Milestones

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Working With Configurable Loan Workflows

A milestone is a step in the workflow that contains loan tasks that are performed by an assigned loan team member. When a loan team member opens a loan file, each milestone that is applied to the loan is listed in the Log. Each milestone must be finished to complete the loan process. Using the Milestones setting, you can update the properties for existing milestones and create new milestones as needed. You can also configure milestone templates that consist of a set of milestones grouped together by a common factor such as loan origination channel, loan type, and other company-specific conditions.

Current Milestones

The Current Milestones list is a library of all the active milestones in Encompass which can be selected to be included in a milestone template. Use the icons on the upper right to create a new milestone, modify existing milestones, and move the milestones up and down within the Milestones list.

ClosedCreate a custom milestone

  1. On the menu bar, click Encompass, and then click Settings.

  2. On the left panel, click Company/User Setup, and then click Milestones.

  3. Click the New icon.

  4. In the Milestone Name field, enter a unique name for the milestone. If the milestone name already exists in the system, you will be prompted to enter another value. You can enter up to 15 characters in this field.

  5. In the As Shown in Log field, enter the milestone’s name as it will display in the Log, before and after the milestone is finished.

  6. In the TPO Connect Status field, enter a custom TPO Connect status to be assigned to the milestone. When a TPO Connect Status field is populated in the Milestone settings, that value will appear in the Status column on the TPO Connect loan pipeline when the matching milestone is current. If the TPO Connect Status field is not populated, the Status column of the of the TPO Connect loan pipeline will be blank for that milestone.

This setting is only displayed if the site for the TPO has been provisioned.

  1. In the Consumer Status field, type a custom Encompass Consumer Connect status to be assigned to the milestone. This value will display in the Status column on the Consumer Connect loan Pipeline when the matching milestone is current. If the Consumer Status field is not populated, the Status column of the Consumer Connect loan pipeline will be blank for that milestone.

Updates to the Consumer Status field are not reflected in the Encompass Consumer Connect loan Pipeline immediately. The new status will display in the Pipeline 24 hours after the update is made to the field in the Milestones setting.

ClosedTips for using Consumer Status Field

  1. In the Milestone Color field, click the color wheel, Closedselect or define a color, and then click OK.

    • Basic - Click a color box to select a primary color for identifying your custom milestone.

    • Custom - Click Define Custom Colors >> in the custom color palette, click the desired color, slide the moving arrow to your desired color choice, and then click Add to Custom Colors.

  2. In the Role dropdown list, select the role authorized to work on this milestone.

  3. Optionally, select the checkbox to indicate that assigning a loan team member to the milestone is required.

  4. In the Days to Finish field, enter the number of days required to complete the milestone.

  5. In the Field Summary Form field, click the Search (magnifying glass) icon, select a form, and then click OK to assign a form to the Field Summary button that displays on the milestone worksheet.

     The Field Summary button on the Milestone Worksheet provides the ability to easily access and review the values in key loan fields before moving a loan to the next milestone. To view fields that appear on multiple loan forms, you can create a custom form that contains all of the key fields, and then assign the custom form to the Field Summary button.

  6. Click Save.

ClosedEdit a milestone 

  1. On the Milestones list, select a milestone, and then click the Edit icon.

  1. On the Milestone Details window, change information as required, and then click Save.

ClosedMove a milestone

On the Milestones list, select a milestone and then click the up or down arrows to change the milestone's position in the list. Alternately, you can select a milestone and drag and drop it to the desired location.

 When moving milestones within the list, you cannot move them above Started or below Completion.

Archived Milestones

Milestones can be saved for future use. Instead of deleting milestones that are no longer being used, you can archive them so that the Current Milestones list is up-to-date and more manageable. Archived milestones can be moved back to the Current Milestones list as required.

  1. To archive a milestone, select Current Milestones, select a milestone, and then click the Archive button.

  2. If the milestones to be archived are part of an existing milestone template, a message displays indicating that the milestones will be removed from the affected templates. Click Continue.

     You cannot archive the Started and Completion milestones.

