TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/1357006
M R EP O RT | 5 MTECH @properties in 2000 as a boutique brokerage firm specializing in new-construction sales. Within a decade, they were the top selling firm in the city, eventually claim- ing as much as 30% market share in areas like Chicago's affluent North Shore. "The @properties playbook is one we're certainly excited to dive into," O'Laughlin said. "The local industry is hungry for something new. There hasn't been much in the way of tech innovation or adoption, and the larger players in the market don't offer a cohesive brand experience from one office to the next. It's a very fragmented marketplace, and we see that as a huge opportunity." On the technology side, the firm has already begun its implementation of platform, @ properties' proprietary suite of fully integrated applications for digital management of the entire client relationship and real estate transaction. @properties' Marketing Engine offers franchi- sees what Wong describes as "the highest-quality listing presentation in the industry," and a full catalog of print, digital, and social-media resources, as well as access to pre- ferred advertising partnerships. Franchisees can also tap into @academy, @properties' agent coaching and training program, featuring a variety of original content and exclusive partnerships to help agents grow their business and focus on personal and profes- sional development. Chris Lim, who leads @proper- ties' franchise expansion, said the company is in late-stage discus- sions with a number of other potential franchisees across the country. "We will have more an- nouncements to make in the near future," he said. Driving Mortgage Advancement PROPERTYBASE ACQUIRES UNIFY, A MORTGAGE BUSINESS GROWTH PLATFORM. P ropertybase, a leading global real estate software company, announced the Acquistion of Cross Media, LLC, producer of Unify, a full suite mortgage-specific business growth platform. Serving more than 80 mortgage companies across North America, Unify offers a turnkey platform with the richest set of tools to identify and convert more leads and retain clients. The features consist of robust customer relationship management (CRM), real-time loan origination system (LOS) integrations, intelligent mortgage inquiry alerts actively mining potential borrower data, marketing automation, a mobile app and much more. "After an extensive evaluation process to identify an authorita- tive market leader, we're thrilled to welcome the Unify team into our Propertybase family," said Vance Loiselle, CEO of Propertybase. "Unify's differenti- ated product offering and com- mitment to exceptional service accelerates our plans to streamline how real estate and mortgage professionals can effectively use innovative digital solutions to drive revenue." "Unify was founded with the vision that software should play an integral part in the mortgage industry," added Scott Lidberg, CEO and Founder of Cross Media, LLC. "Joining forces with Propertybase is an exciting achievement which will allow us to not only amplify our current client offerings but unlock cutting- edge potential for the entire industry." As part of the acquisition, the Unify product will continue to operate as an independent entity while continuing to be enhanced under the Propertybase family of brands. Financial details of the acquisi- tion were not disclosed. Servicing Solutions ARVEST BANK TO USE FULL BLACK KNIGHT'S SUITE. B lack Knight, Inc. an- nounced that Arvest Bank, which offers a variety of financial services and operates in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mis- souri and Kansas, will use Black Knight's full suite of servicing and default solutions to support its ex- panding servicing business. At the core of Black Knight's servicing suite is MSP, a software platform that is currently used to service approximately 36 million active loans. The suite also includes the consumer-facing Servicing Digital, the Actionable Intelligence Platform (AIP), Lien Alert, the McDash mortgage performance dataset, and default capabilities for loss mitigation, foreclosure, bank- ruptcy, claims and invoicing. "As Arvest Bank regularly evaluates its focus on its custom- ers, partners, and investors, we felt it critical that we leverage the industry's leading platform to help us grow our business, manage po- tential risk and deliver greater val- ue to our customers," said Steven Plaisance, President and CEO of Arvest Bank's mortgage division and Arvest Central Mortgage Company. "Complementing the MSP system with a wide array of Black Knight's integrated servicing and default solutions, as well as analytics, gives us the capabilities we need to excel." MSP offers a robust and scal- able end-to-end loan servicing system that helps clients manage all servicing processes, including loan onboarding, cash manage- ment, investor reporting, and loss mitigation. The system can accommodate virtually any size portfolio and is augmented by Black Knight's award-winning Client Support team. Black Knight's Servicing Digital solution is integrated with MSP and enables homeowners to easily perform tasks and view informa- tion related to their mortgages through a simple, user-friendly interface. The solution delivers information specific to an indi- vidual's mortgage, property and local housing market by access- ing data through Black Knight's comprehensive, end-to-end MSP system, as well as the company's expansive property records database, advanced analytics, and automated valuation models. To monitor its operational volumes, Arvest Bank will use several of Black Knight's data and analytics solutions, including AIP, a unified data delivery framework that combines Black Knight's extensive data assets, patented big "Unify was founded with the vision that software should play an integral part in the mortgage industry." —Scott Lidberg, CEO and Founder, Cross Media, LLC