Feature Enhancements in Version 21.2 Major Release

2009 loan application workflows will be migrated automatically to URLA 2020 with the release of Encompass Consumer Connect 21.2 on June 5, 2021.

This automatic migration applies to all 2009 loan application workflows that do not have an URLA 2020 Effective Date set or have the URLA 2020 Effective Date set to migrate after the release of Encompass Consumer Connect 21.2.

The URLA 2020 Effective Date setting is available for URLA 2009 (Interview style) and URLA 2009 (Form style) loan application workflows in the loan app workflows editor.

How Automatic Migration Will Affect Incomplete Loan Applications

Any incomplete loan applications using a 2009 loan application workflow will be migrated automatically to URLA 2020 on migration day. The next time the borrower logs into the borrower portal to resume their draft application, they will be presented with a message indicating that changes have been made to their loan application and prompted to review the changes.

How Automatic Migration Will Affect New Loan Applications

New applications will use the default URLA 2020 loan application template starting on migration day. Note that the default URLA 2020 loan application template will not include any customizations such as labels, required field settings, and so on. To migrate loan application settings and customizations into the default URLA 2020 loan application, a lender administrator must log into the administration portal and acknowledge the URLA 2020 automatic migration.

Be aware that with migration some data loss can occur depending on your configuration. To avoid any unexpected data loss, we strongly advise migrating all 2009 loan application workflows to URLA 2020 and testing them end-to-end before the 21.2 release.

For information about migrating and testing loan application workflows, see the URLA 2020 Guides and Resources.

Why we made this change: Microsoft announced on August 17, 2020 that they will sunset support for Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). In preparation for this change, we announced in the Encompass Consumer Connect 21.1 release notes that Encompass Consumer Connect will stop supporting IE 11 for starting with this release (21.2).

Starting with this release, Encompass Consumer Connect will no longer support Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 for borrowers, lender administrators, and loan officers. All Encompass Consumer Connect sites and features such as loan applications, borrower portal, Loan Connect, administration portal and the website builder should be accessed from one of the supported browsers.

Supported Browsers:

• Microsoft Edge

• Chrome

• Firefox

• Safari

When accessing an Encompass Consumer Connect site or feature using IE 11, a notice will now be displayed at the top of every site page stating, "For a better experience, update your browser to Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox.". The following image shows the notice at the top of the website builder page:

Over the past few releases, we have updated the look and feel of various pages in the administration portal. Updates included new fonts, color scheme, accordion menus, label changes, and so on. With this release, the Incomplete Apps, Loan App Workflows, and Services Management pages have been updated with the same design enhancements as well as a few other improvements. The changes made to these pages are described in the following entries.

Incomplete Apps

In addition to the updates described above, the search and filter tools on the Incomplete Apps page have also been enhanced.

• Incomplete Apps Search Tool

  Enhancements have been made to the Incomplete Apps search tool to improve usability and performance. Lenders can now choose the search criteria from the new Search by drop-down list. Options include Borrower Name, Loan Officer, GUID, and View All. When View all is selected, the search returns all incomplete applications assigned to the loan officer running the search.

  

  Previously, search criteria was limited to the name of the borrower, co-borrower or loan officer.

• Filter by App Status Tool

  A new filter has been added to the Incomplete Apps page that allows lenders filter results according to the status of the incomplete application. Options include Apps in Progress, Apps with Errors, Archived, and All. When All is selected, the search returns all incomplete applications assigned to the loan officer running the search.

  

  The Filter by app status tool replaces the Apps in Progress, Apps with Errors, and Archived tabs from previous releases.

Loan App Workflows

The updates made to the Loan App Workflows page also include enhanced search and filter functionality and a new error indicator that displays when an error exists in a loan application workflow.

• Filter by Workflow Status Tool

  A new Filter by Workflow Status tool has been added to give lenders the ability to filter loan application workflows according to Active and Archive status. This new filter replaces the Activeand Archived tabs from previous releases.

  

• New Error Indicator

  With this release, the Loan App Workflows page will display an Error status icon if there are any errors found in a loan application workflow. For example, if the loan application workflow could not be saved, if there is a problem with a service configuration, or a product error exists, an Error status icon will display next to the Active and Archive status indicators at the top of the loan application workflows list. A brief description of the error will also be displayed on the loan application workflows card.

  

Services Management

Design enhancements have been made to the Services Management page and to each service configuration page. In addition, the Services Management page now includes the name of the service provider next to each service that is configured. When a service provider is not configured for a service, then "None selected" is displayed.

Design enhancements have been made to the Encompass Consumer Connect Loan Officer eSign home page to refresh the look and feel of the page and improve usability. These enhancements include updated fonts, icons, buttons and new layout. An example of the enhanced eSign Success page is shown below.

As mentioned in the Important Notices section, with this release we are saying goodbye to URLA 2009 Form and Interview style versions of the loan application. From this point forward, all loan application workflows will use the URLA 2020 loan application version. The loan application workflow editor has been updated to support this change and no longer includes options for setting the effective date for URLA 2020 or selecting the loan application version. All new and duplicated loan application workflows will use the URLA 2020 loan application.

An enhancement has been made to the Contact Settings area of the Borrower Loan Portal page to provide lender administrators with the ability to customize the labels for Loan Officer and Loan Processor. When contact settings are configured to be displayed in the borrower portal, a new Label field will be presented when the Loan Officer and/or Loan Processor check boxes are selected. Lender administrators can enter a custom name for each label to be displayed in the borrower portal.

Borrower Portal Example:

The Bounce List icon and link text have been updated on the Borrower Lookup page. No changes were made to the Bounce List functionality with this update.

