IDS Christmas Party 2013

Last Saturday was our annual Christmas party! Every year we have a company party without fail, but we like to switch up what we do everytime. In the past we've raced go karts, had a comedian entertain us, a casino night, attended a play, and been under the spell of a hypnotist.

This year, our marketing team planned a night for us at Thanksgiving Point. It started with a fun Christmas game as people arrived, followed by a delicious dinner and dessert.

 

Then, we had an ugly Christmas sweater competition, which IDS clients knew about in advance. They came dressed to impress! The heads of the company nominated who they thought had the best ugly sweaters, and then they were brought to the front, and everyone voted for the winner.

The nominees

3rd place went to Alicia for decking out her sweater to the max, 2nd place went to Shawn, who's six year old daughter made his sweater, and the winner was... (drumroll please) David! He wore that lamp leg sweater with confidence. Congratulations to all our winners, who were rewarded with ugly sweater pins, and cash to go buy themselves something not-so-ugly.

Everyone who wore an Ugly Christmas Sweater

Goofy pose!

Next we did the white elephant exchange, which was hilarious to say the least. Some of the most memorable presents people brought were an iPad, still wrapped in it's packaging (which turned out to be fake, and fooled every single person in the room), a $100 check, and ironically enough, a white elephant make of white paper and a shoe box.

After that, clients were called up by department and chose their gifts from under the tree, which was their choice of color of a blanket with our IDS logo and a gift card to either Megaplex Theaters, Target, or Amazon.


We then bundled up in our coats, scarfs, and brand new blankets and headed out for either a carriage or trolley ride to go see the light show that Thanksgiving Point does every year. It was beautiful and the perfect way to bring on the Christmas spirit.

We love our employees and want them to know it! We hope this year's Christmas party did just that.

We're Shaking Up the Holidays!

We got a little creative this year for our holiday card...

And not only had pictures taken of us in our holiday costumes doing the Harlem Shake, but also had our very own Harlem Shake video made!

The costumes were strategically planned to include each holiday, and IDS employees showed up bright and early before a work day ready to film.

We like to call it "Shaking Up the Holidays," brought to you by the one and only IDS!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

                                Outside

                          Inside

Credits:

Directed by- Chad Braithwaite

Music- Harlem Shake

Starring- Falon Gilson

Instigated by- Santa Clause

Costumes by- Tyler Sebresos

Screenplay by- Kiley Elsberry

Acted by IDS Employees

Halloween// Cowboy- Jon Johnson

Easter// Easter Bunny- Matthew Mackey

Father's Day// Father- David Clement

Patriot Day//Fireman- Chase Andrizzi

Halloween// Gass Mask- Brittany Turnbow

Random// Green Morphsuit- Curt Doman

Chanukah// Mensch- Melinda Wexler

Harlem Shaker// Horse Head- Falon Gilson

Thanksgiving// Indian- Tina Faucett

Fouth of July- Lady Liberty- Cami Vail

St. Patrick's Day// Leprechaun- Mark Mackey

Mardi Gras// Parites- Kimberly Ekker, Wendy Davis

Christmas// Mrs. Clause- Molly Terry

Halloween// Napolean Dynamite- Rulon Doman

New Year's Eve// Partiers- Jason Hargis, Tamara Olsen

Winter Holidays// Penguin- Kiley Elsberry

Halloween// Predator- Daniel Miller

Christmas// Rudolph- Beth Price

Christmas// Santa Clause- Shawn Gibson

Labor Day// Sleeping Bag- Tyler Sebresos

Thanksgiving// Turkey- Beckie Santos

Groundhog Day// Weiner Dog- King Louie

Halloween// Witch- Cari Robinson

Blast from the Past: Christmas Card Style

Our Christmas cards have come a long way through the years.

The Marketing team here at IDS has taken the reins on the Christmas Card design the past few years and have come up with some pretty creative ideas...but none top what they did this year!

We CANNOT WAIT for you to see it. We're even a little nervous that we won't be able to top it next year...

Happy Holidays and watch for your Christmas card from us to you in the mail!

But until then, check out our past Christmas cards...

