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AmeriFirst Home Improvement Finance Becomes Latest Customer of FirstClose
By James Comtois
As part of an attempt to obtain additional market share in the mortgage industry as well as streamline its lending capabilities to the home improvement sector, AmeriFirst Home Improvement Finance, a national home improvement lender based in Omaha, Neb., has selected FirstClose, a service of First Lenders Data, Inc., an Austin, Texas-based provider of bundled mortgage settlement service solutions, as its bundled mortgage settlement services provider.
AmeriFirst will order bundled settlement services utilizing an interface between the FirstClose platform and Appro's LoanCenter loan origination system. Services include AVMs, document preparation, legal and vesting reports, lien protection and full disbursement closing services.
AmeriFirst focuses exclusively on the home improvement industry and created the Remodel-Edge Program to help dealers finance more customers and to simplify the loan approval process.
Sam Buccelli of AmeriFirst said in a statement that the lender chose FirstClose for its mortgage settlement services because of its selection of vendors and current interface with Equifax Enabling Technologies and the Appro LoanCenter system.
FirstClose offers its customers an array of bundled mortgage service options, including credit reports, flood certifications, AVMs, full, desktop and drive-by appraisals, title reports, title insurance, closing and recording services, in one easy-to-use bundled services platform. The FirstClose platform also enables lenders to integrate with legacy and existing front-end loan origination systems to use as a single point of contact.
"Combined with the simplified vendor management process, which helps us maintain our focus on serving our own customers, FirstClose provides a practical way for us to obtain additional market share," Mr. Buccelli added.
Timothy Smith, president of FirstClose, said that he hopes AmericaFirst's decision to use FirstClose will help the lender compete more aggressively on a national level.
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