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on the web Surrogate-signing crosses the threshold into criminal activity," Koster said. "This agreement brings to justice the person most responsible for these activities and upholds the principle that when you sign your name to a legal document, it matters." The Associated Press reports Brown also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in a U.S. District Court in Florida on the same day. Her sentencing date has not been set in that case. (For more on this story, see page 56) WEB AT WORK Radian to Provide Insurance Via HarmonyLoan Now offering services through Harmony's platform, the company is making its mortgage insurance available online. Radian Guaranty, Inc., the mortgage insurance (MI) subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Radian Group, Inc., announced that it will now provide MI on loans within the HarmonyLoan platform. HarmonyLoan, a mortgage feature designed by financial services tech company Mortgage Harmony Corp., can be applied to fixed- or adjustable-rate mortgages, conventional or jumbo loans, and on new and existing mortgages. The platform allows homebuyers to adjust the rate on their loans with just one click on a personalized, secure, webbased site without the need for a traditional refinance. "Over the last several years, the mortgage industry has been struggling to cure many of the problems affecting homebuyers unable to take advantage of lower interest rates and, at the same time, reclaim the homebuyers' confidence," said Keith Kelly, CEO of Mortgage Harmony. "Mortgage Harmony is pleased to have a highly regarded mortgage insurer like Radian working with us to move this innovative feature into the mortgage market. It is a simple, easy, and cost-effective way for lenders to help homebuyers, while helping themselves." "We are pleased to offer prospective homebuyers the opportunity to purchase their home with a mortgage feature that gives them greater flexibility," said Brien McMahon, Radian's chief franchise officer. "HarmonyLoan allows homeowners to lower their interest rate and monthly mortgage payment without the closing costs and administrative burden of a traditional refinance. It ultimately improves their financial position, which is a win-win for everyone." Equifax Rolls Out E-Signature Enhancement taxpayers to request tax transcripts directly from the IRS online and have them delivered instantly to the customer's lender, bypassing the need for a 4506-T form. If the pilot is adopted, the program could make the process of verifying income even more efficient. "We are well-positioned to help both mortgage lenders and clients in auto lending, student lending, consumer finance, and social services receive this data with a level of speed and efficiency consistent with their need for real-time decisioning," said Jeff Knott, senior director of product management at Equifax Verification Services. "As an early advocate for the continuing acceptance and expansion of this technology, we're confident it will accelerate business while improving consumer satisfaction in a wide range of credit-decisioning scenarios." The credit bureau is headquartered in Atlanta and offers consumer and commercial information solutions. The company organizes and assimilates data on more than 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide. Announcing improved proprietary verification services, Equifax is launching a technology initiative in anticipation of new rules from the IRS. Since the IRS will soon allow electronic signatures on Form 4506-T, Equifax announced it has enhanced proprietary verifications services in anticipation of the change. On behalf of its clients, Equifax stated it's prepared to start processing 4506-T forms with e-signatures when the IRS service goes live January 7. Form 4506-T is important when applying for a loan or a mortgage modification since tax transcripts are required to validate income. When e-signatures are accepted on Form 4506-T, the application process should be faster and more efficient compared with the use of handwritten signatures. The company also acted as a key participant in the IRS' Send My Transcript online application service pilot, which will allow "DocX's robo-signing practices were the worst in the country. Surrogate-signing crosses the threshold into criminal activity." —Chris Koster, Missouri Attorney General The M Report | 11