    • To enable an archived milestone, select Archived Milestones, select a milestone, and then click Move to Current.

Milestone Templates

After configuring milestones, you can then configure new milestone templates. A milestone template is a set of milestones grouped together by a common factor such as channel, loan type, or other company-specific conditions. Different milestone templates can be created with each template addressing a specific business scenario. After a template is created, it can be activated. Once activated, a milestone template is available to be applied to a loan file. By default, Encompass automatically reviews the data in the loan file, reviews the activated milestone templates, and then applies the template that best suits the loan file any time key loan data is updated or when a new loan is originated. Users can also be authorized to manually apply a new milestone template to a loan file at any time.

Default Milestone Template Settings

For new Encompass installations, the Default Template milestone template provided "out of the box" contains the following milestones: Started, Qualification, Processing, Submittal, Cond Approval, Resubmittal, Approval, Doc Preparation, Docs Signing, Funding, Post Closing, Shipping, Completion.

  • If you are upgrading to Encompass from a previous version, all of the current milestones available in the previous version are grouped together in the same order to create the Default Template milestone template. The Days to Finish setting for each milestone is carried over into Encompass as well, along with all additional settings configured in the previous version (milestone color, milestone names to display in the Log, requirement to assign a loan team member to a milestone, etc.).

  • In both circumstances, the Default Template is set to apply to all loan origination channels and no conditions are applied to the milestone template. These channel and conditions settings cannot be modified, but you can add, remove, or reposition the template's milestones, manage trigger milestones, and add roles to the template as needed.

ClosedCreate a milestone template

  1. On the menu bar, click Encompass, and then click Settings.

  2. On the left panel, click Company/User Setup, click Milestones, and then click the Milestone Templates tab.

  3. Click the New icon.

ClosedDetails Tab

  1. In the New Template panel near the bottom of the screen, click the Details tab.

  2. In the Details tab, enter a new Template Name. (By default, the name is set to New Template).

  3. In the Channels this template applies to section:

    • Select the origination channels where this milestone template will be applied. (By default, all channels are selected).

    • Select No channel selected to apply this milestone template to a loan where none of the channel options are selected.

     The origination channel for each loan is specified on the Borrower Summary form (field ID 2626)

  4. In the Conditions for this template section:

    • Select No to always apply this milestone template.

    • Select Yes to create a condition for when this milestone template will be applied.

    • Select a category for the condition: Loan Type or Loan Purpose.

    • Select a value for the category, such as VA or Purchase.

     If you select the Advanced Conditions option, you can create expressions to define custom conditions. Click the Find icon (magnifying glass) to select filters for the Advanced Conditions option. For detailed instructions on how to create your own code, refer to the “Advanced Coding for Business Rules” document.

  5. In the Notes/Comments section, enter additional information if required.

ClosedMilestones Tab

Manage the milestones contained in this milestone template. Here you can add, remove, and arrange milestones in the desired order in the template.

  1. Click the Milestones tab.

  2. To add milestones to the template, click the New icon.

     Each milestone template can include a milestone only once. All templates must start with the Started milestone and end with the Completion milestone.

  3. In the Milestone Selection window, select the milestones to add, and then click Add.

  4. To remove a milestone from the template, select the milestone, and then click the Delete icon.

    The milestone is removed from this milestone template only.

  5. To move a milestone up or down in the list, select the milestone, and then click the up or down arrows accordingly. Milestones should be arranged in a logical order for the loan workflow.

    • You can also select a milestone and then drag-and-drop it to its desired position.

ClosedSettings Tab

Use this tab to select a trigger milestone for auto loan numbering and eDisclosure package selection. When this milestone template is applied to a loan file, the auto loan numbering and/or eDisclosure package selection action will start when the selected milestone is completed. If you want to use the trigger milestone indicated in the global Auto Loan Numbering setting or the eDisclosure Package setting, do not select a different trigger milestone here.

  1. Click the Settings tab.

  2. Select a milestone from the When to Start Loan Numbering dropdown list to indicate when the loan number will be assigned. The loan number will be assigned to the Loan Number field (field ID 364) in the loan file at the completion of the selected milestone.

