award will be featured in the magazine's May/June issue in addition to being recognized at the Mortgage Star conference in Memphis May 4-7.

About SimpleNexus, LLC:

SimpleNexus is a homeownership platform transforming the mortgage experience and connecting borrowers, loan officers, real estate agents and settlement service providers throughout the homebuying process. The platforms' native mobile toolset enables lenders to originate, process and close home loans from anywhere with increased efficiency and convenience. Loan officers can manage their loan pipelines, order credit, run pricing, send pre-approvals, sign disclosures and execute eClosings - all on the go. SimpleNexus provides borrowers with a single sign-on experience from home search to the application, document upload, eClose and beyond for a more streamlined homeownership journey.

Twitter: @SimpleNexus #digitalmortgage #mortgageindustry #mortgagelending @MortgageWomen #MortgageStars

SimpleNexus, developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced Mortgage Women Magazine has recognized Cathleen Schreiner Gates as a Mortgage Star.

Related link: https://simplenexus.com/

LBA Ware’s Q1 2021 Mortgage Loan Compensation Report shows slight decrease in basis points paid

MACON, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, today released summary statistics on the state of mortgage industry loan compensation in the first quarter of 2021. The firm's analysis of data from its CompenSafe™ ICM platform showed that increases in year-over-year refinance and purchase loan volume contributed to higher overall commissions for loan originators (LO) and loan processors despite a slight decline in basis points (BPS) paid per loan.

Methodology

LBA Ware reviewed account data for mortgage lenders who used CompenSafe to automate incentive compensation throughout the first quarters of both 2020 and 2021. The controlled, sample dataset consisted of retail, first-lien production from LOs and loan processors with at least six funded loans during the three-month period beginning January 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2021.

Key Findings:

* Commissions earned by LOs in Q1 2021 increased 52% from Q1 2020 because the average LO funded 55% more loan volume in Q1 2021 than in Q1 2020.

* LOs averaged $1.43M in funded refinance volume per month, an increase of more than 87% over Q1 2020 ($764k), and received an average of 96.332 BPS per refinance loan (versus 96.944 BPS in Q1 2020).

* Purchase volume grew 22% year-over-year, with LOs averaging $1.11M in funded purchase loans per month (versus $912k in Q1 2020) and receiving on average 109.091 BPS per purchase loan (versus 108.251 in Q1 2020).

* Although LO paychecks were larger in Q1 2021 than Q1 2020, the uptick in refinance production and slight downward pressure on BPS paid for refinance loans contributed to a 1.79% decrease in overall per-loan commissions from 103.564 BPS in Q1 2020 to 101.709 BPS in Q1 2021.

* Loan processors handled 29% more loans per month in Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020, fueling a 51% increase in average incentive compensation earned from $1,451 per processor per month in Q1 2020 to $2,194 in Q1 2021.

* Loan teams grew significantly from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021, with the average lender increasing LO head count by 32% and processor head count by 58%.

* On average, 3.6 individuals were paid a form of loan compensation per loan unit in Q1 2021 (versus 3.2 individuals in Q1 2020).

"They say 'many hands make light work,' and in the first quarter of this year we definitely saw lenders sharing the workload," said LBA Ware Founder and CEO Lori Brewer. "Lenders employed 32% more originators and 58% more processors than this time last year and paid incentive compensation to an average of three to four individuals per loan. So far, volume remains brisk across purchase and refi, but as refi volume wanes it could prove difficult to sustain this level of staffing. This is a trend we will be monitoring closely in the coming months."

About LBA Ware™:

LBA Ware is a leading provider of cloud-based software for mortgage lenders. Since 2008, LBA Ware has been on a mission to help mortgage companies reach new heights with software that integrates data, incentivizes performance and inspires results. Today, more than 100 lenders of all sizes, including some of the nation's top producing mortgage companies, use LBA Ware's award-winning technology to enhance lender experiences and maximize the human potential within their organizations. A 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company, LBA Ware is headquartered in Macon, Georgia. For more information, visit https://www.lbaware.com/.

Twitter: @LBAWare #mortgageindustry #mortgagetechnology #mortgagelending

LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, today released summary statistics on the state of mortgage industry loan compensation in the first quarter of 2021.

Related link: https://go.lbaware.com/

Mid America Mortgage CFO Michael Kennemer Receives HousingWire’s Inaugural 2021 Finance Leaders Award

ADDISON, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Mid America Mortgage, Inc. (Mid America) announced today that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Michael Kennemer has been named to HousingWire's inaugural 2021 Finance Leaders awards, recognizing the top finance executives driving financial performance, expanding margins, improving liquidity and helping their businesses access capital markets.

"The last twelve months have been one of the most tumultuous and action-packed periods in the history of housing finance. It's incredibly notable that the organizations that had their financial strategy in order prevailed and were able to benefit from housing and capital marketing dynamics in a big way," said Clayton Collins, CEO of HW Media. "We launched the HousingWire Finance Leaders award to recognize the CFOs and senior finance executives who enabled growth, led IPOs and fundraising initiatives and helped their companies capture market share."

Kennemer's efforts over the last 12 years have enabled Mid America to further its eMortgage capabilities, expand warehouse lending operations and optimize capital markets execution to assist in divisional and overall profitability. He has earned an internal reputation for working closely with all branches and divisions to maximize profits and reduce expenses, resulting in a 1,757% year-over-year increase in Mid America's profits in 2020. As CFO, Kennemer has also yielded a 33x increase in the company's net worth in less than 10 years.

"Michael Kennemer's adept financial stewardship over the past decade-plus has enabled Mid America's expand and modernize its operations so that we can provide borrowers the best digital mortgage experience possible," said Mid America Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bode. "We are extremely proud to have him as our CFO and offer our sincerest congratulations for this well-deserved recognition."

Finance Leaders are selected by HousingWire's Selection Committee based on their professional achievements within their organizations, contributions to the overall housing economy, client impact and personal success. These outstanding professionals are made up of strategic leaders who are paving the way for the future of housing finance. The full list of "2021 Finance Leaders" can be viewed here https://www.housingwire.com/articles/here-are-the-2021-hw-finance-leaders/.

About Mid America Mortgage, Inc.

Mid America Mortgage, Inc., Addison, Texas, is a multi-state, full-service mortgage lender serving consumers and mortgage originators through its retail, wholesale and correspondent channels. We offer a wide range of residential home loan programs to meet the needs of most home buyers and homeowners and are also the nation's leading provider of Section 184 home loans for Native Americans. Learn more at https://www.midamericamortgage.com/.

In operation since 1940, Mid America has thrived by retaining its entrepreneurial spirit and leading the market in innovation, including its adoption of eClosings eNotes. Click n' Close is Mid America's ultra-secure, digital mortgage approval and closing process that gets home buyers from application to closing within two weeks. With just a few clicks at closing, Click n' Close puts keys in the home buyer's hand in 15 minutes or less. Apply online at https://www.midamericamortgage.com/click-n-close/#cnc.

