TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/94724
DRESS CODE SIZING UP THE COMPETITION// Basing companies' scores on a scale of 1,000 possible points, Heardable revealed that the lead- ing lender in the digital space outpaced the competition by a wide margin. » Quicken's online score for brand health rang in at 688, putting the company 18.6 percent ahead of its nearest competitor. » What do borrowers want? Sharp responded that consumers' "expectations for online lender engagement" are on the rise. » Why is Quicken No. 1 in the online mortgage sector? Noting the company's solid strategy, Sharp said Quicken's "smart use of technology has fundamentally changed" the marketplace standard. » Bank of America garnered a score of 560, surpassing its nearest competitor by just 7 points. » Discover Home Loans received a score of 553, putting the company 19.62 percent behind Quicken. » Fremont Bank Mortgages, ranked in the lowest position on Heardable's list of top 25 lenders by digital performance, flagged Quicken by 78.2 per- cent with a score of 150. Today's Online Leaders Digital strategies are generating success for lenders and financial institutions, and new data from Heardable highlights the trends and tools that are creating momentum in the mortgage marketplace. E set out to answer an important question: Does building a better digital experience result in a better brand? Heardable's results were de- finitive, and the company's roster of the nation's top 25 banks and third-party lenders, as determined by digital presence, proves that a strong online presence facilitates enhanced lending activity. valuating online perfor- mance among U.S. lend- ers, a recent study con- ducted by Heardable, Inc., KEYS TO SUCCESS // Heardable's survey found that three critical factors outweighed all others among brands that have achieved a strong digital presence. » Website optimization that encompasses tech, mobile, user experience » Breadth of social media par- ticipation » Search engine best practices and optimization INDUSTRY INFLUENCE // Bill Emerson, CEO of Quicken, blogged about the company's on- line dominance recently, convey- ing the importance of a thriving digital platform for lenders. » "It's not just technology alone— it's technology and process," Emerson noted, explaining the company's two-part focus. The Top 25 Concluding the company's research on the lenders exerting digital dominance in today's marketplace, Heardable rolled out a roster of the nation's top online brands in the mortgage industry. 1. Quicken Loans 2. Bank of America Home Loans 3. Discover Home Loans 4. Capital One Home Loans 5. HSBC Mortgages 6. U.S. Bank Home Mortgage 7. PennyMac 8. State Farm Bank » "What we've been able to do is take our technology, which has been built internally, and leverage it tremendously in how we handle the mortgage transaction from end-to-end," added Emerson, elaborating on why Quicken's digital strategy has been successful. » "Technology has become so critically important to our business. I think it should become more important to the industry," Emerson offered, giving the mortgage market- place a call to arms. WHAT'S TRENDING? // Heardable's co-founder, John Sharp, spoke out on the com- pany's findings, illuminating industry trends. 9. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage 10. Nationwide Bank Mortgage 11. CitiMortgage 12. AmeriSave 13. CashCall Mortgage 14. PNC Mortgage 15. Citizens Bank Mortgages 16. GMAC Mortgage 17. Chase Mortgage 18. EverBank Mortgages 19. Home Loan Investment Bank 20. SunTrust Mortgage 21. Greenlight Financial 22. Union Bank Home Loans 23. Crestline Funding 24. Provident Funding 25. Fremont Bank Mortgages About the Survey: Heardable is the world's first and only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that measures the online health of brands across hundreds of business categories. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With more than 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables captured per brand at various points in time, Heardable's Magic Firehose API can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize its online performance, boost brand awareness, and increase revenue. THE M REPORT | 15