Company joins select group of vendors that can use industry standard eNote registry

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 17, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- DocMagic, Inc., the leading provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, compliance, eSign and eDelivery solutions for the mortgage industry, announced that the firm has now completed its integration with the MERS® eRegistry, making it one of only a few industry vendors to integrate with the widely used system. 

Launched in 2004, the MERS® eRegistry is the legal system of record that identifies the owner or holder (Controller) and custodian (Location) for registered eNotes and provides greater liquidity, transferability and security for lenders, according to MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. It was created in response to demand by the mortgage industry for a system to satisfy certain safe harbor requirements under the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) from 1999, and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN) from 2000. 

"The MERS® eRegistry system excels at effectively handling a vital service for eMortgage originations," said Dominic Iannitti, president and CEO of DocMagic. "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both require use of the MERS® eRegistry for all eNotes they purchase. DocMagic's integration with MERS' system fulfills the GSEs' requirement and thus allows us to pass the benefits that the service offers along to our customers." 

Using an eClosing platform such as DocMagic's eSign platform, the borrower simply signs the eNote, and the lender then immediately and efficiently registers it on the MERS® eRegistry, where it securely resides and can easily be referenced at any time. Thereafter, the lender is able to simply transfer control to investors. 

Notable is that DocMagic's recent acquisition of eSignSystems, the mortgage industry's leader in eSign and eVaulting Solutions, also has MERS eRegistry connectivity through its SmartSAFE suite. SmartSAFE facilitates secure eDelivery, eSigning and eRetention with a legal "system of record," providing detailed audit trails from the beginning to the end of transactions.

About DocMagic:
DocMagic, Inc. is a leading provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, compliance, eSign and eDelivery solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops software, mobile apps, processes and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company's compliance experts and in-house legal staff constantly monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy.

For more information on DocMagic, visit http://www.docmagic.com/.

DocMagic has announced that its entire solution set now adheres to version 3.3 of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) reference model.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Integrated Disclosure Rule combines the mortgage disclosures required under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). It requires lenders to use the new integrated disclosures beginning on Aug. 1, 2015. Successful compliance with this rule depends on use of the latest version of the data standard.

Version 3.3 of MISMO establishes a common dataset that is essentially a prerequisite for lenders to use the CFPB's new integrated disclosures and share the information about the disclosures with their industry partners.

The CFPB's Integrated Disclosures will replace the current Good Faith Estimate (GFE) HUD-1 Settlement Statement and Truth in Lending (TIL) disclosures for most residential mortgage loans starting August 1st.

DocMagic said it is the first document preparation software vendor to implement MISMO version 3.3.

"Our early implementation of MISMO version 3.3 is significant because it is yet another step that we are taking to proactively prepare for the CFPB's new Integrated Disclosure rule, as well as industry innovation involving the disclosures," Dominic Iannitti, president and CEO of DocMagic, said.

"Any software provider that is involved in loan closings or data exchange must update their respective systems to implement the new dataset in order to effectively support their partners and lender clients,” added Iannitti. “Those organizations that wait will likely not be ready to meet the CFPB's deadline and as a result will encounter serious compliance issues."

In March 2014, the government sponsored enterprises introduced the Uniform Closing Dataset UCD, which is based on the MISMO v3.3 Reference Model standard used to support the Closing Disclosure under the CFPB's new Integrated Disclosure rule. The Closing Disclosure form combines the final TILA and HUD-1 Settlement Statement.

As a result, closing documents will change significantly come August. Lenders will be responsible for the Closing Disclosure and will need to automatically and seamlessly exchange the data from this disclosure with its settlement agents and other partners.

As featured by Mortgage Professional America, February 2015

Technology plays a significant role in housing, with nine out of ten respondents in a new survey saying they use some sort of online technology to help them with the home financial process.

The poll was commissioned by Discover Home Loans and analyzes responses from 1,0003 recent homebuyers.  

“As technology continues to become an integral part of our daily lives, it’s only natural that buyers also use it to make the home financing process easier,” said TJ Freeborn, senior manager of customer experience at Discover Home Loans. “Not only are homebuyers using the Internet to look at homes and neighborhoods, they’re also using it to submit documents and complete applications online.”

Additionally, 81% said that technology made it easier to share financial information with their lender and 69% said it helped them keep track of important financial documents.

The industry is in the middle of a shift to a greater focus on online lending.

DocMagic pointed out that this year will be the year of ‘riding’ the eWave, causing some companies like Lenda to completely eliminate the need for loan officers.

However, although 36% of homebuyers said that completing the entire financing process online with no phone calls or in-person meetings would make the process easier, majority still prefer to have a relationship with their mortgage banker.

Nearly all homebuyers surveyed communicated with their lenders by phone, 94%, or email, 88%, while 67% of respondents met in person.

Meanwhile, four out of five homebuyers submitted documents electronically to a lender, realtor or at closing. Of those, nine out of 10 say it was easy to do and saved time. 