Frequently named a top mortgage employer/workplace by industry trade magazines such as Arizent/National Mortgage News, Mortgage Professional America, MReport and National Mortgage Professional, Mid America is looking for tech-savvy, service-oriented mortgage professionals to join our growing team. We are dedicated to providing our employees with industry-leading tools and technology to deliver a great package of competitive pricing, programs and knowledgeable service. Want to join our team? Visit https://www.midamericamortgage.com/careers/.

About HousingWire:

HousingWire is the most influential source of news and information for the U.S. mortgage and housing markets. Built on a foundation of independent and original journalism, HousingWire reaches over 40,000 newsletter subscribers daily and over 4 million unique visitors each year. Our audience of mortgage, real estate, financial services and fintech professionals rely on us to Move Markets Forward. Visit https://www.housingwire.com/ or https://www.solutions.housingwire.com to learn more.

Twitter: @midamericamtge @HousingWire #HWfinanceleaders

Mid America Mortgage, Inc. (Mid America) announced today that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Michael Kennemer has been named to HousingWire's inaugural 2021 Finance Leaders awards, recognizing the top finance executives driving financial performance, expanding margins, improving liquidity and helping their businesses access capital markets.

Related link: https://www.midamericamortgage.com/

ReverseVision’s Wendy Peel honored as a Mortgage Women Magazine Mortgage Star for bringing reverse mortgage loans into the mainstream mortgage market

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- ReverseVision®, the leading national provider of Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and private reverse mortgage sales and origination technology, announced Vice President of Sales and Marketing Wendy Peel has been named a Mortgage Star award recipient by Mortgage Women Magazine.

2021 marks the inaugural year of Mortgage Women Magazine's Mortgage Star award program. The initiative honors "women at all levels of the mortgage industry who are finding ways to inspire, advance and achieve beyond the norm."

Peel was recognized as a powerful advocate for expanding HECM and reverse mortgage lending opportunities to older Americans. As an industry thought leader, Peel has made substantial progress in righting the reputation of reverse mortgage lending programs since joining ReverseVision in 2015. More recently her efforts have revolved around educating lenders about how advancements in mortgage technology have made it possible to elevate reverse mortgages as a staple lending program alongside traditional forward lending options.

"Wendy is a passionate and effective advocate of reverse mortgage lending who is committed to helping lenders bring to market reverse mortgage lending programs, which have the ability to transform older Americans' financial outcomes as they age," said Joe Langner. "Wendy has made a great impact on this industry and her recognition as a Mortgage Star is well deserved."

Thirty-eight women were selected as Mortgage Stars by Mortgage Women Magazine. They were honored in an awards ceremony on May 5 and have been profiled in the May/June edition of Mortgage Women Magazine, viewable at this link: https://issuu.com/ambizmedia/docs/2021_mwm-mayjune_issuu?fr=sYjVlYjM1Nzk5NDM.

About ReverseVision

Founded in 2007, ReverseVision®, Inc. is the leading national Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and private reverse mortgage sales and origination technology platform, supporting more reverse mortgage transactions than all other systems combined. The company's comprehensive product suite aligns to lenders' unique business and operational models, connecting all lending participants across the entire reverse mortgage lifecycle. A five-time HousingWire TECH100(tm) company, ReverseVision is a privately held company based in San Diego, California.

For more information, visit https://www.reversevision.com/.

Twitter: @reversevision #digitalmortgage #HECM

Facebook: @ReverseVision

LinkedIn: @ReverseVision

ReverseVision®, the leading national provider of Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and private reverse mortgage sales and origination technology, announced Vice President of Sales and Marketing Wendy Peel has been named a Mortgage Star award recipient by Mortgage Women Magazine.

Related link: https://www.reversevision.com/

NotaryCam’s Expanded Remote Notarization Functionality Receives Honorable Mention In Pandemic Response Category for Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization and identity verification/authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, announced today that its remote ink notarization (RIN) functionality and remote online notarization (RON) expansion has been included in the 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards. NotaryCam's products garnered an honorable mention in the Pandemic Response category, highlighting the importance of remote notarization in 2020.

The winners of Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.

When COVID-19 hit, the demand for NotaryCam's services increased almost overnight by 300%. The increase forced NotaryCam to think outside the box to meet the demand of people who had to bypass the challenge of social distancing. The NotaryCam team created a new workflow process to accommodate the new demand so that NotaryCam's client's needs could continue to be met amidst the pandemic.

In response to restrictions imposed on in-person gatherings due to COVID-19, legislators across the U.S. passed temporary measures authorizing RON to ensure notarial activities, including real estate closings, could continue unimpeded. While NotaryCam was fully equipped to handle the increased demand for RON transactions, the company was also tasked with the development of its Concierge Service to accommodate RIN, which many states chose to authorize in lieu of RON in their emergency orders, to ensure home buyers and real estate professionals in every state could utilize the NotaryCam platform to complete their closing ceremony in accordance with their individual state's permanent and/or temporary authorization.

Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists, and more than 800 honorable mentions-with Health and Wellness, AI & Data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design, and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.

Showcasing some of the world's most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, Fast Company's Summer 2021 issue (on newsstands May 10) highlights, among others, a lifesaving bassinet; the world's largest carbon sink, thanks to carbon-eating concrete; 3D-printed schools; an at-home COVID-19 testing kit; a mobile voting app; and the world's cleanest milk.

"With the onset of COVID-19, RON technology and NotaryCam played a critical role not just in moving the housing market forward, but also keeping it from grinding to a complete halt," said Rick Triola, division president of NotaryCam. "I am proud to be able to share this honor with the entire NotaryCam team, which worked quickly and tirelessly to develop and release a RIN product to help accommodate a greater majority of remote closing ceremonies in a socially-distanced world."

"There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it's important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020."

About the World Changing Ideas Awards

World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

About NotaryCam, a Stewart Company

After pioneering the world's first multi-party/multi-state remote online notarization (RON), career real estate executive Rick Triola founded NotaryCam and completed the first mortgage remote online closing (ROC) in 2014. Today, NotaryCam, a Stewart-owned company, is the leader in online notarization and mortgage eClosing solutions, having notarized documents worldwide for hundreds of thousands of customers in all 50 states and more than 146 countries. The company's patented eClose360® platform delivers the "perfect" online mortgage closing in every jurisdiction and supports all eClosing scenarios - RON, IPEN or Hybrids - with a flexible workflow for document recording and unparalleled identity verification, security and customer convenience. In addition to real estate transactions, NotaryCam provide RON services for the execution of electronic wills (eWills), legal docs (i.e., power of attorneys) and Apostilles. The company also proudly maintains an industry-leading 99.8 percent customer satisfaction rating. Visit https://www.notarycam.com for additional information or to get a document notarized today.

NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization and identity verification/authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, announced today that its remote ink notarization (RIN) functionality and remote online notarization (RON) expansion has been included in the 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards.

Related link: https://www.notarycam.com/

MCM Capital and its affiliate, Temple View Capital, Select Libretto from Bizzy Labs for Compliance Monitoring on Loan Files

IRVING, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Bizzy Labs, a regtech company that uses a big data approach to perfect mortgage loan compliance during loan boarding and throughout the life of servicing, announces that MCM Capital and its affiliate, Temple View Capital, have selected Libretto from Bizzy Labs for compliance monitoring on their entire portfolio.

