ProLink+ Upgraded with a New Look and Enhanced Functionality

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink+, our software solution to assist states with their Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) deployment, has been upgraded with a new look and enhanced functionality. Our webinar series in April and May of this year, where we discussed HAF deployment challenges and our holistic approach, was attended by over 30 states altogether. We are excited to have practically half of the nation showing interest in ProLink+. In the upcoming June 16 webinar, we plan to reveal the new look and enhanced functionality, which will make HAF deployment even more efficient for states.

Click here to sign up for our 30-minute webinar on June 16 and reserve your spot today!

New Look

The Homeowner Portal received a face lift! The navigation is more intuitive and the portal is now mobile friendly. The redesign helps the HAF roll-out in your state be more effective because homeowners will find it even easier and faster to submit applications and supporting documentation.

Enhanced Functionality

The new DocuSign feature supports digital signatures for the applicant’s Hardship Affidavit. The homeowner receives an email notification with a link; with just a click of a button, the homeowner can sign the Hardship Affidavit anywhere, anytime.

Join us for the live demo of these new features on June 16 at 1PM Eastern. Sign up today!

 

 

Sneak Peek into Alabama Housing Case Study at NCSHA Housing Credit Connect 2021

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink Solutions is showcasing a case study on the Hardest Hit Fund program with Alabama Housing Finance Authority at NCSHA’s Housing Credit Connect conference in June this year. In 2010, as the nation navigated the economic and housing market downturn, the U.S. Department of the Treasury established the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF). Approximately 20 states developed locally-tailored HHF programs and rolled out approximately $10 billion collectively nationwide. ProLink Solutions’ HHF software product has supported some of these states in their program implementations, including Alabama Housing.

In our interview with Cathy James, Business Development Director with Alabama Housing, we asked questions such as “How did ProLink’s homeowner portal help your agency streamline the application process?”, “How did ProLink’s agency portal help your agency improve productivity and efficiency?”, and “Tell us about ProLink’s reporting capabilities”.

We invite you to watch our case study video on June 21 through 24 at the Housing Credit Connect conference hosted by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA). You can find the video located on the event platform homepage throughout the duration of the conference.

ProLink Panelists at NCSHA’s Housing Credit Connect in June 2021

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink Solutions is proud to announce we are an Event Platform Sponsor of the Housing Credit Connect conference in June 2021 hosted by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).  Some of the hot topics addressed in this conference include racial equity, climate change, healthy housing, emergency rental assistance, and preservation threats. We are happy to stand behind the affordable housing industry during this critical time as the nation is going through various changes, such as a new Administration and the global pandemic.

ProLink Panelists

Kelly Encinias, ProLinkHFA Product Owner, will be speaking at the Modernizing Compliance Monitoring panel on Wednesday, June 23 at 2:45PM ET. She will be introducing XML as a critical tool to enhance data security and share tenant compliance data seamlessly amongst various organizations.

At ProLink Solutions, Kelly focuses on customizing training plans for customers based on process discovery and successfully executing those plans in an efficient manner.

Ryan Kim, Director of Product Marketing at ProLink Solutions, is speaking at the Enhancing Public Policy with Portfolio Data panel on Wednesday, June 23 at 4:00PM ET. Ryan will tell a story from the housing finance agency side in terms of asset management data collection and analysis trends.

At ProLink Solutions, Ryan creates and communicates the vision for the ProLink Product Suites and drives various industry initiatives. He builds external partnerships and collaborates with stakeholders to bring changes.

 

We hope you join the Housing Credit Connect conference this year and learn and share with other industry participants. See you there!

 

 

ProLink+ Webinar Series for Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Deployment

/0 Comments/in , /by

We are hosting a webinar series via Zoom on Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Deployment. So far, we have hosted two 30-minute webinars on the subject, both of which were a rousing success with great turnout. A total of 25 states have attended our webinars  thus far. We are excited to have practically half of the nation showing interest in ProLink+. We expect an even higher turnout for our main 90-minute webinar on May 26, when we plan to showcase a live demo of ProLink+.

Click here to sign up for our 90-minute webinar on May 26 and reserve your spot today!