As featured by HousingWire, February 2015

By Tony Garritano

DocMagic has updated its entire solution set to now adhere to version 3.3 of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) Reference Model. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Integrated Disclosure Rule combines the mortgage disclosures required under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). It requires lenders to use the new integrated disclosures beginning on Aug. 1, 2015.  Successful compliance with this rule depends on use of the latest version of the data standard.

Version 3.3 of MISMO establishes a common dataset that is essentially a prerequisite for lenders to use the CFPB’s new integrated disclosures and share the information about the disclosures with their industry partners. The CFPB’s Integrated Disclosures will replace the current Good Faith Estimate (GFE) HUD-1 Settlement Statement, and Truth in Lending (TIL) disclosures for most residential mortgage loans as of Aug. 1, 2015.   DocMagic is the first document preparation software vendor to implement MISMO version 3.3.

“Our early implementation of MISMO version 3.3 is significant because it is yet another step that we are taking to proactively prepare for the CFPB’s new Integrated Disclosure rule, as well as industry innovation involving the disclosures,” said Dominic Iannitti, president and CEO of DocMagic.  “Any software provider that is involved in loan closings or data exchange must update their respective systems to implement the new dataset in order to effectively support their partners and lender clients.  Those organizations that wait will likely not be ready to meet the CFPB’s deadline and as a result will encounter serious compliance issues.”

In March of 2014, the GSE’s introduced the Uniform Closing Dataset UCD, which is based on the MISMO v3.3 Reference Model standard used to support the Closing Disclosure under the CFPB’s new Integrated Disclosure rule. The Closing Disclosure is the form that combines the final TILA and HUD-1 Settlement Statement. As a result, closing documents will change significantly come Aug. 1, 2015.  Lenders will be responsible for the Closing Disclosure and will need to automatically and seamlessly exchange the data from this disclosure with its settlement agents and other partners. DocMagic is ready to effectively and compliantly transition to this new disclosure for its entire customer base.

Other organizations that will be affected by the rollout of version 3.3 of MISMO, the GSE’s introduction of the UCD, and the CFPB’s rule include settlement software and loan origination system (LOS) providers, among others.

DocMagic’s early implementation of MISMO version 3.3 has allowed the company to already begin working on standardizing closing document forms for its clients and partners. 

About The Author

As featured by Progress in Lending, February 2015

Adherence to MISMO’s latest dataset helps prepare DocMagic for the CFPB’s Integrated Disclosure deadline 

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 11, 2014 – DocMagic, Inc., the mortgage industry’s leader in compliant loan document preparation and driver of complete eMortgage adoption, announced that its entire solution set now adheres to version 3.3 of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) Reference Model.  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Integrated Disclosure Rule combines the mortgage disclosures required under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). It requires lenders to use the new integrated disclosures beginning on Aug. 1, 2015.  Successful compliance with this rule depends on use of the latest version of the data standard. 

Version 3.3 of MISMO establishes a common dataset that is essentially a prerequisite for lenders to use the CFPB’s new integrated disclosures and share the information about the disclosures with their industry partners. The CFPB's Integrated Disclosures will replace the current Good Faith Estimate (GFE) HUD-1 Settlement Statement, and Truth in Lending (TIL) disclosures for most residential mortgage loans as of Aug. 1, 2015.   DocMagic is the first document preparation software vendor to implement MISMO version 3.3.

“Our early implementation of MISMO version 3.3 is significant because it is yet another step that we are taking to proactively prepare for the CFPB’s new Integrated Disclosure rule, as well as industry innovation involving the disclosures,” said Dominic Iannitti, president and CEO of DocMagic.  “Any software provider that is involved in loan closings or data exchange must update their respective systems to implement the new dataset in order to effectively support their partners and lender clients.  Those organizations that wait will likely not be ready to meet the CFPB’s deadline and as a result will encounter serious compliance issues.” 

In March of 2014, the GSE’s introduced the Uniform Closing Dataset UCD, which is based on the MISMO v3.3 Reference Model standard used to support the Closing Disclosure under the CFPB’s new Integrated Disclosure rule. The Closing Disclosure is the form that combines the final TILA and HUD-1 Settlement Statement. As a result, closing documents will change significantly come Aug. 1, 2015.  Lenders will be responsible for the Closing Disclosure and will need to automatically and seamlessly exchange the data from this disclosure with its settlement agents and other partners. DocMagic is ready to effectively and compliantly transition to this new disclosure for its entire customer base.

Other organizations that will be affected by the rollout of version 3.3 of MISMO, the GSE’s introduction of the UCD, and the CFPB’s rule include settlement software and loan origination system (LOS) providers, among others. 

DocMagic’s early implementation of MISMO version 3.3 has allowed the company to already begin working on standardizing closing document forms for its clients and partners.

About DocMagic
DocMagic, Inc. is a leading provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, compliance, eSign and eDelivery solutions for the mortgage industry. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., DocMagic, Inc. develops software, mobile apps, processes and web-based systems for the production and delivery of compliant loan document packages. The company’s compliance experts and in-house legal staff constantly monitor legal and regulatory changes at both the federal and state levels to ensure accuracy. For more information on DocMagic, visit www.docmagic.com.

