REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY,MORTGAGE AND LENDING
Amrock | September 14, 2022
Amrock, the nation's largest title insurance, property valuations and settlement services provider – and a part of Rocket Companies – today announced the introduction of proprietary technology to electronically close (eClose) mortgage transactions entirely from a mobile device. This new product represents the final step in Rocket Companies' creation of a seamless, end-to-end real estate experience clients can use to go from application to closing on the iPhone or Android phone they use every day.
Rocket Companies, through its Rocket Mortgage brand, offers a completely digital home loan experience for consumers, including the ability to apply, receive approval and lock their rate for a mortgage – all from their smart phone. Now, through Amrock's first-of-its-kind technology, clients can close on a mortgage by connecting with the closing agent or notary from a mobile device no matter where they may be in the world – a revolutionary and convenient new feature. This transformational innovation helps consumers complete the historically cumbersome final step in a home loan process from anywhere at any time.
"Our company has always been focused on meeting our clients wherever they may be, but we were limited by the industry's standards for closing mortgages. That was the driving force behind Amrock creating this technology, providing the ability to close mortgages for a spouse traveling for work, a military member serving away from home or countless other real-world scenarios, Rocket Mortgage pioneered getting a mortgage online from a smart phone – now, Amrock is providing the final piece of the puzzle for a complete mobile mortgage experience."
-Nicole Beattie, CEO of Amrock
Henry Winfield, an Amrock client based in Virginia, used the mobile technology earlier this year to close on a refinance while in North Carolina for work. The new feature enabled both he and his wife to video chat with the notary and digitally sign all necessary documents quickly and safely.
When my wife and I found out closing virtually from our smartphones was a possibility, we were delighted – it was perfect for our circumstance and we didn't have to delay the closing, The experience was quick, intuitive and secure – and we had access to knowledgeable experts who helped us every step of the way,said Winfield.
Amrock's mobile closing capability is part of the Rocket Platform through which clients can search for a home with Rocket Homes, get a home loan from Rocket Mortgage, eClose on their mortgage through Amrock via Remote Online Notarization (RON), In-Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN) or a Hybrid eClosing, and now, can close on their mortgage completely from a smart phone. Clients that prefer to keep some elements of their home loan journey non-electronic can still choose to do so.
Our mission at Rocket Companies is to simplify life's most complex moments so our clients can live their dream, and we've delivered yet again on our vision to create a seamless real estate experience by being the first-ever to revolutionize the closing process, In addition to new mobile capabilities, clients can now move from mortgage processing with Rocket Mortgage to closing with Amrock through a single sign-on feature – a seemingly small, yet significant example of how the Rocket Platform removes friction every step of the way for consumers,said Jay Farner, CEO of Rocket Companies.
Based on the volume of registered notes on the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), Amrock is currently responsible for the majority of eClosings throughout the country. Its clients can complete a mobile RON when refinancing a mortgage in nearly 60% of the U.S. – each state where RON eClosings are allowed by law. Amrock plans to roll out mobile RON capabilities for all mortgage transactions, including home purchases, by the end of 2022.
About Amrock
Amrock is the leading national provider of title insurance, property valuations and settlement services. The company delivers FinTech solutions to streamline the real estate and mortgage experience for lenders, consumers and real estate professionals. Amrock is a preferred provider to top retail mortgage lenders, with a wide range of clients throughout the residential and commercial real estate finance industries. Driven by thousands of professional partners and team members nationwide, Amrock is headquartered in the heart of downtown Detroit, Michigan with regional service centers in California, Pennsylvania and Texas and additional locations in several other states. For more information, please visit Amrock.com.
About Rocket Companies
Founded in 1985, Rocket Companies is a Detroit-based FinTech platform company consisting of personal finance and consumer technology brands including Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Amrock, Rocket Auto, Rocket Loans, Rocket Money (formerly known as Truebill), Rocket Solar, Rocket Mortgage Canada (formerly known as Edison Financial), Lendesk, Core Digital Media, Rocket Central and Rock Connections.
Rocket Companies' mission is to be the best at creating certainty in life's most complex moments so that its clients can live their dreams. The Company helps clients achieve the dream of home ownership and financial freedom through industry-leading client experiences powered by its simple, fast and trusted digital solutions. Rocket Companies ranked #7 on Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2022 and has placed in the top third of the list for 19 consecutive years.
Read More
REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY
Built Technologies | August 01, 2022
Built Technologies, a leading software provider for real estate lenders and the construction industry, announced that it has acquired Nativ, a leading deal management platform for commercial real estate (CRE) lenders. The acquisition will enhance Built’s existing product suite for commercial lenders and enable improved underwriting and asset management capabilities across construction, transitional, and stabilized assets.
