Helen Posey

AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, Columbia, SC

Prior to going live with Avista Solutions in January 2008, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank completed their underwriting and closing processes manually, using two systems that were not integrated together. Now, the correspondent lending business located in Columbia, S.C. enjoys a time-saving, streamlining system from Avista that’s helped increase their volume. We sat down with underwriting supervisor Helen Posey (bottom row, second from left in photo) to find out how the system has benefitted AgFirst.

What’s underwriting a loan like now compared to before you began using Avista? The process is much easier. The numbers we’ve done from ’08-’09 are one and a half times higher than the numbers we did from ’07-’08, and that’s with the same number of underwriters and the same turnaround. It’s a very big time saver because before, everything was manual. It’s been a God-send.

How have Avista’s integrations helped you, such the AUS and the closing doc integrations? It’s been a huge benefit. Correspondents can have DU already in the system before they send it over to us. Everything is all on the same system from the time we register or price the loan to the time we send it to the investor. And for our closing department, getting back a closing package is much easier.

How has the level of service to your customers improved? The customer service we can provide has helped us get more business. The pricing scenarios, the fact that the customers can always know where their loan is and the notifications we can send them has all contributed to that. Our customers like the user-friendliness of the system. They have all the tools they need right there to make decisions.

Is there anything else that’s been particularly helpful? The Admin portion is very user-friendly – I use that a lot. And a lot of the little things – such as the wild card search that allows you to search for a loan without entering the entire number – are simple, but so helpful.