Libretto, a regtech offering from Bizzy Labs, improves loan portfolio compliance by automating identification of data anomalies in loan files, enabling their timely research and remediation. Its comprehensive business rule library is curated by legal and compliance experts and can be configured by loan type. Its systematic and automated approach to loan diligence translates into fewer borrower complaints and higher loan valuations.

"We are pleased that MCM Capital and Temple View Capital have selected Libretto as its compliance monitoring engine," said Gagan Sharma, CEO of Bizzy Labs. "As they work with multiple servicers, Libretto provides a single consistent mechanism to monitor their portfolio."

"We selected Libretto for its advanced design and comprehensive business rules library," said Mike Niccolini, MCM Capital CEO. "It is ideal for monitoring quality and detecting issues that may create compliance risk."

About Bizzy Labs:

Formed in 2020, Bizzy Labs is the product of BSI Financial's decade-long program to develop a technology-based alternative to manual processes that detect loan file anomalies. A stand-alone company located in Irving, Texas, Bizzy Labs provides regtech services to loan investors, originators and servicers. Its core product, Libretto, improves loan performance and profitability by reducing errors that create compliance risk and servicing challenges. Bizzy Labs is located on the Web at http://www.bizzylabs.tech.

About MCM Capital:

MCM Capital ("MCM"), along with its affiliate, Temple View Capital, LLC ("TVC"), based in Bethesda, Maryland, is a leading residential whole loan mortgage investor, manager, advisor, and technology provider. MCM's investment thesis is centered on asset value and servicing arbitrage opportunities created by dislocations in credit markets and underperformance by traditional mortgage servicers. It is located on the Web at https://www.mcmcap.com/.

Social: #BizzyLabs #Libretto #LoanPortfolioQuality #LoanFileComplianceMonitoring #MCMcapital

Bizzy Labs, a regtech company that uses a big data approach to perfect mortgage loan compliance during loan boarding and throughout the life of servicing, announces that MCM Capital and its affiliate, Temple View Capital, have selected Libretto from Bizzy Labs for compliance monitoring on their entire portfolio.

Related link: https://www.bizzylabs.tech/

Chelsea Groton Bank Marks Year Defined by Pandemic As ‘Record’ In Every Way

GROTON, Conn. /ScoopCloud/ -- Chelsea Groton Bank reported impressive financial, educational, technical and community-based accomplishments at its 166th Annual Meeting which was conducted over Zoom on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. President and CEO Michael Rauh presented the Bank's 2020 results to Bank officers, Board members and Corporators.

"Our focus has always been on helping individuals, families and businesses succeed in big ways and small by putting more effort into everything we do. Our team was incredibly focused on the needs of our customers, and doing whatever it took to help them succeed in the most challenging circumstances," shared Rauh. "The result was a banner year from a financial perspective, but more importantly, a year where we were everything a community bank is meant to be - a team of local people working tirelessly to ensure the people, businesses and organizations in our community are better positioned to be successful."

Chelsea Groton Bank helped almost 600 businesses obtain nearly $74 million in SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, more than any other lender in the area. The Bank also developed a Small Business Relief Loan program for businesses in need of additional funding as they worked to recover from the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Inclusive of the $74 million in PPP loans, the Bank's commercial loan portfolio grew to $259 million, as Chelsea Groton continued to provide credit lines, term loans, permanent commercial mortgages, and construction loans to businesses across Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The Bank proudly provided more residential financing than any bank, credit union or broker in Eastern CT in 2020.* In spite of the challenging financial year for many, the dream of homeownership came true for 155 first-time homebuyers. The Bank approved a total of 908 first mortgage loans, more than twice the number of first mortgage loans closed in the year prior. Dedicated to helping people provide housing for themselves and their families, Chelsea Groton originated $5 million in CHFA loans for 30 low-to-moderate income individuals, and worked one-on-one with furloughed homeowners who were unable to make their monthly payments to offer fee forgiveness and loan deferments.

The Chelsea Groton Foundation and Bank together donated a record $1 million to the community in 2020, in response to the increased need across organizations in many giving categories. The Foundation also gave over $22,000 to area organizations through the Acts of Kindness program, $100 to the non-profit of each team member's choice. While some volunteer opportunities shifted during the pandemic, Bank team members still volunteered 3,678 hours of their time.

The Chelsea University community education program pivoted to offer programming entirely online in mid-March. Over the course of the year, customers and community members attended 166 classes on everything from credit and home-buying, to social security and Medicare, as well as classes for the aspiring and current business owner. Lifestyle programming, including a Chelsea Cooks! series, virtual yoga, and crafting events were also offered online. For community members unable to attend online classes, additional resources are always available on the Bank's E-learning Center, and recorded classes are on the Chelsea Groton YouTube page.

As of December 31, 2020, the Bank's total assets increased to $1.4 billion. Net operating income was virtually unchanged, dropping slightly, from $13,233,721 to $13,095,912 in 2020. There was a $16 million increase in capital from 2019.

"All of the Bank's success in 2020 was made possible by two big things - a dedicated team that showed an unwavering commitment to the Bank's customers and community members during this time of great need, and advanced technology that was built with a focus on bringing people and digital together," expressed Rauh.

Prior to the pandemic, the Bank deployed a system that enabled the entire staff to work entirely remotely if there was ever the need. Chelsea Groton proudly introduced Chelsea|LIVE Video Banking ATMs and a Video Banking App, giving customers the opportunity to talk live with the local banking team during extended hours when at many of the Bank's ATMs or from the convenience of the customer's phone, tablet or computer. Mobile Wallet was also rolled out, allowing customers to connect their Chelsea Groton Debit Card to Apple Pay(r), Google Pay(tm) or Samsung Pay.** The Bank continues to offer interpreter services over the phone and in person. Each of these services has helped customers manage their finances more effectively, especially as people were looking to conduct their banking safely in a more remote world.

Forbes included Chelsea Groton Bank on the "America's Best-In-State Banks" list. The Bank was once again voted "Best Bank" by the readers of The Day (2015-2020), a "Top Workplace" in the Hartford Courant based on an employee survey (2016-2020), and the "Best Place to Work" by the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce. BauerFinancial, an independent bank rating service, awarded Chelsea Groton their "5 Star" designation for financial stability and exemplary excellence for the 107th consecutive quarter, maintaining Chelsea Groton as a "Best of Bauer" bank.

"Over the last few years, the Bank has focused on taking a consultative approach to working with every person who comes through the door," said Rauh. "We were thrilled this year to be able to offer new technologies, or more frequently utilize the ones we had, in order to provide customers with options to bank when, where and how they felt was safest or most convenient for them. Chelsea Groton will never lose sight of the importance of human interaction to truly serve our customers' needs. We're excited that many of our new technologies bring the personal and digital experience together, in order to do just that."

View the Chelsea Groton 2020 Annual Report video and financials.