The new mortgage wave is now.

Executive Conversations is a HousingWire web series that profiles powerful people in the financial industry, highlighting the operations and the people that make this sector tick. In the latest installment, we sit down with Don Iannitti, president and CEO of DocMagic, to see how the company how the company thrived in 2014, along with its plans to grow in 2015.

HW: DocMagic has announced some key acquisitions in 2014, how are these coming along and where does the company plan to grow in 2015?

Iannitti: We made two outstanding acquisitions in 2014 that will have a significant impact on our business moving forward:  eSignSystems and Doc-Tech Corp.  Both were executed flawlessly and are integrating exceptionally well with the existing DocMagic family. While both acquisitions bring layers of new benefits and opportunities to DocMagic from an asset, customer and opportunity standpoint, I think that the best part of each of those deals is the incredibly talented people that we were able to bring on board.  They have already added tremendous value to DocMagic and are both perfect fits within our corporate culture and level of commitment and intensity our organization has.

We also recently secured an exclusive agreement with a complementary technology vendor that we will be announcing shortly, which puts us in a unique position to achieve a 100% paperless eClosing.  In addition, we will be evaluating other deals of interest throughout 2015 that add to our competitive advantage.  With many of the new and constantly changing compliance rules that are being enacted, we see huge opportunity for us to serve as a single-source vendor for fully compliant, highly efficient eMortgage processing from end-to-end.

HW: The new Integrated Disclosures rule will be implemented on Aug. 1, 2015.  Many say this is bigger than the QM/ATR rule that was mandated in 2014.  Are lenders and vendors alike ready for it?  

HW: The CFPB will again be front and center with compliance throughout 2015 that will impact the entire mortgage supply chain.  Are you working with them on compliance initiatives to help?

Iannitti: Part of the CFPB’s “Know Before You Owe” mortgage initiative, which is designed to improve the home-buying experience for consumers is its eClosing pilot program. It analyzes how technology can improve the borrower experience.

DocMagic is one of the lead vendors participating in the CFPB’s eClosing Pilot, which is in direct response to providing an automated solution to the new Integrated Disclosure, (TRID) regulation for August 1st.   Much of that encompasses providing a consistent electronic process and streamlined consumer experience to ensure borrowers are better informed and educated before they go to closing and on the lender side to ensure the lender has an electronic documented process (audit trail) to ensure proof of compliance around delivering the disclosures to consumers.

Although the pilot itself is currently only focused on the delivery of the “Closing Disclosure Form,” the lenders we are working with already provide an initial electronic disclosure, (eDisclosure) with much of the verification being paperless up to providing an electronic pre-closing and full eClosing process that includes eNotary, eRecording and eDelivery to the investor via MERS eRegistry. 

In short, we’ve already satisfied the pilot’s initial objective and have actually taken it much further, achieving a full eClosing from soup-to-nuts using DocMagic’s single solution.

HW: There has been a lot of talk about achieving a true eMortgage.  How close do you think we are?

Iannitti: There are many different components that all need to work very well together in order to achieve an actual eMortgage from start to finish --- completely electronically and without the use of any paper whatsoever.  The industry has made significant advancements with eMortgages over the years from e-documents to e-signatures, e-notaries, e-delivery, e-closing, e-recording and e-vaulting.  What we’re finding, however, is that there are currently too many vendors involved to make it work smoothly. This is why we are evolving into a single-source provider of comprehve eServices. At DocMagic, we have the technology and are eMortgage ready; but, the next challenge is in getting major investors and other industry players to embrace and accept it. So, when will broad-based market adoption occur is the billion dollar question. 

What we have seen in recent years is a confluence of eEnabling events that have risen out of a combination of 1) technology adoption, 2) government mandates and 3) the proliferation of data-centric models that we believe creates a paradigm of “eInevitablity” that will begin to show real leaps in market adoption in early 2016.  The environment has become an environment where the only way to be compliant and competitive is to eliminate the paper.  Many of our customers see this already, and are working with us to set up an eEnvironment.        

HW: What are some of the biggest challenges that lie ahead in 2015 and how do you plan on overcoming them?

Iannitti: Had you asked me this question last year, I would have said our biggest challenge was going to be driving eAdoption, but I am pleased to say that certain marketplace drivers ended up getting that well underway. 

Currently, our biggest opportunity is going to be ‘riding’ the eWave.  This means that we will be material in transitioning increasingly greater numbers of our customers to an eEnvironment that is highly regulated and highly competitive. Customers are unique and one size doesn’t fit all.  It will be a time of great learning for everyone in this market --- everyone. Maintaining balance while assimilating the knowledge we gain and continuing to innovate amid an incredibly fast-moving regulatory intensive business landscape is our opportunity, and we are very well-positioned to capitalize on it.  We’ve been around for 25 years and have successfully navigated through many industry cycles, always coming out on top.

Compliance rules abound; they here to stay.  We’re ultra-prepared to tackle them and serve as a very effective electronic single-source solution to clients. We’re quickly transforming from once being a document preparation company into an eServices company.

As featured by Housingwire, January 2015