LAUNCHES

Real estate tech provider Accurate Group launched a new real estate portfolio valuations tool for capital market firms.

The technology solution is a combination of the company’s ValueNet appraisal tech platform and industry-compliant appraisal processes unique to capital market firms. It provides valuations on portfolios that include real estate, whole loan sales, mortgage portfolios, mortgage pools and mortgage-backed securities,.

Redfin is expanding its mortgage lending operation again, this time into Virginia. Last year, Redfin moved into mortgage lending, expanding on its digital-focused real estate brokerage and title businesses.

Initially, Redfin Mortgage was available in Texas, then expanded to Illinois, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Compliance solutions provider ComplianceEase has added California per diem interest testing to ComplianceAnalyzer with TRID Monitor.

The compliance solution is now able to test TRID, RESPA 2010 and pre-2010 forms to validate California’s per diem interest calculations. The California Per Diem Interest Test in ComplianceAnalyzer is able to audit a lender’s calculation for the maximum allowable amount of additional per diem interest that may be charged (or the minimum amount of interest to be credited), and based on the data provided, will provide a “pass,” “fail,” or “not tested” result.

LendingTree will now be able to offer a full digital mortgage experience to its users thanks to a new partnership with Roostify, a provider of automated mortgage transaction technology.

Roostify already powers the digital mortgage process for lenders like Guild Mortgage, and will also serve as the backbone of JPMorgan Chase’s digital mortgage process, which is set to roll out soon, according to JPM organ Chase  CEO Jamie Dimon.

Now, the lenders that appear on LendingTree will have the ability to use Roostify to create a “seamless path” from selecting a lender to actually applying for a loan, and beyond.

Churchill Mortgage announced the launch of its Certified Homebuyer Program, aimed at improving how borrowers search for and purchase a home. Churchill is now offering borrowers the opportunity to be pre-underwritten for their mortgage. This initial step will enable those borrowers to get ahead of other buyers and have the confidence that any qualified offer they make on a house will go through in the most efficient manner possible, the company said in a release.  

In January loanDepot launched a new service, called mello Home, that connects pre-approved homebuyers with verified real estate agents in their local market.

mello Home is an expansion of mello, loanDepot’s proprietary digital lending platform that the company introduced last year. mello includes three different segments: a web-based consumer portal, a mobile point-of-sale system and a fully digital mortgage loan application.

mello Home, which will be free for consumers, will connect customers who’ve received credit and digital underwriting pre-approvals from local loanDepot loan consultants with a local real estate agent to begin the process of selecting and purchasing a home.

Real estate agents will not be required to pay up-front fees to join the mello Home network or to be connected with ready-to-transact clients, but will pay a fee to mello Home on closed transactions. 

Independent mortgage cooperative The Mortgage Collaborative has announced the addition of forecasting and analytics firm iEmergent to its preferred partner network.

iEmergent, a 2017 HW Tech100 winner, offers TMC members market-based forecasts that can drill down into communities, making the intelligence relevant to both high-level strategic issues and specific market challenges.

Safeguard Properties launched its next-generation multimedia Photo Direct application, introducing the use of panoramic photos, video and audio to property preservation work in the field. The addition of video, audio and panoramic will provide servicers with valuable information necessary to assess property damage and validate bids.

MILESTONES

Flood insurance provider Neptune Flood recently secured more than $2 million in seed round funding. 

The investment was led by Trevor Burgess, the founder and former CEO of C1 Bank, with participation from existing investor and Neptune’s CEO, Jim Albert. 

The investment will help the company aggressively expand its sales and marketing efforts nationwide and accelerate the next generation of its data-driven, private flood insurance technology, it said. Burgess and Jonathan Carlon will also join Neptune Flood’s board of directors.

Incenter, a Blackstone Group portfolio company, finalized its acquisition of Agents National Title Insurance Company (ANTIC). The company holds licenses in 18 states and has regional offices in Indiana and Texas, supporting more than 150 agencies with over 3,000 employees.

Automated compensation software and systems integration solutions provider LBA Ware announced its sales incentive platform, CompenSafe, calculated $1 billion in lifetime origination commissions and operational bonuses in 2017.

The company also experienced notable growth for the year, marked by a 152% increase in total compensation processed and a 130% increase in the number of lenders using the company’s systems integration solution, LOS Talker, LBA Ware explained in a press release.

Portland-based WFG National Title Insurance Co. is expanding its national commercial services division, appointing industry veteran Erin Sheckler to lead the effort for the company.

Sheckler’s primary focus will be to grow WFG’s commercial market share by expanding the commercial presence in direct-owned western operations while leveraging the WFG agency network in the eastern states through the National Agency Commercial Services group, which is based in Orlando, Florida.

Loan document solutions provider and HW Tech100 winner DocMagic announced in January that it has processed more than 300 million mortgage-related electronic signatures. 

The company’s milestone achievement is the direct result of increased adoption of several DocMagic technologies that feature its comprehensive eSigning platform, which can be accessed as a software-as-a-service or on-premise enterprise platform, the company said.

DocMagic reported significant increases in volume for SmartCLOSE and Total eClose, two technologies that enable lenders to comply with TRID and Uniform Closing Dataset guidelines.

Last year, online mortgage lender Lenda announced that it raised $5.25 million in its Series A round of funding, and planned to use the money to expand its business into new states.

In January, Lenda announced that it’s done just that, adding four new states to its base of operations.

 Previously, the company operated in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Texas but will now also be available in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona.

Flagstar Bank announced it has received approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to finalize its acquisition of eight Desert Community Bank branches from East West Bank by the end of the first quarter of 2018. 

According to Flagstar, the branches, all located in San Bernardino County, Calif., have approximately $600 million in deposits and $70 million in loans. Flagstar said that “certain related assets” were also included in the deal.

GIVING BACK

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which affected 10% of its employees, Network Funding raised more than $20,000. The money helped employees to secure temporary homes, shelter extended family, cover lost income, demo flood damage and eventually move back into their homes.