PointCentral the way you need it

December 6, 2011

BJ Bounds

Our software is designed to increase efficiency and ensure compliance without the exorbitant costs of other systems.  But sometimes getting everything set up just way you want to can seem like a daunting job if you’re doing it by yourself.

If you need help setting up your business rules, developing a successful workflow roadmap, or creating your business templates and reports, we have a dedicated staff of software and industry experts that can get you where you need to be…quickly and professionally.

With either onsite or online consultations, our professionals can help you build a strong foundation for management and compliance using customized processes and workflow that work best for your business.  Here are some of the tasks our seasoned professionals can assist you with:

  • PointCentral implementation
  • Data migration into PointCentral
  • Multi-branch deployment
  • Business rules, templates & processes
  • PointCentral custom forms and reports

Call 800-362-2599 to speak with your account representative.  He or she will walk through your needs in detail so that your consultation is perfectly tailored to your business.  Once your consultation is scheduled, get ready to take control of your business with the efficiency, manageability, and flexibility you need to move forward with confidence.

 

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Posted by BJ Bounds

The Low-down on ULDD

December 1, 2011

BJ Bounds

It’s not a new federal compliance requirement, but the deadline for compliance is today.  I’m talking of course about the ULDD.  There has been a lot of buzz about it lately but there are still quite a few of out there that are still in the dark as to exactly what it is and what Calyx is doing to ensure compliance.

ULDD, or Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset, is a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mandate for companies who sell directly to them.  If you don’t sell to them, but are a correspondent, you’ll most likely still need ULDD to deliver to your investor on all loans delivered on or after March 19, 2012 with application dates after December 1, 2011.

So what exactly is it?  ULDD is a file format that uses an electronic data exchange standard format called MISMO 3.0 XML.  With this standardized set of field deliverables, overall loan quality on loans going to Fannie and Freddie are expected to improve.  Although both Fannie and Freddie derive their formats from the standard MISMO 3.0 format, Fannie’s field definitions are tweaked for their requirements, so ULDD has two flavors – one for Fannie and one for Freddie, but both require many of the same data points to be delivered in this format.

The new delivery standard contains 696 fields (data points) which depending on the loan conditions, may be required to be used for delivery.  In Point, we are delivering over 200 of these fields.  Since Point does not capture trade data or provide fields for helping you to service your loans, fields that are specifically for loans involved in trades and loan modifications are not included in Point.

What does that mean to you?  Well, it means that your Point loan files must be updated to capture the appropriate data.  Many of the ULDD fields are ones that you already fill out—loan application data that fill out a standard Fannie 3.2 file format, and HMDA data, so there is no need to panic.  Many of the additional fields are based on loan delivery information, and those additional fields are found on the Banking Shipping screen

If you are delivering loans to an investor and are not sure of their final destination, Point 7.5 offers a “combined” ULDD file that allows each investor to parse out the data they need for either Fannie or Freddie.  It’s a very convenient way to “cover all your bases.”

We offered the BETA version of Point 7.5 on November 15th to all current accounts so that you had time to prepare your first ULDD report.  The full version of Point 7.5 is available today  so that all of your users can benefit from the new and improved features of Point.

If you have any questions about Point 7.5 or ULDD, you can view the Release Notes or call our support team at 800-342-2599.

If your account is no longer current and you need to update your software, please call your account representative at 800-362-2599.

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Posted by BJ Bounds

Boo!

October 31, 2011

BJ Bounds

Happy Halloween everybody!  It’s that time of year again!  Time for lots of candy and fun decorations!  This is another one of those kid holidays that adults still love to participate in.

I’ve never been one for dressing up at work, although I love to see other people’s costumes, but I love costume parties.  I don’t have one planned for this year but if I did, I’d be going as a disco chic—go-go boots and everything!  Well, like I said, that was my plan—I never actually bought it.

Halloween is a booming business here in the states.  Even though the number of costume shops has declined 5% in recent years (possibly due to online shopping), candy consumption has gone up about the same percentage.  Maybe it’s because they keep coming out with new chocolates and really realistic-looking candy body parts!  Who here hasn’t chewed on an eyeball?

But I digress.  This year we’re celebrating on a Monday—maybe a little fun at the end of the week’s first work day is a good thing.  I’ve heard of a lot of neighborhoods doing parking lot Trunk-or-Treats this year instead of having the kids go door to door.  I think it’s an interesting idea and look forward to seeing it in action.

What about you?  What are your plans for this spooky day?

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Posted by BJ Bounds

Get a handle on your business

October 25, 2011

BJ Bounds

Taking control of your mortgage business is easier than you think.  If you’re already using Point, you know how extremely beneficial having an efficient software process is for getting your loans to the closing table quickly and accurately.

But if you have more than one user, more than one office, or you travel a lot, getting a handle on your business is as simple as upgrading to PointCentral.  PointCentral’s end-to-end server platform gives you 24 hour Internet access to everything in your pipeline.  Complete oversight and management is possible from anywhere that offers a secure Internet connection.

Additionally, PointCentral offers strong security measures and keeps your sensitive loan data in a secure centralized location, ensuring you don’t lose information even if you lose your hard drive or laptop.  Offline files are automatically updated to the server location the next time a user log into Point so that there is always only one file in one place.  Complete audit trail functionality details every change that has been made in each file.