At this year's meeting, Bank officials also announced the appointment of four new Corporators:

Wendy Bury of Stonington, CT: Wendy is the Founding Executive Director of the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition and the Founding Executive Director of La Grua Center, Stonington. She serves as the Policy and Issues Committee Chair for CT Arts Alliance, Trustee of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, Board Member of Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (seCTer), Dept. of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Regional Recovery Steering Committee Member and Co-Chair of the Lamont/Bysiewicz Transition Arts, Culture and Tourism Policy Committee. Wendy also founded the Stonington Nonprofit Roundtable. She graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and Case Western Reserve University with a Master's degree in Art History.

Shiela Hayes of Norwich, CT: Shiela is the President of the NAACP Norwich Branch and is a Founding Member and Secretary of Sankofa Education & Leadership, Inc. She is a Corporator at Norwich Free Academy, member of the Norwich Area Clergy Association and the Rotary Community Corps of Norwich. She previously served as secretary for the City of Norwich, Ellis Walter Ruley Committee Secretary, the 150th Anniversary of the City of Norwich Emancipation Proclamation Committee and the City of Norwich Semiseptcentennial (350th) Celebration. Shiela is a recipient of the 2019 Ron Aliano Service to the Community Award, the 2017 Lottie B. Scott Diversity Award, Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club Norwich #6747 and the 2009 Connecticut Council of Family Services Agencies Family Champion Award. She graduated from Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems & Accounting and Rensselaer at Hartford with a Master's degree in Management.

Suki Lagrito of Norwich, CT: Suki is a local entrepreneur and liaison for Global City Norwich (NCDC's Downtown Revitalization Program). She is a Board Member of Norwich Rotary Club, and member of Norwich Public Schools Equity Committee, Norwich Adult Education Advisory Board, and Rose City United.

Larry Rivarde of Groton, CT: Larry is the Chief Operating Officer at Mystic Aquarium. He is a Board member for ZCOG (Zoo Conservation Outreach Group) and member of ZBPWG (Zoo Best Practices Working Group and AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), where he also serves as a mentor for the AZA's 2017-21 ELDP (Executive Leadership Development Program). He previously served on Xavier University's Business Advisory Council and AZA's Safety & Diversity Committees. Over the years, he has facilitated many Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training workshops. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Xavier University New Orleans, and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Tulane University.

*The Warren Group, Inc. Mortgage Marketshare Module Report- All Residentials, All Regions in New London and Windham Counties, CT Annual 2020

**Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Pay, iPhone, TouchID and FaceID are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Google Pay and the Google logo are trademarks of Google LLC. (c)2018 Google LLC, used with permission. Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google LLC.

Samsung Pay and the Samsung logo are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

About Chelsea Groton Bank

Based in Groton, Conn., Chelsea Groton Bank is a full-service mutually owned bank with over $1.4 billion in assets. Chelsea Groton Bank's products and services include consumer banking, business banking, mortgage and business lending, cash management, financial planning and financial education programming. With 14 branch locations throughout New London County and a Loan Production Office in Hartford County, Chelsea Groton Bank also provides online and mobile banking, 24-hour telephone banking, and nationwide ATM banking for individuals, families and businesses. To learn more, please visit www.chelseagroton.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS Institution ID 402928.

Chelsea Groton Bank reported impressive financial, educational, technical and community-based accomplishments at its 166th Annual Meeting which was conducted over Zoom on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. President and CEO Michael Rauh presented the Bank's 2020 results to Bank officers, Board members and Corporators.

Related link: https://www.chelseagroton.com/

DocMagic’s Leah Sommerville Receives Inaugural NextGen Leader Award

TORRANCE, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, automated regulatory compliance, and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that Leah Sommerville, one of its digital mortgage and eClosing subject matter experts, was honored with PROGRESS in Lending Association's inaugural NextGen Leader Award.

The new award recognizes rising visionaries and thought leaders that have been in the mortgage industry for ten years or less. The winners encompass a wide range of mortgage professionals with diverse skill sets that have one commonality: helping their companies make a difference for the good of the industry. They are creative, out-of-the-box thinkers who go above and beyond what's expected, are not afraid to step forward and blaze a new trail, and constantly offer bold new ideas.

"Being named to this new list of industry professionals who are all striving to make a difference is truly an honor," said Sommerville. "At the end of the day, working for an industry-leading company like DocMagic that is constantly innovating makes it easy to get excited and passionate about introducing digital mortgage solutions to lenders. I look forward to more success with DocMagic's Total eClose platform and supporting digital lending throughout 2021."

Notable is that in 2020, DocMagic achieved 128 percent year-over-year growth and executed the most eClosings in company history, tallying a 724 percent increase in transactions via its Total eClose™ platform.

Leah has been a member of DocMagic's eClosing team for several years, placing an emphasis on working with lending entities to help form their digital mortgage and eClosing strategies. She has dedicated herself to the furtherance and promotion of DocMagic's innovative digital mortgage solutions and has successfully leveraged her industry knowledge, relationships, and unwavering drive to help implement best practices and adoption of eClosing workflows and solutions - all in an effort to improve mortgage processes that benefit key stakeholders within the supply chain.

In a short period of time, Leah has developed into a respected thought leader in the digital mortgage transformation movement, specifically with eClosings, eNotarizations, eNotes, eVaults, eRegistry, investor eDelivery, and compliance adherence.

Leah utilizes her eClosing expertise to implement best practices and adoption techniques for lender eClosings. She helps provide lenders with the flexibility needed to be successful in a fast-moving mortgage market for both the short and long term.

DocMagic's Total eClose™ platform is an award-winning, end-to-end solution that seamlessly integrates every component of the closing process and enables a fully paperless workflow. The single-source solution can be leveraged by lenders in a modular fashion that grows with lenders' businesses as they advance digitizing their mortgage operations.

About DocMagic:

DocMagic, Inc. is the leading provider of fully compliant document generation, automated compliance, eSignature and comprehensive eMortgage solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops award-winning software, mobile apps, processes, and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company's solutions connect industry participants, promote collaboration, and data integrity to execute precision-based digital lending transactions. The company's compliance experts and in-house legal staff consistently monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy. For more information on DocMagic, visit www.docmagic.com.

Media Contact:
Joe Bowerbank
Profundity Communications, Inc.
949-378-9685
jbowerbank@profunditymarketing.com

Social: @DocMagic #TotaleClose #eClosingLeader #NextGenLeader

DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, automated regulatory compliance, and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced that Leah Sommerville, one of its digital mortgage and eClosing subject matter experts, was honored with PROGRESS in Lending Association's inaugural NextGen Leader Award.

Related link: https://www.docmagic.com/

Strategic Benefits Advisors welcomes Kah-Lee Wong as senior benefits consultant

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- Independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) announced that Kah-Lee Wong, FSA, EA, MAAA, has joined the firm as a senior benefits consultant. In this role, Wong will work closely with organizations to provide actuarial consulting services and solve challenges related to their employee benefits plans.

Wong has over 30 years' experience leading benefit consulting teams with a focus on defined benefit (DB) and health and welfare (H&W) plans. Prior to joining SBA, Wong was a managing consultant at private actuarial and benefits consulting firm Cambridge Advisory Group for 13 years. Other roles include nearly two decades at global retirement and benefits consulting firm Mercer, where she was a principal. Wong's experience encompasses a range of benefits-related services for large- and medium-sized companies, including actuarial valuation, plan compliance, M&A due diligence, plan termination and plan administration.