2007

2008

 



 

2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012

 

 

 

2013...TBA

 

Don't miss our 2013 Christmas card debut! Coming your way soon. 



A Pot Luck Done Right

IDS sure knows how to put on a Pot Luck!

To celebrate the IDS staff having Thursday and Friday off this week for Thanksgiving, everyone brought something delicious to share, whether it be an array of potato dishes- sweet potatoes, funeral potatoes, and potato salad, or mouth watering desserts- pumpkin pie, chocolate cake, banana cream pie, and everything in between.

One of our team members, Kiley, said it best: "This is the best way to stretch our stomachs before Thanksgiving!"

We like the way she thinks.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from everyone at IDS! (And make sure to stretch your stomach all week long to get ready for Thursday.)

Gobble gobble.

It's That Time of Year Again!

It's that time of year again!

The time of year when members of the IDS marketing team pick up EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS of toffee from Garden Gate Chocolate to give to our amazing clients for Christmas- something our company has done for 10 years now.

Talk about a Christmas tradition! If it ain't broke don't fix it right?

We guarantee it will be just a matter of minutes before the box of toffee is completely devoured. Just try not to fight over it, after all, it is the Christmas season.

Happy Holidays from IDS! We really appreciate your business.

Spice It Up: 50 Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Getting in the holiday spirit? With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, it's time to get the big day planned. 

As turkey is the primary staple of the meal, make sure to plan ahead for timing, temperature, and all day temptation. But remember, the side dishes are what can make or break the meal; these take time and consideration. Do you want the classic mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn? Or do you want to spice up these sides and try a new recipe?

The food network has provided 50 Classic Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes to get the juices flowing. Maybe you want to try Apple Raisin Stuffing, Cranberry Pomegranate Terrine, or Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole.

The IDS recipe winner for Thanksgiving is: Lemon-Maple Squash

Oh what some spices can do to transform a traditional dish into a new favorite!

Big Winners!: 100th MBA Show in Review

We had fun at the MBA 100th Annual show. Did you?

In celebration of 100 years, IDS developed a campaign to play off of the "100th" theme.

We decided to give out ten stacks of $100 as a raffle to ten people. We gave attendees the chance to enter multiple times through giving a business card (1 ticket), bringing the pre-show postcard (1 ticket), and filling out the "100 IDS Key Words" crossword puzzle (2 tickets), for the total of 4 possible raffle tickets.

Throughout the show we took countless raffle entries from attendees and vendors. On the last exhibit day, October 29th, we drew ten names but ended up with 9 winners. One winner was drawn twice as a result of filling out the the crossword puzzle.

 Congrats to all 9 winners! We enjoyed meeting you.

Tim Leyden

Julie Rothhouse 

Michael Stallings

IDS attendees included:

Curt Doman, CEO
Mark Mackey, VP
Matthew Mackey, National Sales Director
Molly Terry, Regional Sales Director
Daniel Miller, VP of Business Development
Kiley Elsberry, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Regulations: Stay Ahead!

New regulations are becoming heavy, and lenders are feeling the strain. For example, Mortgage Investors Corp., one of the nation's largest refinancers of home loans for veterans, is laying off almost 90% of their staff as a result of stricter regulations that go into effect Oct. 16 under the Dodd Frank and Consumer Protection Acts. This is one of several ways that banks and financial institutions across the nation are being affected by the increase in regulation. In the case of Mortgage Investors Corp., MIC Chairman Bill Edwards admitted that the challenges lay in staying compliant and finding the right systems for e-signatures and written consents. 

Evolving with the changes in regulation can be a challenge, and oftentimes it is easier to outsource for compliance and other helpful tools due to complexity and time constraints. Don't let the increase of regulations hinder your company; stay ahead of the changes by adopting the right doc prep specialist.  

IDS specializes in doc prep software that catches compliance issues and evolves with the changing regulations to keep you in compliance. With an in-house compliance team, our software remains current and up to date so you don't have to worry. Our e-sign and e-consent platforms simplify the process, saving you time and money. If the new regulations are slowing you down, call 800-554-1872 to find out how we can help you.