Product and Pricing services through EPPS are now available for Construction and Construction-to-Permanent loans. When EPPS is configured and enabled in a loan application workflow, borrowers who select Construction or Construction-to-Permanent as the Loan Purpose will now be presented with the Rates page and will be able to select and compare rates and programs for their loan.

Updates Made to the Rates Page

To support this enhancement, the Loan Purpose drop-down list on the Rates page will now include options for Construction and Construction-to-Permanent when applicable. In addition, if Construction or Construction-to-Permanent are selected, then the Estimated Value at Completion of Construction and Requested Loan Amount fields will be displayed.

This release introduces dual automated underwriting support with Fannie Mae DU and Freddie Mac LPA for loans submitted through Encompass Consumer Connect sites. With this feature, loan applications are automatically sent to both Fannie Mae DU and Freddie Mac LPA for underwriting when a borrower submits a loan application. The automated underwriting results from both providers are returned and saved to the eFolder in Encompass.

Set Up Dual Automated Underwriting

To set up dual automated underwriting, lender administrators configure both Fannie Mae DU and Freddie Mac LPA as underwriting providers in Services Management > Automated Underwriting Settings, and then enable both providers in a loan application workflow.

Requirements

For dual underwriting services to run successfully, the following are required:

1. Both Fannie Mae DU and Freddie Mac LPA underwriting providers must be set up in Services Management and enabled in the loan application workflow. For step-by-step instructions, see To Set Up Dual Automated Underwriting: on page 1 in the next section.

2. The borrower's credit report must be submitted. An estimated credit score does not replace the credit report requirement. Make sure the Credit Ordering service is set up in Services Management and enabled in the loan application workflow. See Set Up the Credit Ordering Service for instructions.

3. A loan program must be selected by the borrower. Borrowers can select a loan program during the application process only when a Product and Pricing service is set up in Services Management and enabled in the loan application workflow. See Set Up the Product and Pricing Service for instructions.

4. Ensure that all required fields for the underwriting service are shown in the loan application.

   Important Information About Required Fields
   When the Underwriting service is enabled in a loan application workflow, Encompass Consumer Connect does not automatically update the Loan App Settings or check to ensure the required fields are displayed in the application. For the Underwriting service to run successfully, administrators must make sure all dependent fields listed in the Encompass Consumer Connect Service Dependencies Field Guide for the underwriting providers are enabled in the application.

1. In the Encompass Consumer Connect Admin portal, click Services Management.

2. Click the Edit icon next to Automated Underwriting Settings.

   

3. Configure both underwriter providers. To do so, select one from the Underwriting Provider drop-down list. The Automated Underwriting Settings page will display the configuration settings for the selected provider.

   You must have accounts already set up with both providers. You will use your provider account credentials and information to configure the Automated Underwriting Service in Encompass Consumer Connect.

   

4. Enter login credentials for the underwriter provider.

   For Desktop Underwriting (DU):

   1. Enter the Lender Institution ID, user name and password for DU. Make sure to enter the user name and password designated by your company for use with Encompass Consumer Connect requests.

   2. Enter the user name and password for the underwriter provider to use to connect with the credit vendor you specified in the Credit Ordering settings. The underwriter provider uses these credentials to retrieve the credit reference number so that the service can access the previously generated credit report.

   For Loan Product Advisor (LPA):

   1. Enter the LPA User ID and Authentication Password. Make sure to enter the user ID and password designated by your company for use with Encompass Consumer Connect requests.

   2. Enter the LPA ID (Seller Number) and LPA Password to use to connect with the credit vendor you specified in the Credit Ordering settings. The underwriter provider uses these credentials to retrieve the credit reference number so that the service can access the previously generated credit report.

5. Select the import conditions you want to use.

• Select None when your company does not want the DU conditions to be imported into the eFolder.

• Select Preliminary to import automatic underwriting conditions to the Encompass eFolder's Preliminary Conditions tab.

• Select Underwriting to import automatic underwriting conditions to the eFolder's Underwriting Conditions tab.

6. To submit FHA loans to automatic underwriting, provide the FHA Lender ID. For sponsored originations, provide the Sponsor ID and Sponsor Originator EIN.

7. Click Save.

8. Configure the other underwriter provider.

   To do so, select the provider from the Underwriting Provider drop-down list, then continue with steps 4-7.

   When both providers are configured, the Services Management page will display DU, LPA as the Provider.

   

   Both providers can now be enabled in the loan application workflow.

9. Go to Loan App Workflows, then click the Edit icon next to the desired loan application workflow.

10. Scroll down to the end of the page and click Services Settings.

11. Click Yes next to Automated Underwriting DU and Automated Underwriting LPA to enable them both in the workflow.

    

12. Click Save.

New options have been added to the Website Builder Loan App with Navigation design area that give lender administrators the ability to add Liabilities and Disclosures icons to the navigation area of the loan application. These icons provide borrowers with direct access to the Liabilities and Disclosures pages in the loan application.

The Name field labels on the Manual Assets page have been renamed to Name of Financial Institution. This change was made to the Gifts of Cash, Gift of Property Equity, and Grant asset type fields.

For consistency with Encompass, the Vacation Home option available for Property Use (field ID 1811) has been renamed to Secondary Home in the loan application and in the administration portal. In addition, "vacation home" has been replaced with "second home" in the description for FHA Secondary Residence (field IDURLA.X76). The updated description now states, "Are you applying for an FHA loan on a second home that you will be occupying for less than six months of the year?".

The Purchase Credits section and all its fields and options in the loan application and administration portal have been removed. This change was made because these credits are now captured on the Assets page as Earnest Money (URLAROA0102).

The following County fields for borrower and co-borrower addresses have been removed from the loan application and administration portal:

Note that the County field (field ID 13) for the subject property remains in the loan application and administration portal.