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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 81 Users will now be able to order Fraud- Guard services directly from the AppQ Net- work vendor management portal—an entire ecosystem of third-party service providers that improve efficiency in audits—from within the LoanHD platform. "LoanLogics is committed to ensuring our clients have the tools they need, when they need them," said Craig Riddell, SVP and Chief Business Officer for LoanLogics. "By continually expanding our LoanHD network with the addition of best-of-breed solutions like FraudGuard, we're helping our clients drive toward zero defects, im- prove their loan manufacturing process and reduce cost, while increasing the efficiency of audit reviews through technology and automation." FraudGuard is a next-generation data vali- dation tool aimed at helping lenders mitigate risk by using data, pattern-matching analyt- ics, and industry experience culled from more than 28 million loans to help lenders make compliant mortgage loans free of defects. FraudGuard also helps to accelerate the loan application review process, according to the announcement. "FraudGuard's unparalleled data assets make it a stand-out among loan quality man- agement tools," said Kevin Wall, President of First American Mortgage Solutions. "We're pleased to bring LoanLogics users on-demand access to the critical data insights and auto- mated decision-support services they need to originate high-quality loans with confidence." Global DMS Launches Global Delivery Global DMS, a provider of web-based compliant valuation management software, has launched Global Delivery™, an alternative to the traditional way appraisal documents are prepared, packaged, and compliantly provided to borrowers by way of printed appraisals sent via U.S. mail, according to the company. "What Global Delivery accomplishes is applying the greatest level of automation pos- sible to alleviate an elderly task of yesteryear," says Vladimir Bien-Aime, President and CEO of Global DMS. "ere is still consumer demand in residential mortgage valuations to receive the fully packaged appraisal via the U.S. Postal Service, and of course, to receive it in full CFPB compliance. Global Delivery is a perfect blend of technology and service that automates the manual and cumbersome pro- cess of printing, folding and mailing appraisals to borrowers." According to Global DMS, the CFPB is- sued its Disclosure and Delivery Requirements for Copies of Appraisals and Other Written Valuations under the Equal Credit Opportu- nity Act (Regulation B) rule, and the copies of valuations may be delivered to the borrower either on paper or electronically. e an- nouncement says that although some solutions handle electronic delivery of appraisals, Global Delivery sufficiently addresses the hard-copy delivery of appraisals or other valuations to the borrower via mail. "Global Delivery can process appraisal documents and merge a pre-programmed, lender-branded cover letter that then delivers the hard copy to the borrower's doorstep," the company said. "Global Delivery automatically ships appraisals to lenders' borrowers with one simple click. ere is zero printing, folding, and stamps involved for the lender." Declining Affordability in Lehigh Valley Not Much of a Threat Shrinking inventory, modest price in- creases, and declining affordability character- ized the housing market in Lehigh Valley in 2016, according to the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, covering the Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and Pocono Mountain area. Inventory dropped a stunning 43 percent over the year in December, leaving 2,025 homes for sale in the area. ere is a three months' supply of homes for sale, about half what is considered a balanced market. With inventory tight, prices rose in all but one month in 2016, according to the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors. Prices rose 3.6 percent over the month in December and 3 percent over the year, landing at a median price of $175,000. Meanwhile affordability is on the decline, albeit still relatively high. Affordability in Le- high Valley declined 10 percent over the month and 9 percent over the year in December. However, at an index reading of 181, the me- dian income is more than enough to purchase a median-priced home in the area. Lehigh Valley home sellers received 97.2 percent of their asking price in 2016. Demand remains strong amid the tight inventory and moderate price increases. "Real estate professionals across the Greater Lehigh Valley are expressing that they are busy as ever," said Cass Chies, President of the local Realtors group, according to an article on McCall.com. VERMONT Vermont Ranks in the Middle for Delinquent Loans Vermont falls right in the middle, ranking No. 26 in the nation for its prevalence of delin- quent mortgages, according to data from Black Knight Financial Services. However, Vermont lags the nation in how quickly it is working through its inventory of foreclosed homes. Vermont's delinquency rate stands at 3.9 percent, well below Mississippi's 10.4 percent delinquency rate at the top of the chart but a couple percentage points above lowest-ranking North Dakota with a 1.8 percent delinquency rate, according to the data from Black Knight. About 5.6 percent of Vermont borrowers are non-current on their mortgage loans, just slightly above the national rate of 5.3 percent. e number of non-current loans in Vermont declined 5.9 percent over the year as of the end of November, according to Black Knight. is pace is well below the national pace—a 13.4 percent decline. Vermont's foreclosure rate is 1.6 percent, a little higher than the national rate of 0.98 percent. Home prices in Vermont rose 3.4 percent over the year in November, according to data from CoreLogic, a much more measured pace than the 7.1 percent for the nation overall. Vermont has a negative equity rate of 3.8 percent, which is .6 percent lower than the national average, according to Black Knight Financial Services' November 2016 Mortgage Monitor. KNOW THIS

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