Updates to Features and Enhancements for 18.2 Major Release
Features and Enhancements
A number of changes have been implemented on the 1003 Loan Application pages in Encompass LO Connect.
- The LTV/CLTV has been added to the Mortgage Type, Loan Terms, Property & Title page for Tablet and Desktop.
- VOD is for field added to the Checking and Savings section on the Assets and Liabilities page for Tablet and Desktop.
- Loan Originator Information section added to the Declarations & Government Monitoring page for Tablet and Desktop.
The Loan Summary bar and the Loan Action bar have been redesigned for tablet and desktop users to provide a better user experience.
Loan Summary - The Loan Summary bar is provided for all loans to enable loan team members to see pertinent loan information at a glance. Users can see the mid-FICO, subject property, estimated value, net price, note rate, and more at a glance. Users can click or tap the arrows at either end of the Loan Summary ribbon to scroll through the available information.
Loan Action – The Loan Action bar is provided for all loans to enable loan team members to view the loan number, manage borrowers, and view the loan’s current status in the loan timeline. When more than one loan team member is working in the loan file, the Loan Action bar will be in read-only mode for all loan team members who open the loan file after the first person has opened the file.
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Loan Action: Click or tap the borrowers drop-down arrow to view the borrower pairs. Click or tap the Pencil icon to manage borrower pairs.
- Loan Action: Click or tap the Contacts icon to view the primary borrower’s contact information. Click or tap the Order Credit Report button to submit a credit report request.
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Loan Action: Click or tap the Timeline icon to view the loan’s milestones and the loan’s current position in the loan workflow.
The Manage Borrowers page has several changes which enable users to easily modify and manage the borrowers on a loan. Users can now delete a pair or an individual borrower from a loan and borrowers and borrower pairs can be re-arranged by dragging and dropping in the order desired.
To Move a Borrower in a Desktop or Tablet View
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From a loan, click or tap the arrow next to the borrowers name and then click or tap the pencil icon to edit the borrower pair.
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On the Manage Borrowers window, select the menu icon next to the borrower name and drag and drop it on a new the borrower name that the record should replace. The borrower records swap positions.
Note: You can swap borrower records in the same borrower pair, or from one borrower pair to another.
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Click or tap Next.
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A summary screen displays and details the change you made. Click or tap Reset to undo this change. Click or tap Save to save this change.
To Move a Borrower in a Mobile View
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From a loan, click or tap the pencil icon next to the borrower name.
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On the Manage Borrowers Pairs page, select the menu icon next to the borrower name and drag and drop it on a new the borrower name that the record should replace. The borrower records swap positions.
Note: You can swap borrower records in the same borrower pair, or from one borrower pair to another.
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To undo this change, click or tap Reset. To save the changes click or tap Next.
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A summary screen displays and details the change you made.
- Click or tap Reset to undo this change. Click or tap Save to save this change.
Support for loan submissions to Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriting is now provided in Encompass LO Connect.
To Order an Underwriting Report From Fannie Mae DU:
After completing the 1003, you can submit your loan for automated underwriting through Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriting (DU).
- Open a loan file from the Pipeline.
- In the navigation menu on the left, click or tap Services.
- Click or tap Underwriting, and then click or tap Order DU.
- If you have ordered credit, the credit information is pre-populated.
- Click or tap the Submit to DU button.
- Select a Credit Provider from the drop-down list, and then enter the log in credentials provided to you by the provider.
- Click or tap the Save Login Information check box to auto-populate these log in credentials for future orders.
- When finished, click or tap Next.
- The Request Type and Report Type fields are populated automatically based on the loan and borrower information. Click or tap the fields to select different options as needed.
- Select New Credit Order if you are ordering credit for the first time or select Reissue Credit if you have ordered credit previously.
- Enter the required data in the remaining fields and then click or tap Finish.
You can order and re-order DU for up to six borrower pairs.
- Once the submission is complete, the DU order details are provided.
- Click or tap the returned Findings Report to view the report details. Note that the report is uploaded to the Documents screen and can be viewed from there. For increased security, the report cannot be viewed on phones and tablets and can only be viewed when running Encompass LO Connect in Desktop mode.
- Click or Tap Re-Run DU to submit to DU again.
