Mortgage Software Solutions Blog

Creating a secure mobile workspace is more necessary than ever as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies become increasingly common in the modern workplace. In the mortgage industry, security is especially important, since your company is handling highly sensitive, private customer information every single day. When you start to handle that data from various devices, including mobile, it becomes imperative that your devices and data are being properly protected.

In today’s business climate, security and workforce needs are constantly changing. Like many other industries, the mortgage industry must face a whole slew of technological challenges, and they need solutions that have been adapted to those ever-changing trends.

Mortgage companies are now required to adhere to the same stringent regulations for protecting consumer data as banks. These regulations can add to the time it takes to process applications and increase the costs of training your staff on the proper handling of data. To avoid these wasteful expenses, Access Business Technologies has provided mortgage companies with a solution through our MortgageWorkSpace platform. This innovative platform allows mortgage companies to process applications and monitor current client information, while training employees and adjusting business practices to comply with the new regulations.

In the last 18 months, the world has seen a sharp rise in attacks on businesses, individuals and even government organizations by hackers using sophisticated malware. One of the most dangerous of all being Ransomware. If you've never heard of Ransomware, it basically hijacks your computer system and allows hackers to lock you out of your personal data until you pay a ransom. This may sound like something out of a movie, but unfortunately, it's not. Ransomware is very real, and it’s costing companies millions of dollars.

The recent hack on the U.S. Office Of Personnel Management (OPM), which was one of the most serious government cyber attacks of all time, teaches us all some lessons that the mortgage industry should take to heart.

Employee data security is no longer an option in the mortgage industry. It's a necessity. More employees than ever before in the mortgage industry are working from home, and branch offices are regularly moving between companies.  You don't want them moving your vaulable customer data with them.

Think about all of the different people who have the ability to access your company and customer data: employees, contractors, and even your very own mortgage officers. As employee data theft continues to become a mounting concern for mortgage companies, using foolproof cloud desktops is the best way to keep your data from walking out the door.  

Mortgage companies need a uniform email signature. Why can this be said with such confidence? Email signatures may be the most overlooked, under-appreciated, and cost-effective marketing tool at a mortgage company's disposal.

While many businesses rely on the email component connected with Enterprise Office 365, mortgage lenders profit by pairing Office 365 Email with ABT's Mortgage Email Solution. Why does Office 365 Email need ABT's offering?

Higher mortgage rates and stagnant housing inventory pools may be the reason for a drop in the number of mortgage loan applications. As the country continues to struggle up from the depths of the Great Recession, housing starts and real-estate transactions remain at the back of the pack in terms of recovery pace. Although things have improved (in April 2014, loan application submissions were 11 percent lower), mortgage companies must still keep their eyes on the razor slim margins they now maintain.

In the wake of data breaches of major financial institutions like JPMorgan, it is increasingly obvious that comprehensive measures must be taken to protect sensitive client information at financial institutions. A 2014 study by HALOCK Security Labs reveals startling statistics about major deficits in security measures among mortgage lenders nationwide. Of those surveyed, the company found that 70 percent permitted applicants to send personal and financial information over unencrypted email as email attachments, including such sensitive documents as tax documentation, and even W-2s. Terry Kurzynski, senior partner at HALOCK Security Labs says: