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60 agents, notary work, etc.) the undoubted business driver is compliance, but there are also others such as risk management, property registration issues, legal and financial issues, vendor management, and more. Undoubtedly, technology will help change the face of field service provision. is will be driven by work provider requirements for more in-depth knowledge of their properties, the desire to mitigate risk and, of course, compliance. On the service provider side, compliance is obviously a driver but so too is efficiency and quality. So what does this mean for future technology frontiers? While there are many technologies that might impact and change the way data is captured and analyzed or how quality is reviewed (for example, video or sensor technology) we have yet to overcome some more fundamental challenges that technology will help solve. is has more to do with joining the dots to provide better business and process management that can then utilize newer technologies that come on-stream. For example, this might mean integrating work orders with vendor management and proof of service – which is exactly the area of focus for the housing industry from regulators to business to consumer. Simply put, the next frontier in mortgage field services technology is simply solutions that combine existing capabilities and technology into value-propositions that meet the compliance and risk demands. What better way to achieve that quickly than the adoption of some standards. Solutions that add value to work providers in terms of more visibility and less risk, and to service providers in terms of reducing costs and raising quality – leading to greater compliance and adherence with regulations - are the order of the day. While many facets of the mortgage industry have been successful at introducing standards, field services is lagging behind. e benefits of the introduction of standards into an area are well documented and include cost savings, enhanced customer satisfaction, ease of training new people, easier aggregated reporting, and more besides. When it comes to the next technology frontier, then the introduction of industry compliance standards makes it much easier to integrate and provide solutions that work for everyone. So as you look to the next frontier for technology innovation in the mortgage field services industry, look to standards and integrated vendor management compliance solutions. It may all sound pretty uncool but your business needs it. TITLE SERVICES JOHN HILLMAN CEO of nationwide Title Clearing Compliance will remain a key focus area for the title services sector of the industry in the year ahead. at's a trend that is bound to continue to impact all of us, but I don't anticipate it to be much different than what we've already been adapting to as an industry. However, there are some other trends I see developing that could lead to some big changes for our businesses next year. First is the increased industry consolidation I expect to see in 2015. is year saw a number of institutions acquired or merged into other firms and because the market is right for sellers, I anticipate more of this in the year ahead. is will lead to heightened competition as financial institutions streamline the resulting merged entities. e second trend I see involves the high level of loan resets on the horizon. In 2015 another set of home equity Adjustable Rate Mortgages are due to reset and this could lead to an increase in refinances. Some of those that do not or cannot be refinanced may become troubled and fall into delin- quency, leading some investors to sell those loans or the servicing rights to different industry players. is will lead to an increase in assignments and lien releases. We can also expect to see some government loan resets related to HARP and HAMP loans that could lead to changes in the status of those liens as well. Finally, we are starting to see the signs that some of the larger financial institutions and major investors are beginning to loosen lending standards somewhat. is is starting slowly, so it's not yet clear how much of an impact it will have in 2015, but the possibility exists that it could open the door to more borrowers, which will increase everyone's business. EXPERT OPINION "Lenders are increasing their vetting and oversight of title and closing agents, and we expect that 2015 will see stricter standards for agents to comply in order to maintain business from lenders." –JASON NADEAU EXPERT OPINION "First is the increased industry consolidation I expect to see in 2015. This year saw a number of institutions acquired or merged into other firms and because the market is right for sellers, I anticipate more of this in the year ahead." –JOHN HILLMAN