Once you successfully order a credit report for the borrower (or borrowers) you can view a summary of the scores that display the Decision Making FICO for the borrower or borrower pair and the loan. If more than one borrower pair exists, a summary for each borrower pair is provided.
ENCW-5396
Support for loan submissions to Freddie Mac's Loan Product Advisor (LPA) is now provided in Encompass LO Connect. Users can request Automated Underwriting results from within a loan.
To Order an Underwriting Report From Freddie Mac LPA:
- From a loan, click or tap Services.
- Click or tap Underwriting, and then click or tap Order LPA.
- Click or tap Submit to LPA.
- If you have not previously ordered credit, select a credit provider and then click or tap Next.
- If you are ordering credit, fill out the credit details and then click or tap Finish. When the credit report is returned, click or tap Submit to LPA again.
- Review the information on the Order LPA page. If you are performing a resubmission, enter the LPA Key Number and Loan Product Advisor ID.
- Click or tap Next.
- If you are missing any required fields for LPA, enter them on the Freddie Mac LPA Validation Issues window and click or tap Save & Continue.
- If you are missing any required fields for LPA, enter them on the Freddie Mac LPA Validation Issues window and click or tap Save & Continue.
- When the request is complete, the Freddie Mac LPA findings are returned to Encompass LO Connect on the Freddie Mac Loan Product Advisor page. To view the findings report click or tap the FullFeedback link.
ENCW-938
Support for the following credit vendors has been added to Encompass LO Connect.
1 Source Data (Carlsbad) | Data Facts, Inc. (Powered by Synergistic) |
ACRAnet | Informative Research |
ACRAnet (CBS Branch) | MCB - Augusta |
ACRAnet (Financial Dimensions Branch) | MFI Credit Solutions |
ACRAnet (New York Branch) | Midwest Mortgage Credit Services, Inc. |
ACRAnet - CARS | Mortgage Reporting Center |
ACRAnet - CDS (Acranet Credit Data Systems) | NMR-SettlementOne |
Accurate Financial Services | ONLINE Mortgage Reports |
Advantage Credit Bureau (Powered by SharperLending) | One Source Credit Reporting, LLC |
Advantage Credit, Inc. | Partners Credit & Verification Solutions |
Advantage Plus Credit (Meridian) | Premium Credit Bureau |
Alliance 2020 | SARMA ( Meridian) |
American Reporting Corporation | San Antonio Retail Merchants Association (SARMA) |
Birchwood Credit Services (Meridian) | SARMA / Network Credit Services |
Certified Credit Link | Service 1st Info Systems |
CIC Mortgage Credit, Inc. | SettlementOne |
Clear Choice Credit | SharperLending |
Credit Information Service | Strategic Information Resources, Inc. (Sponsored by SL) |
CreditLink. LLC | United One Resource, Inc. |
CTI, Credit Technology, Inc. | Universal Credit - National |
DCI Credit Services, Inc. |
A new File Contacts tool has been added to the Encompass LO Connect tablet and desktop view. The File Contacts tool contains the contacts and service providers associated with a loan. The tool provides a convenient means of viewing and maintaining all the file contacts for a loan from one location.
To View File Contacts:
- From a loan, click or tap Tools.
- Click or tap File Contacts.
There are several ways that file contacts are added to a loan.
- Business Contacts - You can click or tap the Address Book icon from the File Contacts tool to select existing business contacts to add to the file contacts for a loan.
- Automatic Entry - File contacts such as borrowers, co-borrowers, and roles are automatically added to the File Contacts tool during the processing of a loan.
- Manual Entry - You can enter file contact information in the File Contacts tool. Manually entered contacts are specific to the loan you are working on. They are not automatically added to your business contacts.
To Add File Contacts Using the Address Book:
- Open the File Contacts tool and select a category from the list. For example, Appraiser.
- Once the category expands, click or tap the Address Book icon in the Company Name field.
- The Business Contacts window opens and displays business contacts associated with the selected contact category. In this example, the window displays a list of appraisers.
- Select a contact from the list and click or tap Save.
- The contact information is added to the File Contacts list.
- As needed, make changes or additions to the data copied from your business contacts. These changes will not affect the source information in the business contacts.
