With a tumultuous year coming to a close, and much uncertainty and speculation about CRE over the past twenty months, it’s time to assess strategy and operations. One thing readily apparent is that things change, and things go in cycle. Realizing this twenty-five years ago, the founders of NSS designed a platform that is conductive to change. To this day, we continue expanding the footprint of the platform to enhance that ability to adapt the system to changing markets and to focus on different parts of the operation as volume changes and focus changes from front-end to back-end, for example. With that, NSS has made some recent adaptations to make a more user-friendly and convenient system.
DUS Gateway Interface
As agency-lending solutions have always been a big part of North Shore, there have been several significant recent developments. This includes digitizing the deal pricing, registration, submission, underwriting, and closing of Fannie, Freddie, and FHA deals. A new DUS Gateway interface performs all Fannie required exchanges of data, while the seamless OUS Connection handles Freddie loans. While full excel integration is available, the platform provides a migration path less dependent on excel, API-enabled, and fully digital.
User Experience
Another big priority for NSS this year has been improving the user experience for both internal and external users. This has been executed through an improved system interface, new training, expanded configurability, a streamlined external user and production portal, the option of mobile access on the app, and a fresh new logo and look throughout. Watch for these changes to make a more user-friendly and convenient system as we roll them out in Q4 ’23 and Q1 ’24. Another big factor in the new release is what is kept ‘under the hood’, and the health of the underlying code and database. Often neglected by other vendors, NSS has vowed to keep its technology current and to help customers manage their data in an efficient way.
API Development
While the term and type of programming has been around for awhile, the operative word these days for digitization and interoperation has been ‘API‘, or application programming interface. It basically is an invisible component that sits between two systems that allows them to ‘talk’ and share data. NSS has developed both generic API’s that permit access to North Shore data, and source-specific API’s for subscription access to industry data suppliers and services. Below is a list of some of NSS’ most recent API’s.
- Capital Stack Update: NS API to update capital stack information
- CoreLogic: Global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics 123. They offer a wide range of solutions to help their clients make informed decisions, including legal research, compliance, and risk management tools
- CSI Watchdog: Leverages several sanctions screening tools to best streamline your sanctions screening process, including Denied Party, PEP, 50% Ownership and Adverse Media Screening
- Fannie Mae Gateway Submissions: Web-based platform called DUS Gateway that enables lenders to register and submit deals into Fannie Mae for consideration, track waiver requests and pipelines, and receive Fannie Mae responses online
- LexisNexis: Global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics
- Salesforce: Integrated NS with Salesforce for entity level updates
- Servicelink: Retrieve property title, appraisal, flood information
- Treasury Rate Update: Retrieve current index rates
