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M R EP O RT | 5 MTECH Prepping Consumers for Their Financial Future FREDDIE MAC LAUNCHES NEW CREDIT LEARNING EXPERIENCE F reddie Mac has announced its new CreditSmart financial capability curriculum, aimed at helping consumers learn about the importance of building, main- taining, and using credit so they can take control of their financial future. According to a recent Freddie Mac survey of homeowners and renters, many Americans are con- fused about the impact of debt on their credit profile. For example, one in three Americans are not aware that credit score elements, such as the length of credit usage or having joint credit and loan accounts, are reported to credit bureaus. Additionally, more than half of homeowners and renters are not aware that being behind on their housing payment can result in an impaired credit rating while nearly 60% do not know or realize it can impact their ability to get a loan in the future. "Financial education is personal, and that's why we've reinvented CreditSmart with new tools that empower individuals to custom- ize their learning experience," said Cindy Waldron, VP, Single-Family Housing Insights and Solutions at Freddie Mac. "This newly released curriculum will help consumers define and achieve their financial goals at their own pace. And, since CreditSmart is optimized for mobile devices, we put that power in the palm of their hand." Over the past two decades, more than five million consumers at various life stages have benefit- ted from CreditSmart's financial education, which is available at no cost. Additionally, tens of thou- sands of housing professionals have become CreditSmart facilita- tors as a way to give back to their communities. The newly released CreditSmart Essentials curriculum builds on this tradition by making financial education empower- ing instead of daunting, with a personalized experience tailored to consumers' needs, including new content customized for rent- ers. "The information available in Freddie Mac's CreditSmart courses is helping our Realtors change the financial trajectory for families and whole communi- ties," said Tami Bonnell, CEO, EXIT Realty Corp. International. "Understanding what it takes to build good credit, achieve home- ownership, and build wealth is now within reach. This is power- ful information!" Firm Provides Tech Options to LOs COMPASS AND GUARANTEED RATE LAUNCH ORIGINPOINT C ompass Inc. and Guaran- teed Rate Inc. have an- nounced they have entered into a definitive agreement to form OriginPoint, a new mort- gage origination company. Once Guaranteed Rate's digital mort- gage platform is fully integrated into Compass' suite of AI-driven cloud-based software, OriginPoint will drive efficiencies through- out every step of the mortgage process to bring a faster and more seamless homebuying and selling experience to loan officers, agents, and clients. OriginPoint will originate mortgages for clients of Compass' real estate brokerage, as well as any other brokerage, making loans available to a broad consumer audience. The new venture will combine the power of Compass' end-to-end technology platform with Guaranteed Rate's superior digital mortgage capabilities to drive growth. OriginPoint will unite agents with LOs to create a cohesive team to reduce consumer uncertainty in the homebuying process. "Partnering with Compass and Robert Reffkin to rapidly build a best-in-class, tech-focused mort- gage company is really exciting," Guaranteed Rate Founder and CEO Victor Ciardelli. said "With interest rates creeping up, limited housing supply and refis slowing down, right now couldn't be a more perfect time to hire the best of the best of the top loan officers and sales leaders throughout the country." OriginPoint will be available to all consumers in every market where Compass operates, and OriginPoint is licensed regard- less of the brokerage they choose to work with. The new venture intends to modernize the real estate transaction process through increased speed and efficiency for loan originators, agents, and their clients. Loan originators who join OriginPoint will be able to lever- age the growth-driving innova- tions developed by Guaranteed Rate, including its proprietary operational flow, unique products, and pricing structure. "Over the past eight years, Compass has been laser-focused on building a company that empowers top agents across the country, and with OriginPoint we're creating a direct connec- tion between these agents and the top loan officers in the industry," said Robert Reffkin, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Compass. "Buying a home is the most emo- tionally and financially significant decision of most people's lives and the role of the agent is to make the process as stress-free as pos- sible. OriginPoint brings together two digital-first companies to deliver a mortgage product that provides a seamless and transpar- ent experience for agents and their clients, which ultimately leads to a simpler real estate transaction for everyone involved." Marketing Tool to Create Customers for Life TOTAL EXPERT ANNOUNCES SALESFORCE INTEGRATION T otal Expert has announced Total Expert for Salesforce, an integration to enable marketing and customer engage- ment on behalf of customer-facing teams. Total Expert for Sales- force—now available for download on the Salesforce AppExchange— ensures banks and lenders who've already invested in Salesforce for CRM can orchestrate a customer journey personalized for financial "With interest rates creeping up, limited housing supply and refis slowing down, right now couldn't be a more perfect time to hire the best of the best." —Victor Ciardelli, Founder and CEO, Guaranteed Rate