To Add or Update a File Contact Manually:
- Open the File Contacts tool and select a category from the list.
- Once the category expands, add or update the contact information.
- The new information is added to the loan and overrides any previously-entered data. For example, if you change the borrower's home phone number, the number is changed wherever it occurs in the loan.
- Once your changes are complete, click or tap Save.
Note that in the Mobile view, only those contacts within the loan with a first and last name, and at least a phone number or an email address entered in the File Contacts tool in Encompass LO Connect, are displayed on the contacts cards in the Loan Summary.
EWS-105
A new Business Contacts tool has been added to the Encompass LO Connect tablet and desktop view. Use the Business Contacts tool to search for, add, edit, and delete business contacts.
To Search for a Business Contact:
- From a loan, click or tap Tools.
- Click or tap Business Contacts.
- At the top of the Business Contacts window, select a category and type all or part of your search term in one or more column fields (such as Company Name or First Name). You may also select a state from the State drop-down list to filter the contacts based on the state in which the provider does business.
- To display all business contacts, click or tap the Clear link.
To Add a Business Contact:
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From a loan, click or tap Tools.
- Click or tap Business Contacts.
- On the Business Contacts window, click or tap the Create New button.
- You can select an existing Business Contact, and then click or tap the Copy icon.
- In the Contact Details section fill out the contact details for the new business contact, and then click or tap Save.
To Edit a Business Contact:
- From the Business Contacts tool, search for and select a contact.
- Change values in the Contact Details area as required.
- Click or tap Save to save your changes.
To Delete a Business Contact:
- Select a contact and click or tap the Delete icon.
- On the confirmation window, click or tap Yes to delete the contact.
EWS-106, ENCW-10819
The Conversation Log is now available in Encompass LO Connect. Use the Conversation Log to track interactions with the borrower, service providers, and other contacts related to the loan. You can also send alerts to other loan team members to request follow-up actions.
To Create a Conversation Log Entry:
- From a loan, click or tap Tools.
- Click or tap Conversation Log, and then click or tap the +New button.
- On the Conversation Log entry, add or change the Name and Company with whom the conversation took place, or click or tap the Address Book icon to select a name from the file contacts for the loan.
- In the Comments section, type information related to the conversation.
- Use the Show in Loan Log toggle to indicate whether or not to include this entry in the loan log.
- To request follow-up by a loan team member, in the Follow Up section, select a role in the Alert field, and then set the due date.
- A separate follow-up entry (with red text) is created in the Log.
- The alert displays on the selected loan team member's Pipeline.
- Once you are finished, click or tap Save.
To Edit a Conversation Log Entry:
- Click or tap the Conversation Entry in the Conversation Log.
- The Conversation Log expands, enabling you to edit the log entry. Once you are finished, click or tap Save.
EWS-108
Encompass LO Connect users can now view alerts that have been triggered for the loan file within Encompass.
The new Alerts and Messages icon is provided at the top of the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. Click or tap the Alerts icon to view the current alerts associated with the loan.
Note that all the information displayed for the alert is read-only.
Alerts are located in the upper right corner of the loan in the mobile view.
EWSS-783
A new notification has been added that informs users when a loan is currently open in Encompass. When an Encompass LO Connect user opens a loan that is currently opened in Encompass they now receive the following notification:
To view the loan in read only mode, click or tap Yes. A message displays at the top of the loan stating that the loan is in read only mode:
ENCW-13649
Loan Officer eSigning has been added to the mobile view and enables users to eSign documents from within Encompass LO Connect. Any loans that are awaiting a LO eSignature are displayed in a specific eSignature Required view.
To View and eSign Documents:
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From the Pipeline in the mobile view, tap the views drop-down in the top left portion on the screen and select eSignature Required.
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Tap a loan that you want to eSign.
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Tap the eSign Request to start the eSign process.
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On the Loan Documents screen, tap Next to view the documents.
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Tap Start.
- Tap the eSign signature point to eSign the document.
- Tap Finish when you are finished eSigning.
ENCW-13073, ENCW-13231, ENCW-13226
The Borrower Summary Origination and Borrower Summary Processing pages have been added to Encompass LO Connect. These forms enable the user to record basic borrower and loan information. You can also order services like Credit and Product and Pricing from these loan forms. As with Encompass, the data entered on these forms is populated to the appropriate fields on the Loan Application pages.
