REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY, REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
PRweb | March 21, 2023
Qualia, the leading digital real estate closing platform, today announced the launch of Qualia Atlas, a revolutionary new addition to their cloud-based title, escrow, and closing solutions. Atlas, which combines title and escrow production and vendor management along with client and homebuyer connectivity, is built with newly developed advanced configurability and automations to manage the unique complexity of national enterprise operations.
“We originally launched Qualia almost 10 years ago with the belief that a modern technology infrastructure could fundamentally transform homebuying into a simple, secure, and enjoyable experience for everyone involved,” said Nate Baker, Qualia’s Co-founder and CEO. “Atlas is the culmination of several years of development to provide a unified closing platform for enterprise title companies.”
Atlas includes a suite of newly released enterprise-critical functionality and services:
Data access via an enhanced API for integration with internal systems such as CRM, analytics, and accounting tools
Order opening automations to assist teams with high transaction volumes
Privacy and permissioning controls for multi-branch or agency operations
Sophisticated tasking capabilities to support centralized operations functions
A suite of anti fraud tools
In addition, Atlas provides companies with a standardized integration layer that is easy to manage across all transaction parties, eliminating the need for rigid custom-built integrations. This integration layer enables title companies to efficiently partner with their lenders, real estate agents, vendors, consumers, and underwriters. These integrations automate title & escrow companies’ workflows and the dependent workflows for their transaction partners. By providing enterprise-critical functionality and a standardized integration layer, Atlas enables the "connected transaction." This groundbreaking technology streamlines real estate closings from end-to-end for all parties involved in the transaction.
About Qualia
Qualia is the leading comprehensive digital closing platform used by title, escrow, real estate and mortgage lending professionals to transform home buying and selling into simple, secure, enjoyable experiences for millions of homeowners each year. The Qualia platform provides a secure system of record for the real estate settlement ecosystem through a suite of workflow, accounting, reporting, and collaboration products as well as its expansive product and service integrations. Qualia is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and has offices in Austin, TX, and Superior, CO. For more information on Qualia, visit http://www.qualia.com. Contact: Matt Kaufman, press@qualia.com
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MORTGAGE AND LENDING, ASSET MANAGEMENT
Businesswire | May 12, 2023
First American Data & Analytics, a leading national provider of property-centric information, risk management and valuation solutions and a division of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), today announced that its industry-leading FraudGuard® fraud risk detection and decisioning tool now includes enhancements that help lenders reduce home equity lending and compliance risk, and further improve loan quality and increase efficiency. The new features include the integration of the First American Procision™ AVM suite and the additions of a senior-lien review module designed for home equity lending and a military status verification module.
“In today’s lending environment, reducing risk, improving loan quality and increasing underwriting productivity are top of mind for lenders, and our latest FraudGuard enhancements help our lender clients address those priorities,” said Paul W. Harris, general manager, mortgage analytics for First American Data & Analytics. “These enhancements add to FraudGuard’s already robust capabilities. Now, FraudGuard’s smart analytics provide an even more effective, intuitive solution for critical underwriting decisions in first mortgage and home equity lending.”
FraudGuard’s integration with the Procision AVM suite provides users access to automated property values to help expedite lending functions, such as underwriting and collateral reviews for first and second mortgages, as well as home equity lines of credit. The Procision AVM suite uses a state-of-the-art blended ensemble modeling approach to deliver an exceptional level of accuracy. First American Data & Analytics runs Procision AVM valuations on every residential property in the U.S. every day and the company also updates the underlying data that fuels the Procision AVM suite daily. An automated surveillance system constantly monitors both data and valuation quality, and performs extensive testing to validate the accuracy of the valuations produced by the Procision AVM suite for various property types in various geographic markets.
Senior-Lien Review and Military Status Modules Boost Lending and Fraud Risk Detection
Designed to support home equity lending, the senior-lien review module identifies ineligible first liens that could prevent a lender from moving forward with a second lien. For example, the new feature will alert a lender to a private mortgage originated within the last 12 months, first mortgages with negative amortization, balloon loans with a due date before the second lien, or a reverse mortgage. The module can also identify payment deferrals and loans in forbearance.