"Kah-Lee's reputation as a highly accomplished actuary and employee benefits professional precedes her. She excels at understanding the needs of plan sponsors and guiding teams to provide exemplary service," said SBA Co-Founder and Principal Mindy Zatto. "She is a welcome addition to SBA and will play a vital role in helping clients optimize their benefits offerings."

Wong holds a bachelor's degree in business administration (BBA) with a concentration in actuarial science and finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

About Strategic Benefits Advisors

Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) is an independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm focused on creatively and effectively solving complex benefits issues for clients ranging from 1,000 to over 300,000 employees. Founded in 2002 by veteran consultants Mindy Zatto and Andy Adams, SBA provides practical consulting recommendations and expert implementation of solutions for all types of employee benefits programs, including retirement, health and welfare, financial wellness and employee recognition. With an average of over 20 years in the field, SBA's team of actuaries, consultants and systems specialists is among the most experienced in the industry. For more information, visit http://www.sba-inc.com/.

Independent, full-service employee benefits consulting firm Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) announced that Kah-Lee Wong, FSA, EA, MAAA, has joined the firm as a senior benefits consultant. In this role, Wong will work closely with organizations to provide actuarial consulting services and solve challenges related to their employee benefits plans.

Related link: https://www.sba-inc.com/

IDS Honored as Bronze Stevie® Award Winner In 2021 American Business Awards®

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah /ScoopCloud/ -- Mortgage document preparation vendor International Document Services, Inc. (IDS), announced today it was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year category in The 19th Annual American Business Awards®.

Customization and knowledgeable client service are two of the hallmarks of working with IDS. For the team members of the customer service department, embodying those commitments means going above and beyond to resolve client questions, issues and concerns as quickly as possible, even if it means stretching themselves outside the bounds of the typical customer service agent.

This dedication has directly contributed to IDS' consistently high customer satisfaction rates. In 2020 IDS maintained a 99% satisfaction rate, which is much higher than Global Benchmark at 94% and Software Industry Benchmark at 96%. IDS had an average of 12.0 hours average first reply time, better than the industry average of 14.8 hours. Remarkably, this was all accomplished during the pandemic, which caused a shift to remote operations amidst a refinance boom, both of which also contributed to a significant increase in the number of tickets IDS received.

"IDS has always focused on meeting our customer's needs and 2020 was no different," said IDS Vice President and General Manager Mark Mackey. "Our customer service department ensured IDS continued to provide fast and effective service in the middle of a global pandemic, all while adapting to new levels of customer expectations with extreme flexibility and dedication."

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations - public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

"The American economy continues to show its resilience, and as we're poised on the beginning of what should be a phenomenal period of growth, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of a wide range of organizations and people over the past 18 months," said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. "This year's Stevie-winning nominations in The American Business Awards are testament to the ingenuity, the commitment, the passion, the adaptability, and the creativity of the American people. We look forward to celebrating this year's winners during our virtual ceremony on June 30."

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event on Wednesday, June 30. Tickets for the virtual event are now on sale.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2021 Stevie winners are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/ABA.

About IDS, Inc.

IDS, a Reynolds and Reynolds company, was founded in 1986 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a nationwide provider of mortgage documents and compliance. IDS services include eSignatures, closing documents, initial disclosures, document fulfillment and integration with leading loan origination systems and eClosing platforms. The IDS flagship doc prep solution, idsDoc, is recognized in the industry for its ability to be customized to meet specific lender needs, particularly in regard to major industry compliance changes. (https://info.idsdoc.com/)

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. The Stevies also produce the annual Women|Future Conference. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of The 2021 American Business Awards include John Hancock Financial Services, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Mortgage document preparation vendor International Document Services, Inc. (IDS), announced today it was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year category in The 19th Annual American Business Awards®.

Related link: https://info.idsdoc.com/

LBA Ware taps STRATMOR Group alum Angie Middlebrook for mortgage software implementation role

MACON, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, announced it has added mortgage industry expert Angie Middlebrook as a software implementation consultant. In this role, Middlebrook will assist lenders as they implement LBA Ware's LimeGear™ BI Platform and ICM platform CompenSafe™ to its full capabilities, advancing them beyond the implementation stage to maximize use of LBA Ware's software solutions.

Middlebrook's software expertise stems from eight years as a STRATMOR Group senior analyst, where her responsibilities ranged from developing data products, compensation strategies and industry studies. Middlebrook worked closely with lenders to increase study participation and analyze data. Prior to STRATMOR Group, Middlebrook was the director of client services at Motivity Solutions, where she worked closely to train clients and instill new capabilities to meet their business objectives.

In addition to Middlebrook's software and analytic background, she launched her career in the mortgage industry as a closer.

"Angie's passion for software gives her a unique edge in helping lenders create efficiencies and grow their businesses," said LBA Ware Founder and CEO Lori Brewer. "Her blend of experience in client services and software development, plus her background in mortgage, makes her a great addition to LBA Ware."

"I've always had a passion for teaching others how to make technology work for them," said Middlebrook. "With my mortgage and software background I completely understand what is happening behind the scenes and how valuable LBA Ware's compensation and business intelligence solutions are."

About LBA Ware™:

LBA Ware is a leading provider of cloud-based software for mortgage lenders. Since 2008, LBA Ware has been on a mission to help mortgage companies reach new heights with software that integrates data, incentivizes performance and inspires results. Today, more than 100 lenders of all sizes, including some of the nation's top producing mortgage companies, use LBA Ware's award-winning technology to enhance lender experiences and maximize the human potential within their organizations. A 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company, LBA Ware is headquartered in Macon, Georgia. For more information, visit https://www.lbaware.com.

Twitter: @LBAWare #mortgageindustry #mortgagetechnology #mortgagelending #peoplemovers

LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, announced it has added mortgage industry expert Angie Middlebrook as a software implementation consultant.

Related link: https://go.lbaware.com/

Nomis Solutions Builds First-String Team to Spearhead Mortgage Initiatives

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Nomis Solutions (Nomis), a global, industry-leading pricing and profitability management solutions provider, announced it has added several new sales and marketing hires to support its mortgage pricing and profitability management initiatives and competitive intelligence technology.

Under the leadership of industry veteran and Nomis Chief Revenue Officer Matt Woolley, this team signals a strategic intention to entrench Nomis mortgage technology as a game-changing digital mortgage innovation with measurable lender profitability impact.

"Mortgage lenders with an innate eye for competitive advantage instantly react when they are introduced to Nomis, which is why, in less than a year, our mortgage client base has doubled," said Woolley. "I've personally selected this team both to support our recent achievements and to advance Nomis' strategic initiatives to deliver unmatched value as a digital mortgage innovator."

NOMIS SALES AND MARKETING TEAM NEW HIRES INCLUDE:

Terry Brennan - Regional Vice President, Sales

An expert financial services sales consultant for nearly two decades, Brennan most recently completed an eight-year tenure with Delaware Investments as Regional Director, where he was on track to complete $225 million mutual fund sales in 2021. Previously, Brennan succeeded in sales roles with Lincoln Financial Group during his seven-year tenure.