EWR-149
Encompass LO Connect users can now manage any incomplete Encompass Consumer Connect loan applications from the Encompass LO Connect Pipeline. When there are incomplete applications from Encompass Consumer Connect, the Incomplete Apps Pipeline view indicates the number of incomplete applications. You can search for loans in the Pipeline by the borrower name, co-botrower name, and email address. The user can click or tap the Incomplete Apps view to access these applications. Encompass LO Connect users can view incomplete applications and convert these applications to a loan by clicking or tapping Convert to Loan. When a loan is converted, the loan is removed from the Incomplete Apps pipeline and is moved to the folder designated by the Encompass Consumer Connect administrator.
To View Consumer Connect Incomplete Applications
- On the left navigation menu, click or tap Incomplete Apps.
- On a mobile phone, tap Incomplete Apps on the top navigation bar.
- Select an incomplete application from the Incomplete Apps Pipeline view.
- The loan details display. Use the links in the left navigation menu to view the loan application information.
- On a mobile phone, tap Loan Detail to view the details of the incomplete application.
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To move the loan into your pipeline, click or tap Convert to Loan. The incomplete application is converted to a loan in the folder defined in the Consumer Connect settings.
ENCW-2387
New Documents Tool
Why we made this update: This update enables users to manage documents associated with a loan.
The Documents tool provides a central location for Electronic Document Management (EDM) within Encompass LO Connect, allowing you to access and manage the electronic files, documents, and conditions associated with a loan (much like the eFolder in Encompass). The Documents tool tracks document-related activities wherever they take place. For example, if you order a credit report from the Borrower Summary form, the request is recorded in the Documents tool.
Viewing and uploading documents with this new Documents tool is available for use in Desktop view only. It is not currently provided in Mobile or Tablet views.
Note: To view documents you must enable document conversion in Encompass located in Encompass Settings > eFolder Setup > Document Conversion.
Note: If your company uses Encompass TPO Connect, additional changes are required to enable document conversion. Submit a Support Case via the Resource Center and select WebCenter, TPO WebCenter, Consumer Direct in the Topic Area. Reference the need to “Enable Document Conversion to view documents in the LO Connect eFolder” in the Subject field.
About Files, Documents, and Conditions
File - A file is an electronic document sent to you from a borrower or service provider, usually via fax, your service provider's network, the Loan Center, or Encompass Consumer Connect. When you receive a file, you can access it in the Documents tool, and then assign it to a document. A file can be assigned to only one document at a time. Files not yet assigned to a document are listed in the Unassigned Files section.
- To add a file, tap the icon, and then select one or more files to upload. You can also drag and drop a file into a document folder. You can navigate to other loan screens while files are uploading, but if you exit the loan while the upload is in progress then the upload will not complete. Once the file is uploaded, tap the file name to view the file. The file is displayed in a viewer on the right side of the screen.
- To move a file to a document folder, tap the icon, and then indicate the folder to which the file will be moved. You can also drag and drop a file to a document folder.
- To delete a file, tap the check box next to the file name, and then tap the icon. Confirm the deletion by tapping yes at the prompt.
Document Folders - A document folder is an entry in the Documents tool that allows you to track the status of a loan document as the loan moves through the Pipeline. When you access a document folder in the Documents tool, you can also access a file that has been attached to the document folder. A document folder can have multiple files attached to it.
The Document Folders section lists the available document folders that have been created to store files. The individual files attached to each document folder are also listed within each document folders listed here.
- To add a document folder, tap the icon, and then select the borrower or borrower pair associated with the document folder. Select one or more document folders from list to add, and then tap Add.
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Once added, tap the document folder name to expand the folder details.
- To attach a file to the document folder, tap the icon next to the document folder's name, and then select the file. The file is then listed in the Attached Files list.
- To view the attached file, tap the file name. The file is displayed in a viewing window on the right side of the screen,
- To move a file to a different document folder, tap the icon, and then select the new document folder. (Or click or tap Unassigned Files to move the folder to the Unassigned Files list.). You can also drag and drop a file into a document folder.
