Mortgage XSites Websites Debut, Bringing More Leads, Faster Closings and Less Paper to Brokers

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — From the floor of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers Annual Convention and Exposition here, a la mode, the nation's largest provider of software and technology to the people who power the mortgage transaction, debuted its Mortgage XSites websites for mortgage professionals.

Mortgage XSites are rich with useful business tools, generate more leads, cut paperwork and help close loans faster. They are available for one low annual fee, with no nickel-and-dime add-ons or surprises.

Mortgage XSites' revolutionary "DirectFax" feature converts borrowers' faxed tax returns, pay stubs, or any other paperwork to digital files, saving time and money. Borrowers use an automatically generated barcoded cover page to accompany faxed paperwork to a toll free number. Fax servers read the barcode, save the fax as a PDF, route it to an online loan folder, and e-mail it to the broker or LO, who is also notified by cell phone text message.

"FlexApp" online 1003s – three versions – give small offices and single mortgage brokers the online application functionality of big lenders' sites. The 1003 file imports directly into any LOS, without retyping. FlexApp can also fax offline clients a paper loan application – which the XSite converts into a digital file once it's completed and faxed back.

Ready to go in just 15 minutes – but completely customizable, with a huge library of Flash animation, links, content, graphics and themes to choose from – Mortgage XSites include fifty plus pre-written content pages which serve as a starting point for any mortgage originator to develop their site, with no limit on the total number of pages.

Other features such as daily news feeds, 16 interactive and highly professional mortgage and budget calculators, and pre-built Spanish language content to serve the attractive Hispanic market make Mortgage XSites a "sticky" destination for leads, turning them into borrowers. And increasingly, as consumers become more web-savvy and the mortgage boom recedes, brokers' profits rely on turning Internet leads into borrowers.

Investment in enhanced technology to master the online channel leads to dramatic surges in volume, the National Mortgage News reported in its 2004 Transactional Retail Mortgage Websites Report. By 2005, 25 percent or more of U.S. retail mortgage loan production may be sourced to the Internet. And the prime mover of this trend isn't the major lenders, like ABN AMRO, Countrywide and Quicken Loans, which already have sophisticated bi-directional functionality enabling completion of loan applications and documentation online.

Instead, "the Web is fast becoming a vehicle for loan officers using personalized websites, branch personnel, and call center representatives to take applications and serve borrowers," the National Mortgage News noted.

"Trying to make a Web borrower pick up the phone is an outmoded way to do business," the publication said. "Tech-savvy lenders confirm that the Internet has indeed proven to be an origination channel where borrowers readily transact substantial portions of the mortgage application process in self-service mode."

"Mortgage XSites are the final piece of the online mortgage revolution," Brad Eaton, Mortgage XSites Project Manager with a la mode, said. "Previously, only the biggest originators and niche lenders whose entire business model relied on the Internet channel had the interactive technology to allow borrowers to complete applications electronically. Mortgage XSites brings that technology to street level. For a low, single annual fee, brokers can generate more leads, eliminate paper and close faster," he continued.

Brokers can learn more about Mortgage XSites and enter to win a Rolex at booth 1517 at the NAMB convention. More information is available online at: http://www.mortgagexsites.com.

###

About a la mode

Founded in 1985, a la mode develops desktop tools, mobile tools, web sites for real estate professionals, mortgage brokers, and appraisers. a la mode's flagship product, WinTOTAL form-filling software for appraisers leads the residential appraisal industry. a la mode's Mercury Network, a vendor management platform for lenders, provides the most experienced local appraisers in an HVCC-compliant, easy-to-use loan ordering and management application. a la mode's mission-critical products are used by hundreds of thousands of appraisers, agents, inspectors, and lending professionals to complete the nation's real estate transactions. The company's state-of-the-art offices are located in Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, and Washington, DC. To learn more, visit www.alamode.com.