Supporting Articles:
Edwards: Regulation forces Mortgage Investors Corp. to shut loan production
New regulations are strangling community banks

Visit our website:
idsDoc.com

Lender's Choice Nominees

The Lender's Choice Award is one of 12 annual Mortgage Technology awards to be awarded on October 27th of this year. These 12 prestigious awards are presented to some of the most innovative and technological businesses in the mortgage industry. 

Unlike the other 11 awards, the Lender's Choice Award is voted upon by lenders from the 2013 Top Tech-Savvy Lenders and Servicers List. This award honors the technology provider that offers the best customer service, value proposition, and overall user experience.

The tech-savvy company executives recently voted on their top three choices for the 2013 Lender's Choice Award, giving us the three nominees for this year, revealed alphabetically: Document Systems Inc. (Doc Magic), Ellie Mae Inc., and International Document Services (IDS).

IDS is appreciative to be nominated for this award for the second year in a row, being nominated last year alongside QuestSoft and Xerox. IDS was named the Lender's Choice last year, 2012.

IDS would like to thank all of the tech-savvy lenders, our clients, and partners for all of their support and recognition. We look forward to seeing you all at the MT awards ceremony and at the MBA 100th show!

Tech-Savvy Spotlight

Congratulations to all of the 2013 Top Tech-Savvy Lenders and Servicers! What an accomplishment, to strive for technological excellence, and succeed as a leader in the industry. IDS is proud to announce 9 of our clients as "Tech-Savvy" lenders.

From National Mortgage News: Mortgage Technology: http://bit.ly/1dyVvpn

Benchmark Mortgage
benchmark.us
Benchmark Mortgage maintains an IT infrastructure that includes a private cloud for its loan origination system, a VoIP phone system and paperless underwriting. The Plano, Texas-based retail lender and servicer is also developing a big data analysis project to streamline the use of loan-level data.

Churchill Mortgage
churchillmortgage.com
Brentwood, Tenn.-based Churchill Mortgage uses an online training portal to help managers recruit and train local talent across its branch network. The retail lender uses online chat to connect with borrowers and recently deployed business intelligence software to improve its pipeline dashboard and reporting capabilities.

First Choice Bank
fcbhomeloans.com
The mortgage subsidiary of First Choice Bank, called First Choice Loan Services, uses its paperless processing to manage remote personnel and multiple fulfillment centers. To ensure quality control, the Morganville, N.J.-based lender generates real-time reports throughout the origination process.

Horizon Bank
accesshorizon.com
Horizon Bank recently implemented a Web-based LOS and deployed specialized software to integrate it to both its core banking system and a bank-wide document imaging platform. In addition to enabling paperless mortgage processing, the imaging technology allows for document collaboration across all of the departments in the Michigan City, Ind.-based depository’s operation.

Inlanta Mortgage
inlanta.com
Inlanta Mortgage optimized its website for mobile users, including using location-based features that provide users with contact information and driving directions to the branch that’s closest to them. The Brookfield, Wis.-based mortgage banker also built a digital marketing library to provide loan officers with customized promotional materials.

Mortgage Network
mortgagenetwork.com
Danvers, Mass.-based retail lender Mortgage Network develops its own proprietary technology, including a product and pricing engine, electronic document management system and a Web-based LOS that includes a module for borrowers to initiate loan applications. All of the systems are integrated to streamline the origination process.

RMC Vanguard Mortgage
rmcv.com
RMC Vanguard Mortgage is a correspondent and retail mortgage originator based in Houston that has been using Web-generated borrower leads for 15 years. It recently deployed a new LOS to better track compliance. Integrating its lead management tools and call center routing systems has helped achieve quick initial contact with borrowers and better management of its loan pipeline.

Supreme Lending
supremelending.com
Supreme Lending launched a new intranet that includes position-specific home pages and tools and messaging capabilities that help its employees more easily communicate about HR requests and other tasks throughout the Dallas-based lender and servicer’s branch network. It’s also implemented technology to monitor loan officer licensing requirements and other branch management tasks.