- Use the Current slider to indicate whether the document is the most current document or not. Only documents with the Current slider set to Yes are included when you send, submit, or print a document.
- To add a comment, tap the document folder name to expand the folder details, enter your comment in the Comments section, and then tap Add Comment.
Customizable Views - Tap the icon to view your grid settings option. Select the check box to display the column or clear the check box to hide the column in the Documents Folders view. To sort the data in the columns, tap a column header to display document folders in ascending order based on the information in the column. Continue tapping the column header to toggle between ascending and descending order.
- To apply a search filter, enter a search term in the field above a column that contains the type of information for which you want to search. Or, select an option from the drop-down list to find document folders with characteristics matching your selection.
ENCM-2490, ENCM-6573
New EncompassNG Admin Portal
Why we made this update: This update enables administrators to configure Optimal Blue settings for use in Encompass LO Connect.
The EncompassNG Admin portal has been introduced as a centralized location for Encompass Admin settings for the EncompassNG Lending Platform. With this initial release, the setting for Optimal Blue credentials for use with Encompass LO Connect is the only setting available in the EncompassNG Admin portal.
To Access the EncompassNG Admin Portal:
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From a web browser, navigate to https://www.encompassloconnect.com.
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Log in using an Encompass user account that is assigned with an Administrator or Super Administrator persona. You can also log in using the admin user ID if applicable.
ENCWA-103
Settings for Optimal Blue credential management have been added to the EncompassNG Admin portal. Using these settings, the Encompass administrator can enable access to Optimal Blue as a Product and Pricing vendor in Encompass LO Connect.
Note: Only a user with the Super Administrator persona can enable access to Optimal Blue.
To Enable Optimal Blue in Encompass LO Connect:
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From a web browser, navigate to https://www.encompassloconnect.com.
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Log in using an Encompass user account that is assigned with an Administrator or Super Administrator persona. You can also log in using the admin user ID if applicable.
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On the left navigation menu, click or tap COMPANY/USER SETUP.
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Click or tap Credential Management.
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In the Product & Pricing section, click or tap the toggle next to Product & Pricing Service.
- In the Service Name field, select Optimal Blue.
- Click or tap Save.
To Search Product and Pricing With Optimal Blue
Once Optimal Blue has been set up in the EncompassNG Admin portal, Encompass LO Connect users can search for loan programs through Optimal Blue.
- From the Loan Summary screen in Encompass LO Connect, click or tap the Services link on the left menu and then tap Product & Pricing.
- Click or tap Search Product & Pricing.
- Enter your Optimal Blue credentials, if necessary, and click or tap Log In.
- Fill out any missing loan information, and then click or tap Search.
- The Optimal Blue product search page displays. Review the information and click or tap Submit.
- The product and pricing search results display. To view details of an eligible product, click or tap the name of the product or click or tap Show in the detail column.
- After reviewing a product, click or tap the blue Lock icon to select the product for this loan.
- On the Lock Form, review the product information and click or tap Update Encompass to save the details back to the loan in Encompass LO Connect or click or tap Request Lock to submit a lock request to Encompass LO Connect for this program.
ENCWA-103, ENCM-1370
Encompass Business Rules Now Supported
Why we made this update: This update enables administrators to enforce the business rules from Encompass to Encompass LO Connect. This section details how several business rule categories apply to Encompass LO Connect.
Milestone Completion business rules are now supported in Encompass LO Connect. In Encompass, administrators can define and manage requirements that must be met before a milestone is finished. They can specify a condition for applying the rule, documents that must be received, tasks that must be completed, and fields that are required. For example, they can create a milestone rule that requires that the credit report has been received before the File Started milestone can be marked as Finished.
Once Milestone Completion business rules are set up in Encompass, Encompass LO Connect now checks the defined requirements that must be met before a milestone can be finished. If the loan is missing the required loan data, documents, or tasks, a list of all the items that need to be addressed in order to finish the milestone is displayed so the user can easily see what they need to do. For example, if specific field data is missing, the Encompass LO Connect user is presented with a pop up window that enables the user to fill out this missing information.