Built Co-Founder and CEO Chase Gilbert said, “After years working with top real estate lenders in the US and Canada, our customers began voicing their desire for us to help them solve new problems beyond just managing their construction loans. Our customers were experiencing difficulties with the underwriting and asset-management of loans as well as with aggregate portfolio management and reporting. When we were introduced to Nativ, the powerful tools to streamline these very processes were an obvious fit. This acquisition will also give Built access to a rich data set for how various real estate assets are performing, allowing us to provide innovative risk intelligence products to our customers over time.”
“Built’s construction lending solution offers our real estate clients an enhanced banking experience and aligns with Regions’ goal of innovating through technology. The recently announced collaboration between Built and Nativ is exciting, as the combined platform specializes in both construction and stabilized commercial real estate transaction management and allows lenders to work in their native workflows–all while benefiting from a centralized, audited, and enriched data model in the cloud.” – Tan Phillips, Regions Real Estate Banking
CRE lenders often silo information required to make intelligent lending decisions. Managing this information manually is expensive and exposes lenders to unnecessary risk. This approach prevents lenders from making strategic decisions in a timely manner, constraining growth and hurting portfolio profitability.
Nativ’s platform solves this by:
Providing a centralized, collaborative system of record that synchronizes deal data across each loan stage
Enabling lenders to integrate portfolio management while preserving familiar or “native” workflows including spreadsheets, and complementing common loan origination and servicing systems
Layering on alerts and monitoring to validate loan covenant compliance
Delivering flexible portfolio analytics, reporting and monitoring to manage risks and automate common tasks
“Joining forces with Built will fundamentally change how lenders and owners work together, Lenders have long been underserved by a lack of modern, industry-specific tools to speed the process of closing and managing loans. Together, we will change the way lenders and owners transact in the entire ‘built’ world.”
Jeff Saul, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Nativ
Saul and co-founder Adam Kerr join Built’s leadership team. The deal brings Built’s headcount to over 430 and expands the company’s presence in New York City. Built now serves over 220 lenders, including some of the largest non-bank lenders such as AllianceBernstein, Prime Finance and Benefit Street Partners.
About Built
Built is the leading provider of construction and real estate finance technology. By providing a centralized platform for all stakeholders, Built enables increased efficiency, collaboration, transparency, and business agility—with decreased risk—allowing customers to improve the way that the communities around them are built and managed. The Built platform is used by more than 220 leading North American lenders and asset managers, and thousands of developers, home builders and contractors.
About Nativ
Nativ is a leading enterprise software provider to the Commercial Real Estate investment industry. Nativ has helped clients across the country invest in and manage billions of CRE assets. Products focus on workflow automation and the use of proprietary technology to optimize the underwriting and investment decision process through improved harnessing and utilization of deal data. Clients include funds, REITs, banks and insurance companies across the U.S.
Read More
MARKET OUTLOOK,REAL ESTATE ADVICE
Ventas | July 19, 2022
Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) today announced that Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) has revised its rating outlook for Ventas to Stable from Negative and affirmed Ventas’s issuer credit rating of ‘BBB+’. In revising Ventas’s outlook, Fitch highlights that operating performance in Ventas’s senior housing operating portfolio is expected to continue to gain momentum as evidenced by steady gains in rent growth and occupancy. Fitch believes that the senior housing portfolio is positioned for a strong recovery driven by attractive 80+ population growth leading to higher move-ins and a favorable supply backdrop.
Fitch notes the benefits of Ventas’s diversified portfolio, approximately 30% of which consists of high-quality, principally on-campus medical office buildings and life science properties anchored by over 17 top-tier, high credit research universities. Fitch also cites Ventas’s strong liquidity position with minimal debt maturing through 2023 and management’s commitment to a strong financial policy.
About Ventas-
Ventas Inc., an S&P 500 company, operates at the intersection of two large and dynamic industries – healthcare and real estate. Fueled by powerful demographic demand from growth in the aging population, Ventas owns a diversified portfolio of over 1,200 properties in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Ventas uses the power of its capital to unlock the value of senior living communities; life science, research & innovation properties; medical office & outpatient facilities, hospitals and other healthcare real estate. A globally recognized real estate investment trust, Ventas follows a successful long-term strategy, proven over more than 20 years, built on diversification of property types, capital sources and industry leading partners, financial strength and flexibility, consistent and reliable growth and industry leading ESG achievements, managed by a collaborative and experienced team dedicated to its stakeholders.
Read More