In case you missed either of the first two webinars, check out a recording of our the May 12 webinar below:

A Packaged Solution for Immediate HAF Deployment

ProLink has teamed up with E&A Team, Inc. to deliver a turnkey, package solution to states for the immediate deployment of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act. E&A Team has been trusted for more than 25 years to provide the highest quality compliance solutions and training for the multifamily housing industry, and we are excited to work with them.

What is the Homeowner Assistance Fund?

HAF refers to funds prioritized to homeowners under the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds are available to homeowners who have experienced the greatest financial hardships. You can read more about the HAF and American Rescue Plan Act here.

Where Does ProLink+ Fit In?

ProLink+ is a proven technology that serves states for the Hardest Hit Fund program. We are upgrading the technology to meet the needs of today’s Homeowner Assistance Fund. ProLink+ comes to the rescue and provides U.S. states with the cloud-based software they need to manage emergency fund deployment effectively and efficiently.

Virginia Housing Case Study: Showcased at NCSHA

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink Solutions has developed a Case Study on Virginia Housing Asset Management. ProLink Solutions is proud to say that we are a Platinum sponsor of the HFA Institute of 2021, supporting the Affordable Housing industry as well as the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

Who is Virginia Housing?

Created in 1972, Virginia aims to provide Virginians with quality, affordable housing. They provide mortgages for first-time homebuyers and finance apartment communities and neighborhood revitalization efforts. Virginia Housing receives no state taxpayer dollars to fund our programs. Instead, they contribute a significant portion of the net revenues each year to help meet Virginia’s most difficult housing needs.

Kara Nickerson, an Asset Manager at Virginia Housing, states, “Asset management can be defined as the process of monitoring the health of your individual assets and maximizing the collective value of your portfolio.”

How does Virginia Housing use ProLinkHFA?

“Virginia Housing uses ProLinkHFA as our ‘one-stop’ for tracking all asset management activities – physical inspections and full-on financial monitoring. ProLink provides functionality for each step along the way.  We are able to keep related inspection notes and track follow-ups as well as corrective action replies from owners and management agents, all in one spot,” says Kara.

What else does ProLinkHFA do?

Kara continues, “Asset Management activities and functions are only a link in the chain of Virginia Housing’s use of ProLink in an integrated way.  Multifamily development and underwriting, capital markets, federal tax credit allocation, tenant compliance, and loan servicing work are all represented.  This all sums to the advantage of ProLinkHFA as a beginning-to-end, usable system.  We couldn’t turn back to a steppe process now that ProLinkHFA has paved the way and added lots of efficiency!  It’s very valuable to our operation.”

How ProLink+ Can Help States Deploy Homeowner Assistance Funds

/1 Comment/in , /by

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have had difficulty keeping their mortgages and associated homeownership expenses current.  Across the country, one in 10 homeowners with a mortgage are behind on payments.

The American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law on March 11, 2021, provides nearly $10 billion for states, territories, and tribes to provide financial assistance to our country’s most vulnerable homeowners.  The approximate allocations include:

  • A minimum of $50 million for each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico;
  • $30 million for the territories of Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
  • An explicit mandate to prioritize socially disadvantaged households;

The Plan prioritizes funding for homeowners that have experienced the greatest hardships, and amounts disbursed from the fund may be used for “qualified expenses,” which include:

  • Mortgage payment assistance
  • Financial assistance to allow for costs of reinstatement or other costs following a default or forbearance period
  • Mortgage principal reduction
  • Facilitation of mortgage interest reductions
  • Payment assistance for utilities, internet service, homeowners’ and flood insurance payments, and homeowners’ association and condominium association fees.

Find the Fact Sheet about the American Rescue Plan published by the U.S. Treasury here: https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/fact-sheet-the-american-rescue-plan-will-deliver-immediate-economic-relief-to-families

ProLink+: A Cloud-Based Software Solution for Emergency Fund Deployment

ProLink+ comes to the rescue and provides U.S. states with cloud-based software they need to:

  • Quickly deploy their Program with a streamlined, multi-language Application;
  • Sub-allocate funds for administration by eligible third parties;
  • Assign approved Counselors (optional);
  • Target a portion of funds to socially disadvantaged populations;
  • Pre-screen applicants for eligibility;
  • Screen and prevent duplicate fraudulent claims;
  • Accept PDF or mobile photo uploads of required documentation; and
  • Provide real-time status updates.