Kerry Caldwell - Regional Vice President, Sales

With more than 20 years' sales expertise in B2B mortgage lending technologies, Caldwell most recently served as national account director at Mortgage Coach, Black Knight national director of sales, and Motivity Solutions regional director. An experienced loan officer, Caldwell sits on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association.

Steven Divitaris - Director, Sales Operations

Before joining Nomis, Divitaris held sales positions for the Canadian divisions of ADP and Fastenal. Divitaris has played an integral role in the launch of Nomis' flagship mortgage pricing and competitive intelligence product, with his contributions fueling significant client growth in the mortgage division.

Gerald Dorman - Regional Vice President, Sales

Including his ten-year tenure as LoanLogics national accounts vice president where he consistently earned a top producer award each year, Gerald Dorman joins the team from his most recent position as Informative Research vice president of client success. There, he originated over $3.5 million in new sales within the first year.

TJ Lile - Regional Vice President, Sales

Lile brings more than 15 years' mortgage insurance experience to Nomis, including sales, risk management and operations most recently at National Mortgage Insurance Corporation and previously at Republic Mortgage Insurance Corporation. Lile has served as a director with the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association, is an accredited mortgage professional (AMP), and in 2018 was named a Rising Star by HousingWire magazine.

Samantha MacKendrick - Vice President, Marketing

An expert FinTech marketing professional joining Nomis Solutions from Optimal Blue/Black Knight, Inc., MacKendrick previously lead and executed marketing strategy for the secondary marketing technologies division, including Optimal Blue and Compass Analytics integrated technologies, services, data and analytics. With more than 10 years' mortgage marketing experience, MacKendrick is an expert liaison between executive leadership, product and sales teams to effectively achieve strategic business initiatives.

With this first string of mortgage experts, Nomis is transforming the industry with groundbreaking tools for mortgage pricing and profitability management. The Nomis mortgage technology suite provides real-time pricing analytics and competitive intelligence to enable mortgage lenders to identify and act on market opportunities, optimize operations and maximize profitability.

About Nomis Solutions

Nomis Solutions is a global, industry-leading pricing and profitability management solutions provider that delivers competitive intelligence to bankers and mortgage lenders to facilitate more advanced pricing strategies. The company's analytics platform and end-to-end pricing tools enable retail banks and mortgage lenders to achieve customer- and borrower-centric pricing backed by real-time, actionable data. The platform also supports banks and mortgage lenders in their understanding and anticipation of the evolving demands of customers and borrowers, competitors, and ever-changing market conditions. For more information, please visit www.nomissolutions.com.

Nomis Solutions (Nomis), a global, industry-leading pricing and profitability management solutions provider, announced it has added several new sales and marketing hires to support its mortgage pricing and profitability management initiatives and competitive intelligence technology.

Related link: https://www.nomissolutions.com/

Alternative Finance Network Announces New Lending Partner, Providing Cannabis Real Estate Loans Starting at 5%

DENVER, Colo. /ScoopCloud/ -- Alternative Finance Network (AFN), a leading provider of financing for the cannabis industry led by Marijuana Money Man, Scott Jordan, announces its new lending partner for single-digit real estate loans. The partnership will allow AFN to offer bank-like rates, resulting in real estate loans starting at five percent for high quality borrowers.

"This is truly a historic moment for the cannabis industry, and we could not be more excited to introduce this partnership that will allow us to deliver real estate loans in the single digits to marijuana businesses," says Scott Jordan, founder, Alternative Finance Network. "I have been an advocate for over a decade, helping cannabis companies achieve parity within the lending community. Today, we are seeing rates dropping significantly from loans I secured 10 years ago at 40 percent, to an astonishing low mark of mid-single digits. This is a trend I am extremely pleased to see and I am thrilled to be a part of the forward momentum and equality for the cannabis industry."

Low rates are available for the purchase of cannabis tenanted buildings, dispensaries, warehouses and more. The loans can provide up to 60 percent loan-to-value for purchases with bank-like rates available in all legal states for well-qualified borrowers.

For more information about real estate loans or other lending options with Alternative Finance Network, visit http://alternativefinancenetwork.com/.

About Alternative Finance Network

The Alternative Finance Network (AFN) was created by Scott Jordan, the Marijuana Money Man, in 2019 with the mission of providing multiple funding options to cannabis business owners for equipment, real estate and working capital financing. The AFN network provides access to private lenders, banks, credit unions and more with vetted capital partners. Please visit http://alternativefinancenetwork.com/ to learn more about cannabis financing options.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jordan Callahan
Aimee Miller Marketing
303.406.8839
jordanjacksoncallahan@gmail.com

Alternative Finance Network (AFN), a leading provider of financing for the cannabis industry led by Marijuana Money Man, Scott Jordan, announces its new lending partner for single-digit real estate loans. The partnership will allow AFN to offer bank-like rates, resulting in real estate loans starting at five percent for high quality borrowers.

Related link: https://alternativefinancenetwork.com/

Sales Boomerang and Insellerate combine real-time borrower intelligence and marketing automation to supercharge mortgage customer engagement

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Sales Boomerang, the industry's top-rated automated borrower intelligence and retention system, has expanded its integration with leading mortgage customer experience platform Insellerate. By combining loan opportunity alerts from Sales Boomerang with Insellerate's automated, multi-channel marketing that spans phone, text, email, direct mail, social media and website retargeting, the technologies' seamless API integration enhances every stage of the borrower journey to help lenders increase customer retention and convert more leads to loans.

Sales Boomerang analyzes consumer and market data in real-time to alert lenders when a prospect or past customer is ready for a new loan. For example, when a consumer's credit activity indicates they may be mortgage shopping, or when their credit score improves, Sales Boomerang notifications allow loan officers to help borrowers apply for a loan for which they were previously not qualified. On average, lenders using Sales Boomerang improve their borrower retention by 11.66% and see a 20 to 40% average lift to loan volume.

"Between home purchases, refis and home-equity loans, the average consumer will do 11 mortgages in their lifetime," said Sales Boomerang CEO Alex Kutsishin. "Sales Boomerang's goal is to help lenders earn their customer's loyalty across all 11 loans by presenting meaningful financial opportunities at exactly the right time, every time. Our integration with Insellerate doesn't just make that kind of customer service possible, it makes it easy and efficient."

Built by mortgage professionals, Insellerate combines the customer relationship management (CRM) tools that are essential to loan officer success with a full range of customer engagement capabilities, including built-in lead management, sales enablement and automated marketing. The platform's rich content library and modern architecture are purpose-built to integrate seamlessly with any lender's existing tech stack, enabling Insellerate to deliver value from day one. Loan originators can even use Insellerate from a mobile device.

"Insellerate's comprehensive customer engagement toolset, combined with real-time opportunity alerts from Sales Boomerang, keeps lenders competitive in any market by helping originators find more opportunities, work more efficiently and close more loans," said Insellerate CEO Josh Friend.