Milestone Business Rules Tablet and Desktop Example:
Milestone Business Rules Mobile Example:
Mobile users can satisfy field requirements during a milestone move. If the user needs to upload documents or complete tasks, the user must do this from Encompass LO Connect on a Desktop, or from Encompass.
Milestone Business Rules Mobile Data Entry Screen:
ENCW-6596, ENCW-6584
Persona Access to Loans business rules are now supported in Encompass LO Connect. In Encompass, administrators can configure these rules to manage access to loan files by persona. They can specify a condition for applying the rule and different access for each persona and condition. Access can be View Only, Edit, or Custom. The Custom option also allows them to grant access to areas of the loan file (such as the Lock Request tool) as well as specific fields on loan forms.
Once a Persona Access to Loan business rule is set up in Encompass, Encompass LO Connect now enforces the business rule when a new loan is created and when an existing loan is opened. For example, if the Encompass LO Connect user's persona has been set up in the business rule to allow View Only access to loans, they can open and view the loan, but the fields are not editable.
Persona Access to Loans business rules that enforce Custom Access settings apply to the tools and features in Encompass LO Connect, limiting access to features and fields based on the rule criteria.
ENCW-6550
Persona Access to Fields business rules are now supported in Encompass LO Connect. In Encompass, administrators can configure these rules to manage access to fields on input forms by persona. They can also specify a condition for applying the rule and different access for each persona and condition.
Once a Persona Access to Field business rule is set up in Encompass, Encompass LO Connect now enforces Persona Access to Fields business rules. For example, if the Encompass LO Connect user's persona has been set up in the business rule to allow View Only access to a specific field, they can open and view the loan and view this field, but the field is visually represented as view only on the form where the field resides. The user is not able to add data to the field. Users can still interact with fields they have edit access to and save loans successfully.
Note: The ability to write rules based on buttons is not yet supported in LO Connect.
ENCW-6507
Fields Triggers business rules are now supported in Encompass LO Connect. In Encompass, administrators can create and manage rules that execute custom actions when the value in a field is changed. They can specify a condition for applying the rule, the field ID and criterion for triggering the rule, and the action to take when the criterion is met.
Once a Field Triggers business rule is set up in Encompass, Encompass LO Connect now enforces Field Triggers business rules just as Encompass does.
ENCW-5045
Field Data Entry business rules are now supported in Encompass LO Connect. In Encompass, administrators can define and manage rules that control the values entered into the fields on input forms. They can specify a condition for applying the rule, required values for the field, and pre-required fields that must be completed first.
Once a Field Data Entry business rule is set up in Encompass, Encompass LO Connect now enforces these active business rules. Rule messages for active Field Data Entry business rules display inline for fields on the forms impacted. For example, the administrator could create a Field Data Entry rule based on a specified loan program, such as "30 year fixed".
Or, the administrator can activate a Field Data Entry rule that requires the Loan Amount field to be within a specific loan amount range. The range message displays on the Loan Amount field in all forms.
Inline Message Example:
Note: The ability to write rules based on buttons is not yet supported in LO Connect.
ENCW-5986
A new Run Rules button is available which enables Encompass LO Connect users to check their loan data against the business rules in Encompass. Currently, business rules are automatically checked whenever a loan is opened, saved, when a user moves from one loan form to another, or when select fields are entered that already require a calculation. If at any time the user wants to check their loan against the business rules defined by the system administrator, they can click or tap the Run Rules button.
Note: In Encompass LO Connect, multi-valued fields cannot be controlled through Field Data Entry, Persona Access to Fields, or Persona Access to Loan business rules. Multi-valued fields are fields that represent data on forms for which there can be multiple instances, such as a Verification of Employment.
ENCW-13649
Fixed Issue
Why we made these updates: The following issue was fixed to improve usability and to help ensure Encompass LO Connect is operating as expected. The issues that are chosen to be fixed are based on the severity of their impact to clients and client feedback.
A change has been made to the way that Encompass LO Connect releases a lock on loan files. When a user closes the web browser without logging out of Encompass LO Connect, the lock on any open loan files is released, enabling the loan file to be opened by a user on a new device immediately. Previously, the lock on the loan wasn't released for 15 minutes when the browser was closed and users were unable to re-open the loan until the lock was released.
EWR-5519