    • Click the View link to view the Auto Loan Numbering global setting. If a different trigger milestone has been selected for the global setting, click Manage Exceptions to view the milestone templates that have been set up to use a different trigger milestone for auto loan numbering than the trigger milestone indicated on the global Auto Loan Numbering setting. You can update the trigger milestones in the milestone templates as needed.

    • The trigger milestone selected in the milestone template will override the milestone selected in the global Auto Loan Numbering setting.

  3. In the eDisclosure Initial Package section (if available), select a trigger milestone for each eDisclosure package. The eDisclosure package will become available to send to the borrower at the completion of the selected milestone.

     The eDisclosure Initial Packages settings are displayed only if the eDisclosure Packages setting specifies milestones as a condition for triggering the initial packages.

    • If you have selected a trigger milestone for a package in the eDisclosure Packages setting, it is displayed here. If they select a trigger milestone for a package that does not exist in the milestone template, the Started (system default) milestone is used.

    • Click the View link to view the eDisclosure Packages global setting. If a different trigger milestone has been selected for a package condition in the global setting, double-click the package condition, and then click Manage Exceptions to view the milestone templates that have been set up to use a different trigger milestone for eDisclosure package selection. You can update the trigger milestones in the milestone templates as needed.

    • The trigger milestones you select in the milestone template will override the milestones selected in the eDisclosure Packages setting.

ClosedRoles Tab

Here you can add roles from the Roles setting in Encompass Settings to the milestone template without assigning them to specific milestones. When the template is applied to a loan file, the roles assigned to the template will have access to the loan file.

 Roles are assigned to milestones when creating or editing a milestone.

  1. To add a role to the milestone template, click the New icon.

  2. Select the role(s) you want to add, and then click Add. The role(s) are listed in the ----- Roles Not Tied to a Milestone ------ section.

  3. To remove a role from the template, select the role, and then click the Delete icon.

  4. Click the Save icon to save your template settings.

    • Click the Reset icon to discard any un-saved changes to the template settings.

Work with Milestone Templates

Global Template Settings

Use the Global Template Settings to globally enable automatic mode or manual mode for milestone templates, set email notification preferences, and indicate the days to count when Encompass calculates milestones’ expected completion dates.

  1. On the Milestone Templates tab, click View Global Template Settings.

    The Global Template Settings window displays.

  2. Select Template Selection Settings options to determine how the system or individual users may apply milestone templates to loan files. When a milestone template is applied to a loan, the milestones in the template replace the milestones that were previously being used in the loan file.

    • Automatic Mode - The system reviews the data in the loan file each time it is saved. If the data in the loan file satisfies all the conditions in a milestone template, that milestone template is automatically applied to loan file. This is the default setting.

    • Manual Mode - Authorized users can manually apply any available milestone template to a loan file at any time. (When this option is used, you must also use the Personas setting to grant individual users permission to manually add milestone templates.)

    • Allow matching and non-matching templates to be applied to loans - All active milestone template templates are eligible to be applied to a loan, including those templates with conditions that are not met by the loan file.

     Both modes may be used at the same time. If neither mode is selected, the Default Milestone template will be used for all loan files.

  3. In the Email Notification Preferences section, select the checkbox to send automatic email notifications to loan team members when they are no longer assigned to a milestone in a loan file.

    • When a new milestone template is applied to a loan file and replaces the milestones that were previously being used, there may be milestones that are no longer included in the loan. When this occurs, an automated email is sent to the loan team member who was assigned to the milestone. Since they are no longer assigned to a milestone in the loan file, they may lose access to the file.

  4. In the Milestone Days section, specify your company’s business days. When calculating a milestone's expected completion date (i.e., "days to finish"), only the specified business days are counted.

    • Week Days - Monday through Friday

    • Calendar Days - US Postal calendar days indicated in the Compliance Calendar setting; excludes Sundays and legal holidays

    • Company Calendar - Uses the business days indicated on the Our Company Calendar in the Compliance Calendar setting