MORTGAGE: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Mortgage Banking Articles:
Putting Quality and Control Back in Quality Control, by Craig Hughes
Mortgage Banking, May 2008
As our industry struggles through its significant difficulties, most of us are focused primarily on cleaning up the aftermath—and rightfully so. As we do so, we find ourselves asking how we came to be in the current situation and what we need to do to try to ensure it never happens again.
The Future of AUTOMATED UNDERWRITING, by Bill Lehman
Mortgage Banking, February 2008
As someone who has spent considerable time helping clients with their business and technology strategies, and spent a fair amount of time pondering the industry’s current state of affairs, I’ve recently come to an important conclusion: As the mortgage industry emerges from the current turmoil, automated underwriting (AU) is going to be more important than ever. It will be, in many respects, much improved from what we have been used to—and absolutely vital to conducting business.
Maintaining a Vendor Relationship, by Debbie Shatz
Mortgage Banking, February 2008
You’ve selected your product, negotiated the contract with the vendor, implemented the system within your organization to rave reviews and are sitting back thinking it’s all over. Instead, it is really just the beginning.
The Upside of the Downturn, by Jared Townshend & Janiece Tucker
Mortgage Banking, May 2007
This may be one of the few positive articles you will read this year about the mortgage industry. It examines what some lenders are doing well, rather than focusing on lenders that are exiting the business. This article is devoted to the lenders that have successfully stayed on the upside of the downturn.
Communicating Change?, by Janiece Tucker
Mortgage Banking, May 2007
Have you ever been given new software to use in your job, without really understanding why? Have you been asked to start using a new accounting method that you just don ’t understand? Have you ever gone months without any updates on some project that seemed to be a high corporate priority not that long ago?
Why Do I Need My Own Project Manager If the Vendor Provides One?, by Debbie Shatz
Mortgage Banking, February 2007
A question asked fairly frequently by our clients is why they would need to appoint their own project manager to an implementation effort when their vendor is assigning one. The simple response to this question is: The vendor’s project manager represents the vendor and its interests—so who will represent you and yours?
Project Risk Management, by Bill Lehman
Mortgage Banking, February 2007
The mortgage industry is an industry built on risk—interest-rate risk and default risk are two examples—and successful lenders take necessary steps to mitigate these risks. But when it comes to technology projects, it is infrequent that we see adequate risk analysis and mitigation activities being performed. In this column, we provide an introduction to risk analysis, including the key tools that CC Pace uses to perform project risk analysis.
Defining Project Success, by Debbie Shatz
Mortgage Banking, December 2006
Whether you’re implementing new technology or new processes, changing the way you do business or altering the company culture, there are expectations among your team members, stakeholders and sponsors. But do they share the same expectations?
ASP vs. MSP: Is Either Right for You?, by Barbara Michels
Mortgage Banking, August 2006
You need a replacement point-of-sale system (POS) — but do you have the right infrastructure to support and maintain an in-house system? Should you use an application service provider (ASP) instead? Or how about something even more radical, such as outsourcing your entire infrastructure to a managed service provider (MSP)—also called a management service provider?
The New Face of Imaging, by Craig Hughes
Mortgage Banking, August 2006
After suffering from a lackof interest for a long time, imaging has suddenly caught on in the mortgage industry.
Why Should I Care About Rules Engines?, by Tim VanTassel & Bill Lehman
Mortgage Banking, April 2006
Rules engines, decision engines and workflow engines are all current buzzwords in our industry as we increasingly strive to automate the business rules that once were the domain of the specialist. This article will help the non-technical executive better understand these terms by defining what rules engines are, giving a brief history of their use in the mortgage industry and providing a framework for understanding the different options available.
The New System Is Live — How Come It’s Not Better?, by John Cherry & Jared Townshend
Mortgage Banking, April 2006
Even “successful” technology projects can be failures. They fail to live up to their initial promise and fall short of producing the desired business results. The following account is a compilation of some real-life experiences that have happened to various CC Pace clients over the past three years. The narrative is told through the voice of a system end-user...
Negotiating a Vendor Contract, by Debbie Shatz
Mortgage Banking, January 2006
Contract negotiation is a key activity that frequently fails to receive the preparation or attention it deserves. This very important step in the purchase and implementation of any technology solution is often treated as its own activity, separate from both the selection and implementation phases. This disparate approach does not sufficiently acknowledge the need for buy-in and support from the implementation team. It also does not consistently ensure the agreement is based on the critical areas identified by the selection process, and usually fails to contribute to the relationship-building begun during the selection phase.
Managing Cyclicality, by Bill Lehman
Mortgage Banking, March 2005
During the last refinance boom some of the effects of increased loan volume were absorbed by technology, especially through automated underwriting (AU), but there is still much more that can be done. This is evidenced by the industry’s falling margins now.
Keeping Pace Newsletter Archive:
CC Pace's quarterly mortgage newsletter, Keeping Pace, is sent out to our clients and other industry professionals to keep them abreast of the hot topics and trends impacting the financial services industry.
For your own quarterly updates, subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter@ccpace.com.
View a Keeping Pace newsletter from:
Fourth Quarter, December 2005 (read a summary of this issue)
Second Quarter, July 2005 (read a summary of this issue)
First Quarter, March 2005 (read a summary of this issue)
Fourth Quarter, December 2004 (read a summary of this issue)
Third Quarter, September 2004 (read a summary of this issue)
Second Quarter, May 2004 (read a summary of this issue)
First Quarter, February 2004 (read a summary of this issue)
Fourth Quarter, October 2003 (read a summary of this issue)
- Fourth Quarter, December 2005
Inside this edition of Keeping Pace, you'll find a piece on the critical role user acceptance plays in project success, an interview with GMAC Mortgage's Linda Naylor on Activity Based Costing, a timely article on important new legislation regarding online security, and the latest installment in our recurring column on Agile Project Management. - Second Quarter, July 2005
In the spirit of summer, we couldn’t resist including an article outlining the parallels between baseball and automated underwriting! In this edition, you will also find articles on growing trends such as Enterprise Lending Systems, Agile project management, and balancing the use of consultants with internal resources. - First Quarter, March 2005
As we enter into 2005 we take special pride in recognizing that this year marks our 25th anniversary of helping our clients prosper by providing the services and experience they need. We continue to offer our expertise in this issue, bringing you articles on profitability over the interest rate cycle, investing strategically in technology, successful project management, and commercial off-the-shelf software implementation for banks. - Fourth Quarter, December 2004
Many of the themes we are presenting to you in this issue are strategic in nature: variable cost structures, mergers and acquisitions, industry trends, tapping into emerging markets, and even a more strategic approach to system implementation. - Third Quarter, September 2004
Along with the pieces you'll find on bundled closing costs, strategic planning, regulatory compliance and project pitfalls in this issue, we hope you enjoy the article on CC Pace, an uncharacteristic bit of self promotion intended to give you a new perspective on who we are and what we do. - Second Quarter, May 2004
Chief economist Doug Duncan declared 2004 the year of implementation. Most pundits are predicting a significant rise in technology spending among lenders and financial institutions that is expected to carry well into 2005, if not beyond. Not surprisingly then, this issue has a special focus on technology implementation. - First Quarter, February 2004
For February, we focus on your business projects. Read articles about prioritization, measuring performance, post-project evaluations, and tracking projects. We also show you how to optimize the present value of every customer through HELOC's. - Fourth Quarter, October 2003
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Keeping Pace! As the title implies, this newsletter is meant to keep our readers abreast of the latest thoughts, opinions, strategies, and topics affecting the ever-changing world of financial services. If you find this newsletter useful, please pass it on to a friend or colleague.