The military status module verifies an applicant’s status – active, retired or a survivor of military personnel – under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). In addition to mortgage lending, the new module can be leveraged in credit and automobile lending. Both the senior-lien review and military status modules are available as standalone API integrations.
FraudGuard is the first fraud analytics solution accessible through the latest Encompass Partner Connect™ API platform. The integration allows lenders to leverage automation to systematically trigger FraudGuard reports and analysis based on customizable business rules.
About First American Data & Analytics
First American Data & Analytics, a division of First American Financial Corporation, is a national provider of property-centric information, risk management and valuation solutions. First American maintains and curates the industry’s largest property and ownership dataset that includes more than 8 billion document images. Its major platforms and products include: DataTree®, FraudGuard®, RegsData®, First American TaxSource™ and ACI®. Find out more about how First American Data & Analytics powers the real estate, mortgage and title settlement services industries with advanced decisioning solutions at www.FirstAmDNA.com.
About First American
First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF) is a premier provider of title, settlement and risk solutions for real estate transactions. With its combination of financial strength and stability built over 130 years, innovative proprietary technologies, and unmatched data assets, the company is leading the digital transformation of its industry. First American also provides data products to the title industry and other third parties; valuation products and services; mortgage subservicing; home warranty products; banking, trust and wealth management services; and other related products and services. With total revenue of $7.6 billion in 2022, the company offers its products and services directly and through its agents throughout the United States and abroad. In 2023, First American was named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For by Great Place to Work® and Fortune Magazine for the eighth consecutive year. More information about the company can be found at www.firstam.com.
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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY, AGENT
Businesswire | May 15, 2023
CertifID, a leading wire fraud protection company, today announced the availability of an identity verification solution to help title agencies and real estate firms combat seller impersonation fraud. The solution augments CertifID’s existing capabilities that evaluate more than 150 markers of fraud, including the verification of wiring instructions and bank account information.
The new solution is aimed at addressing an alarming increase in seller impersonation scams involving vacant land. The real estate industry overall continues to be a top target for fraud, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Vacant lots scams in particular have been fueled by a downturn in existing home sales paired with an increase in vacant land prices, as noted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The news also follows an advisory issued by the U.S. Secret Service Cybercrime Investigations division in January, citing a “sharp increase in reports of real estate fraud associated with vacant and unencumbered property.” According to CertifID’s own research, 73% of real estate firms have seen a year-over-year increase in seller impersonation fraud attempts since the start of 2023.
To help detect seller impersonation fraud, CertifID recommends the use of its solution to comprehensively verify the identity of a seller in any property sales involving vacant land. The solution includes the use of device verification, multi-factor authentication and knowledge-based authentication to triangulate and verify the identities of sellers.
Here’s how it works:
At the beginning of the closing process, the title company works with the listing real estate agent to initiate a request for seller information through CertifID;
CertifID then performs a series of security checks that assess the risk of fraud;
If CertifID determines a high risk of fraud, a request for additional proof of ownership from the seller is made;
Any change in seller parties or payment details should trigger an additional request to re-verify identity before closing funds are sent.
The solution from CertifID also includes wire fraud insurance of up to $1M per transaction for sellers that are verified through the solution.
“Most of our transactions are with remote sellers, so it’s nearly impossible for me to verify identity in person,” said Christian Ross, President of Ross Law | Ross Title. “I’ve evaluated a number of ID validation tools to solve for this problem, and none of them provided the level of security that CertifID provides.”
“This latest increase in seller impersonation scams coincides with the adoption of virtual closings and the ongoing acceleration in cyber fraud activity,” said Tyler Adams, CEO of CertifID. “With a majority of U.S. states seeing a net increase in vacant land sales, the industry has to respond by upgrading its payments fraud protection capabilities. CertifID is providing this new solution to help title agencies and real estate firms secure and insure their transactions, as well as protect their client community.”
About CertifID
CertifID is a leader in wire fraud protection. The company safeguards billions of dollars every month from fraud with advanced software, insurance, and proven recovery services. Trusted by title companies, law firms, lenders, realtors, home buyers and sellers, and others, CertifID provides further peace of mind with up to $1M in direct coverage on every wire it protects.
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