And not only does PointCentral put access to files, screens and fields at your disposal, but processes that you implement for your business can easily be integrated into your software workflow with simple-to-configure Rules and Templates.  As your needs change, you can add, modify, and remove them through an easy-to-use administrative dashboard.

If you want to find out more about how PointCentral can give you the control you need over your business, visit our website or call 800-362-2599 to schedule a free demo.

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Posted by BJ Bounds

Registration is closing for the Calyx User Conference

October 24, 2011

BJ Bounds

This is the last week to register for the November 15th Calyx User Conference!  We have great plans for this unprecedented event, and they include you!  This conference is going to be packed with the information you need to take your business to new levels of efficiency with indispensible software tips and best practices.

But not only are you going to learn about the software you already use, but you’re going to be introduced to our plans and schedules for future products and features.  See a demo of the future LOS of Calyx and get the details on the new mobile apps, Calyx AUS, and more!

You’ll also have the opportunity to interact with Calyx decision-makers to discuss the features and products you’d like to see developed.  This event is all about you—the user—and we want to make it the most valuable event you’ll attend this year!

Register now to make sure get in on this extremely enlightening and productive day!  Stay another couple of days and attend Mastery Business Plan, too!

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Posted by BJ Bounds

Help with MyCalyx: Updating Seats

October 17, 2011

BJ Bounds

MyCalyx gives you ultimate control over users, seats, and updates.  But if you’re still a little confused as to what to do when you get a new computer, or need to transfer a seat license from one computer to another, there is help available.

Our Knowledge Base offers many articles you may need to help you resolve your questions or issues.  KB article #708 specifically addresses how to update MyCalyx.com seats.

If you are using Point and need to copy your files over to the new computer, you’ll also want to check out article #0056 to learn how.

Still haven’t registered for the Calyx User Conference on November 15?  There is still time.  Visit our information page for additional details and to register.

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Posted by BJ Bounds

ULDD Functionality Coming Soon!

October 6, 2011

BJ Bounds

You’ve asked for it and now you’re going to get it.  Arriving in time for your compliance deadline, we expect to include the Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset (ULDD) in our November release of Point 7.5

The functionality in Point for ULDD will allow you to collect data and electronically deliver your files to GSE’s per the latest requirements.

For more information on ULDD, visit the FAQ pages for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

We’ll see you at the Calyx User Conference on November 15 in Las Vegas.  

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Posted by BJ Bounds

Help with PointCentral: Back from a crash

October 3, 2011

BJ Bounds

Just like death and taxes, issues with technology are a sure thing.  If you’ve ever dealt with your computer screens freezing up, or your PC shutting down on your for no reason, you know what I mean.

And just like our individual computers, servers can sometimes crash.  While there is not much you can do but suffer in silence when it happens, you can mitigate the damage by preparation ahead of time.

If you’ve backed up your system following the steps in Knowledge Base article #661, coming back after a server crash is easier than you might think.

Knowledge Base article #664 walks you step by step through restoring PointCentral loan files and templates and PointCentral SQL Database from the backup.

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Posted by BJ Bounds

All things to all people?

September 29, 2011

BJ Bounds

The concept of being “all things to all people” is not only a lesson in futility; it’s a recipe for mediocrity.

In business, sometimes an “all in one” solution is good for initial revenue but bad for your clients in the long run.  How do you excel in your primary mission if you take on additional ones that complement your mission but are best accomplished by others with specific expertise?

The answer is, you don’t.  You stop excelling in your original mission and lower your operational standards in order to maintain the various functions of your other business.

Sometimes it’s better to stick with what you do best, and do it as best you can.

Here at Calyx, we develop software solutions for mortgage professionals.  That’s what we do and we do it well.  That’s why we’re still #1 after 20 years.  We let the experts in complementary business do what they do best.

We are proud that so many best-of-breed providers interface with us to give our clients the power to choose among them for the additional services they need.

Get expertise; get choices with Calyx.

To see a list of preferred vendors available through your Point software, visit our Calyx Network page.  If you’d like to learn more about what we can do for your business, call our account representatives at 800-362-2599.

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Posted by BJ Bounds

The pain of customization

September 26, 2011

BJ Bounds

Have you ever been so frustrated with finding the perfect pair of dress pants that you had one custom made?  You absolutely loved it and wore it everywhere—a perfect black that made coordinating outfits a breeze!

What happened the next year when you found out that you had gained a few pounds and the vision of a fully zipped pair of pants became only a distant memory?

If you took it back to the tailor, you perhaps discovered that in order to enlarge the pants, they would have to take it apart and add more fabric, making it pieced together and unrecognizable as the “go-to” pant-perfection that it was last year.

Like your custom pants, technology can be customized on the front end for your business.  But as with your weight gain, your business needs can change from one year to the next, even one month to the next.  But if you’ve had your technology custom made for you, making the required changes could leave your system pieced together and unrecognizable—or broken.  And what if your customized technology needs regular updates that don’t readily integrate with your current customizations?  That leads to more time consuming system manipulation.

While you can’t always find stretchy dress pants, it is easy to find technology for your business that you can easily configure as your needs change.  That way you don’t have to depend on upfront, expensive customization.

Give yourself the gift of flexibility with configurable technology that’s good for business.

With PointCentral, you can create, change, or remove business rules to best suit your business. Find out how by calling our account representatives at 800-362-2599.

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