About Sales Boomerang:

Sales Boomerang revolutionized the relationship between a Mortgage Lender and Borrower with the introduction of the only automated Borrower Intelligence System in 2017, which tells lenders when anyone in their database is ready for a loan. Today, Sales Boomerang is the #1 Borrower Retention strategy in the industry and has discovered over $30B in new volume for Lenders. Sales Boomerang's notifications are integrated with the best CRM/Marketing Automation Systems in the industry to provide a seamless experience for Lenders and Borrowers. Sales Boomerang's employees are dedicated to improving the lending experience for Lenders and Borrowers, and united behind the ethos - No Borrower Left Behind™.

About Insellerate:

Insellerate helps lenders close more loans through better borrower engagement. The mortgage industry's most innovative marketing and sales engagement platform. We deliver dynamic technology, strategy, and content for every channel of your business to ensure engagement throughout the borrower's journey. Insellerate integrates with the software that is powering your business today and into the future. Insellerate is a highly scalable, configurable, and modern platform that accelerates the sales process and generates repeat business. SOC 2 and SSAE 18 certified, Insellerate is built to satisfy the most closely regulated businesses, including banks with mortgage subsidiaries. For more information, visit https://insellerate.com/ or contact us at 855-973-1646.

Twitter: @SalesBoomerang @Insellerate #MortgageIndustry #MortgageMarketing #CustomerRetention #NoBorrowerLeftBehind

Sales Boomerang, the industry's top-rated automated borrower intelligence and retention system, has expanded its integration with leading mortgage customer experience platform Insellerate.

Related link: https://www.salesboomerang.com/

LBA Ware to host capital markets expert Rob Chrisman for webinar on today’s mortgage M&A market

MACON, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, today announced the second installment in its free, quarterly webinar series. Featuring capital markets expert Rob Chrisman, Deal or No Deal: Growth and Exit Strategies for Today's Mortgage Lender is designed to give lending executives and investors meaningful insight into today's mortgage M&A market. The webinar will take place Thursday, May 13, from 1-2 p.m. ET.

Rob Chrisman's daily market commentary is among the mortgage industry's most widely read publications. A three-decade veteran of the mortgage banking industry, Chrisman will join LBA Ware Founder and CEO Lori Brewer for a live fireside chat that will examine recent industry deals and highlight the most important factors for investors, buyers and sellers to consider in today's market.

Topics will include:

* Deal-making 101: Various deal types and strategic motivators of investors, buyers, and sellers

* Rob's insider take on today's biggest M&A and IPO headlines

* Why cultural compatibility is crucial to the success (or failure) of a deal

* The importance of understanding and reconciling compensation strategies pre-merger

* What to look for under the hood when evaluating business operations during due diligence

"As the pandemic recedes, M&A interest and IPO activity are heating up. We are honored to host Rob Chrisman, one of the most respected names in mortgage banking, for an insider's perspective on growth and exit strategies for today's mortgage lender - including the most important items to evaluate when looking 'under the hood' of an M&A prospect," said LBA Ware Founder and CEO Lori Brewer.

Attendees may submit questions for Rob Chrisman to answer at the time of registration. Registration is required. To register, click here.

About LBA Ware™:

LBA Ware is a leading provider of cloud-based software for mortgage lenders. Since 2008, LBA Ware has been on a mission to help mortgage companies reach new heights with software that integrates data, incentivizes performance and inspires results. Today, more than 100 lenders of all sizes, including some of the nation's top producing mortgage companies, use LBA Ware's award-winning technology to enhance lender experiences and maximize the human potential within their organizations. A 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company, LBA Ware is headquartered in Macon, Georgia. For more information, visit https://www.lbaware.com.

Twitter: @LBAWare #mortgageindustry #mortgagetechnology #mortgagelending

LBA Ware™, a leading provider of incentive compensation management (ICM) and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for the mortgage industry, today announced the second installment in its free, quarterly webinar series.

Related link: https://go.lbaware.com/

SimpleNexus enhances its eClose solution with remote online notarization (RON), enabling mortgage lenders to execute full eClosings

LEHI, Utah /ScoopCloud/ -- SimpleNexus (https://simplenexus.com/), developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced SimpleNexus eClose now supports remote online notarization (RON), enabling lenders to efficiently conduct fully-digital eClosings.

SimpleNexus eClose brings together borrowers, lenders, settlement agents and notaries for a collaborative and efficient closing experience. Integrated eSign capabilities offer borrowers the modern convenience of signing eDocuments on any web-enabled device, including mobile phones. Intelligent workflows improve lender efficiency by automatically updating documents across all platforms and alerting lenders when actions have been completed. eClosing portal access for settlement agents more closely engages them in the process.

Learn more: https://www.simplenexus.com/eclosing/

In a RON eClosing, or full eClose, all documents are eSigned and electronically notarized by a commissioned remote online notary via webcam. SimpleNexus has partnered with market-leading, MISMO RON standard certified remote online notarization provider Notarize to debut RON in its eClose environment. In the future, SimpleNexus will partner with additional RON vendors.

"Remote online notarization is rewiring the closing experience for the digital era, making it simple, more efficient, and secure to close from anywhere, any time. In all market conditions, consumers are clamoring for the technology that streamlines closing, and Notarize is thrilled to be on the SimpleNexus eClose platform to close that 'last mile' of the transaction to make full eClosings a reality," said Pat Kinsel, Notarize Co-Founder and CEO.

With the addition of RON to SimpleNexus eClose, lenders can provide borrowers with a fully digital, single sign-on homebuying experience from application to closing. Currently, 32 U.S. states allow full eClosings in which all loan closing documents are eSigned and remotely notarized. RON bills have been introduced in several other states and at the Federal level.

"SimpleNexus is committed to delivering lenders with a one-stop platform that seamlessly guides borrowers throughout the entire homeownership journey," said SimpleNexus President Cathleen Schreiner Gates. "The added capability of RON, which enables full eClose, gives lenders and borrowers the choice to make closing as digital as they want. In addition to improved borrower experience, full eClose offers lenders substantial return on innovation with improved operational efficiency, greater data integrity and faster delivery of loans to the secondary market."

To date, SimpleNexus empowers 300 mortgage lenders to "do more," by connecting its 34,000 active LO users with more than 3 million borrowers and 141,000 real estate partners to produce 13 million mortgages totaling more than $3 trillion in volume.

About SimpleNexus, LLC:

SimpleNexus is a homeownership platform transforming the mortgage experience and connecting borrowers, loan officers, real estate agents and settlement service providers throughout the homebuying process. The platforms' native mobile toolset enables lenders to originate, process and close home loans from anywhere with increased efficiency and convenience. Loan officers can manage their loan pipelines, order credit, run pricing, send pre-approvals, sign disclosures and execute eClosings - all on the go. SimpleNexus provides borrowers with a single sign-on experience from home search to the application, document upload, eClose and beyond for a more streamlined homeownership journey. Learn more: https://www.simplenexus.com/.

About Notarize:

Notarize is the first platform to enable thousands of people each day to sign and notarize documents online. From adopting a child to buying a home, Notarize builds trusted products and services that support and bring trust to life's most important moments. For more information, visit https://www.notarize.com/.

