About 10 years ago, we started working with iEmergent, a mortgage forecasting and analytics company with a vision to make mortgage data and forecasts easier to access and analyze, giving lenders the insights they need.
In 2013, we developed and launched a prototype of the new platform’s mapping functionality to test our riskiest assumptions. That same year, we released version 1 of Mortgage MarketSmart and have been iterating ever since.
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Now, nearly 10 years later, iEmergent has a unique piece of technology, proprietary data behind it, and a mission to help diversify homeownership.
Constantly Pivoting
iEmergent is the very definition of a startup—a family-run business that hasn’t stopped changing since it started. You can learn more about its history and journey to become a technology company here.
In true scrum fashion, we’ve been building, releasing, learning, and iterating Mortgage MarketSmart features since day 1. The platform is constantly evolving as we learn what the market needs, wants, and will use.
The big pivot came when we released version 2, built on ASP.NET boilerplate. The new system offered faster load times, a cleaner user interface, more advanced admin features, and a foundation that is more flexible and extensible, so we can more easily grow along with our users. That went live in 2018 and, no surprise, has continued evolving every single sprint.
More Useful Data
One way iEmergent is offering its users more value is by shifting the focus from just offering lending forecasts (the company’s bread and butter) to offering a wider range of data. By implementing strategic custom data integrations, Mortgage MarketSmart users can analyze forecasts in conjunction with past performance, year-to-date data, current property listings, and more. Lenders can look backward to look forward by accessing various datasets to analyze, plan, and build their strategies.
In addition to the proprietary forecast data, which iEmergent puts out, other data in Mortgage MarketSmart is supplied by outside data sources. For example:
Users can now view this data for any market in the U.S. and make strategic decisions about recruiting, hiring, marketing, deploying resources, compliance, and more.
A Focus on Diversity
While iEmergent has been talking about housing market diversity (and the lack thereof) for years, the mortgage lending industry is now starting to more broadly see the importance—beyond just avoiding compliance penalties—of diverse homeownership.
To grow their businesses in the current environment, lenders must make a purposeful effort to lend to diverse markets. How does one most efficiently reach new diverse markets? With data, of course. Lenders can use iEmergent forecasts to see where the opportunities lie in their markets and then use MLS, lender, and HMDA data to identify gaps, hire effectively, and deploy resources efficiently.
Increasing minority homeownership is good for lenders and for their communities. It’s a challenging endeavor, but access to the insights in Mortgage MarketSmart makes the efforts much more targeted, strategic, and effective.
Growing User Base
Now that Mortgage MarketSmart has additional data, new reporting features, and more advanced admin features, more lenders are seeing the power of the technology. Lenders focused on diversity get it right away—they can use the data and maps to find insights that help them grow business while also serving their communities.
New lenders are joining each month, which means we’re learning more and more about how they want to use data to grow their business and increase diversity.
Ongoing Journey
iEmergent is continuing to learn, iterate, and grow Mortgage MarketSmart, and we’re happy to be a partner in that journey. Look for big things from the team, and keep up with all things iEmergent here.
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