Wingspan Portfolio Advisors
wingspanportfolioadvisors.com
While many lenders are expanding their businesses with new servicing operations, Carrollton, Texas-based specialty servicer Wingspan Portfolio Advisors recently began offering mortgage origination fulfillment services. It employs paperless processing and its new origination technologies integrate with Wingspan’s central data repository that’s used across its various business lines.

Evolution of idsDoc

idsDoc has come a long way from manual calculations and small scale customizations that characterized IDS, Inc., in its early stages of business. The advances in technology have allowed what used to take up to a day to accomplish (ordering and receiving a doc package), to be reduced to only seconds. Follow the idsDoc timeframe to see how idsDoc has evolved with the changes in technology.

1986-1994: Manual calculations, local delivery, Xerox printers

1995: DOS desktop software released, via floppy disks

1998: Windows desktop software available via CD-ROM, began use of FTP

The audit system and escrow calculation tool were both developed and introduced at this stage of idsDoc.

2000: idsDoc becomes web-based, use of e-mail

Once idsDoc became web-based, an assortment of tools and capabilities began to be developed. In succession and over the course of several years, the MERS registration tool was added, the 1003 was included, IDS began offering initial disclosure packages, the E-Sign Platform was released, and an optimized GUI called lightsout has been introduced.

Obama's Mortgage Plan

More news on Obama's housing plan: http://cbsn.ws/1esw3x1

IDS Protects Client NPI

Some of the most sensitive and personal information is entrusted to mortgage professionals daily, making protection of non-public personal information (NPI) a must in the industry. In accordance with the Federal and state regulations, IDS provides the security, confidentiality, and active protection of NPI for all clients. 


A few of the actions IDS employees take in ensuring the protection of client NPI include: 

• Maintain a secure/locked building
• Keep unattended computers locked
• Any hard copy files are locked-up or shredded

Other measures IDS takes include:

• All sensitive info sent out electronically is automatically encrypted
• Firewalls and virus protection of network
• Security checks and tests from external security companies

To learn more on how IDS protects client NPI, read the full article here: August Newsletter

CFPB Demanding Attorney-Client NPI

The CFPB has great influential power in the financial industry, but how much is too much? This question was recently raised when the CFPB asked Morgan Drexen and Connecticut attorney Kimberly A. Pisinski to hand over thousands of their clients' sensitive non-public personal information.

Some of the documents they were requiring included names, addresses, phone numbers, amount of debt owed, sources and amount of income, details of when clients talked to their attorney, attorney notes, amount paid for the attorney's services, and the list goes on and on. (See all here) 

A lawsuit has been filed to address the issues and the questions that have been raised:

1. Is this a violation of the attorney-client privilege? 
2. Is the CFPB's structure constitutional?
3. Does the CFPB have appropriate checks and balances in place?  

Learn more about the lawsuit here: http://morgandrexenvscfpb.com/

Economics and finance may have a stigma of "boring" or "stiff," but we are affected by the economy every day, and the science behind it can be interesting, to say the least, and even fun, if presented with the right approach.

The podcast show Planet Money takes a real life approach to economics and finance, discussing how they affect every day Americans, industries, and oftentimes the world. The topics are fun, interesting, and relevant, stimulating thought and broadening understanding of how the US (and the world) functions. Planet Money delves into both macro and micro issues our economy (both nationally and globally) faces, with interviews from citizens in the thick of the issues with a very unbiased and refreshing viewpoint.

Some of the recent topics they discussed were:

• Top of the Charts (Econ Remix) - how the top 3 songs in America explain the crazy transformation in the music business
• The One-Page Plan to Fix Global Warming - Tax carbon emissions. That's basically the whole plan
• Where the Jobs Are (And Where They Aren't) - graph of gains and losses in industries
• Killing Fannie Mae- Five years after the financial crisis, the government still controls giant companies that guarantee trillions of dollars in mortgages

Planet Money has podcast episodes as well short articles on economic and financial issues, introducing topics you may not know anything about, fun and interesting facts, laws and regulations that may have been swept under the rug, and more! Visit Planet Money here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/

Planet Money also has a mobile app that allows you to listen to podcast episodes on the go. Listen while exercising or driving to stay current on both relevant and interesting topics regarding the economy and finance.