Twitter: @SimpleNexus @Notarize #digitalmortgage #mortgageindustry #mortgagelending #eClose #RON

SimpleNexus, developer of the leading homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced SimpleNexus eClose now supports remote online notarization (RON), enabling lenders to efficiently conduct fully-digital eClosings.

Related link: https://simplenexus.com/

Wells Fargo, CoreLogic and Volly Sponsor #HousingDC21 Virtual Housing Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- Housing Finance Strategies President Faith Schwartz today announced three new sponsors have joined #HousingDC21, a 100% virtual housing summit being held on September 20-21, 2021. The new sponsors are Wells Fargo, Platinum, CoreLogic, Gold and Volly, Silver.

"We are honored to have these three firms support our efforts in producing #HousingDC21 and we believe their sponsorship speaks volumes to the quality of event we will stage next September," said Faith Schwartz. "Clearly, market leaders want to participate in #HousingDC21 because they know it will provide insightful and meaningful content that informs the business agendas of 2022."

#HousingDC21 will feature speakers from the White House and officials from cabinet agencies who will pair nicely with business leaders who are executing on housing goals for the nation. Representative themes include mortgage modernization, climate change and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and how they will drive origination through securitization change - as well as regulatory oversight.

Wells Fargo, CoreLogic and Volly join the following sponsors-to-date of #HousingDC21, FormFree, FICO, Caliber Home Loans, Freedom Mortgage, Black Knight Financial Services, Notarize, First American Financial Solutions, Genworth, RiskSpan, Class Valuation, Mortgage Connect, USMI, FundingShield, ReverseVision, CoreLogic, DepthPR, Women in Housing & Finance and the Women in Housing & Finance Foundation.

Schwartz added: "With these additional sponsors at our event, and with conference registration well past expectations at this early stage, we are set to deliver the nation's premier housing policy conference this September. We have a focus on women executives in housing finance - but our event is open to all who wish to attend."

Take advantage of complimentary registration and sign-up today by clicking here: https://www.housingdc21.com/.

About Housing Finance Strategies:

Housing Finance Strategies was established by Faith Schwartz in 2016 as a professional services and advisory firm specializing in mortgage modernization, housing policy and legislative and regulatory affairs. Schwartz serves on a number of bank and fintech boards and has a lengthy record of hosting and moderating housing industry events.

Housing Finance Strategies President Faith Schwartz today announced three new sponsors have joined #HousingDC21, a 100% virtual housing summit being held on September 20-21, 2021. The new sponsors are Wells Fargo, Platinum, CoreLogic, Gold and Volly, Silver.

Related link: https://housingfinancestrategies.com/

Paragon Insurance Names Christian Phillips as President of Contingency Practice

AVON, Conn. /ScoopCloud/ -- Paragon Insurance Holdings LLC, a national multiline specialty managing general agent (MGA), has named Christian Phillips as President of its newly created Paragon Contingency Practices.

Phillips joins Paragon following many years at London-based specialty insurer, Beazley. With experience spanning three decades, he is a tremendous asset to Paragon clients, particularly given the global upheaval in the marketplace in 2020.

Phillips will play a pivotal role in this dynamic market environment, as event cancellations related to COVID-19 have severely impacted established contingency business underwriters. "As we continue through the balance of 2021, we expect to see the contingency market rebound," noted Paragon CEO and Co-founder, Ron Ganiats. "We are excited to welcome Christian to the Paragon team to help our clients navigate these improving market conditions."

The Paragon platform will enable Phillips to bring capacity and coverage solutions to a contingency insurance market that has experienced a large amount of contraction over the past 12 months. These solutions will help venues recover in the wake of losses incurred from the closure, rescheduling and cancellation of local, national and international sporting, entertainment and industry events.

About Paragon

Paragon, a broadly diversified MGA launched in 2014, provides unique opportunities and solutions to retail agents, insurance carriers, reinsurers and vendor partners. The firm writes all commercial lines of insurance across more than 20 insurance programs.

Visit https://www.paragoninsgroup.com/ for additional information.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Betsy Van Alstyne
Betsy.vanalstyne@epicgroup.com

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0426s2p-Christian-Phillips-300dpi.jpg

Paragon Insurance Holdings LLC, a national multiline specialty managing general agent (MGA), has named Christian Phillips as President of its newly created Paragon Contingency Practices.

Related link: https://www.paragoninsgroup.com/

MCT Dives into Q2 with Two New Industry Leaders to Support Growth

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), a leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced Mike Robertson and Justin Putz have joined the company in the roles of Senior Regional Sales Director and Midwest Regional Sales Director respectively. With over 45 years of experience combined, these two mortgage industry veterans bring a fresh perspective to the company's quickly expanding sales team.

"Mike and Justin are highly regarded mortgage industry professionals," said Tom Farmer, Managing Director of National Sales. "We are excited about their addition to our team and anticipate a tremendous expansion of lender and aggregator client partnerships."

Mike Robertson has worked in the mortgage industry for almost 30 years. For most of that time, he spent it in Correspondent Lending Sales with 23 years of that working for CitiMortgage. Mr. Robertson has had the pleasure of previously working with MCT as a partner and has firsthand experience with MCT's exemplar dedication to customer experience. He is excited to provide the same best-in-class service level and guidance that he himself received in his work with MCT clients. He currently resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

Joining Mr. Robertson on the sales team is Justin Putz who has worked in the mortgage industry for 18 years. He has done everything from operations to retail lending, to correspondent and wholesale, and, most recently, mortgage insurance. As a well-rounded expert, Mr. Putz will be able to educate other lenders on how to become more profitable in their hedging strategies with the best technology that the industry can offer. Mr. Putz currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"During my time in the Correspondent Lending and Mortgage industry, I was able to partner with MCT and watch how they worked with their clients, delivering best in class service levels and guidance," Mr. Robertson said, "I feel very fortunate to join the MCT team and hope to continue that culture of client dedication."

Mr. Putz adds, "I love that I was given an opportunity to work with MCT. This allows me learn and to educate our lenders on how to be more profitable with their hedge approach and servicing with the best technology and support in the business."

About MCT:

Founded in 2001, Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT) has grown from a boutique mortgage pipeline hedging firm into the industry's leading provider of fully integrated capital markets services and technology. MCT offers an array of best-in-class services and software covering mortgage pipeline hedging, best execution loan sales, outsourced lock desk solutions, MSR portfolio valuations, business intelligence analytics, mark to market services, and an award-winning comprehensive capital markets software platform called MCTlive! MCT supports independent mortgage bankers, depositories, credit unions, warehouse lenders, and correspondent investors of all sizes.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, MCT also has offices in Philadelphia, Herldsburg, and Texas. MCT is well known for its team of capital markets experts and senior traders who continue to provide the boutique-style hands-on engagement clients love.

For more information, visit https://mct-trading.com/ or call (619) 543-5111.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ian Miller
Chief Marketing Officer
Mortgage Capital Trading
619-618-7855
pr@mctrade.net

Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), a leading mortgage hedge advisory and secondary marketing software firm, announced Mike Robertson and Justin Putz have joined the company in the roles of Senior Regional Sales Director and Midwest Regional Sales Director respectively.

Related link: https://mct-trading.com/