The back-end “Administrator Portal” provides:

  • Access to Applications and online responses;
  • Underwriting and status tracking of Applications;
  • Dashboard analytics and metrics;
  • Status of reservations, disbursements, and recovered funds;
  • Reporting to meet U.S. Treasury requirements.

Contact ProLink Solutions today for more information and product demo. Contact us at marketing@prolinksolutions.com

Sneak Peak into Virginia Housing Case Study at NCSHA

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink Solutions has developed a Case Study on Virginia Housing Asset Management. ProLink Solutions is proud to say that we are a Platinum sponsor of the HFA Institute of 2021, supporting the Affordable Housing industry as well as the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

With Covid-19, there are a few questions that arise in one’s mind when managing your assets. In this case study, we take a look at how Virginia Housing utilizes the ProLinkHFA Asset Management Module to succeed during these difficult times. Kara Nickerson of Virginia Housing states, “Asset Management activities and functions are only a link in the chain of Virginia Housing’s use of ProLink in an integrated way.”

Come and watch our video on February 1-12th to find out more! You can find this video located on the conference platform homepage.

ProLinkAIM Deal Origination

/0 Comments/in , /by

ProLink Solutions introduces ProLinkAIM Deal Origination: useful for Deal Screening, Due Diligence, Data Capturing, and Pipeline Reporting.  This product gives you all the resources you need to effectively manage your pipeline of tax credit deals. 

Underwriters, originators and analysts typically prefer using deal specific spreadsheets to underwrite deals, but this doesn’t allow for comprehensive data analysis across your portfolio.  With ProLinkAIM, you have access to data from all deals in one database, allowing your firm to access and utilize data more effectively.  A centralized database also allows you to easily track exposure from repeat customers, create transparency and manage risk.

To help originators ease into our system, we make data input easy!  Our proprietary SmartDox technology integrates Microsoft Word and Excel data into the ProLinkAIM database.  Once an underwriting excel workbook has been converted to a SmartDox, underwriters can work more efficiently, and quickly upload underwriting data to ProLinkAim with the push of a button.

ProLinkAIM also accommodates your ad hoc reporting needs and comes equipped with various canned reports. For example, there’s a weekly production report that provides an overview of the past week’s production activities, and lists pipeline deals, by deal stage.

ProLinkAIM – makes easy data accessibility a reality. 

ProLinkHFA Tax-Exempt Bond Module

/0 Comments/in , /by

Concerned about SEC continuing municipality bond disclosure obligations?  ProLink Solutions software captures pertinent bond data so you can easily meet continuing disclosure requirements!  

The SEC’s bond municipality continuing disclosure requirements were modified on February 27, 2019. The rules changed to require bond issuers to electronically file documentation within 10 business days of a material financial obligation event. (see SEC Rule 15c2-12 (b)(5)(i)(C)).

ProLinkHFA’s Tax-Exempt Bond Module captures data relevant to each bond issue so you can easily track and monitor performance of individual bond issues, and your entire portfolio.  Workflow functionality enables you to set up notifications for future defaults, accelerations, terminations, modifications, and other events that should be reported.

ProLink Solutions helps you stay on top of SEC bond reporting requirements  without adding time, cost, and complexity to the process!

ProLinkHFA ~ the Origination Software of Choice

/0 Comments/in , /by

Do you wish you could merge existing housing data silo’s into a single repository?  If so, ProLink Solutions has the loan origination software you need!  ProLinkHFA is used by the affordable housing industry to track data and documents from time of application, through the entire life-cycle of a housing proposal.   

Application Intake / Origination

Once a pre-Application for funding is received by a housing agency, a “Procorem” portal is set up for customers to upload required documentation electronically and communicate online with staff.  Procorem features enable the creation of standardized checklists, tasks, and deadlines for each funding type.  Additionally, staff and their customers can post comments that can be seen by all parties given access to the portal by your agency.  The ProLinkHFA database used in conjunction Procorem and “SmartDox” lets you seamlessly capture data from each Loan and/or Tax Credit Application, with the push of a button.  Our software solutions create transparency and enhance the overall customer experience.

Underwriting

SmartDox functionality lets staff continue to use existing Excel underwriting templates.  SmartDox involve the linking of data from the underwriting template to fields within our ProLinkHFA database.  SmartDox use during loan underwriting, reservation, and commitment stages, eliminate ongoing manual data entry requirements.  SmartDox also ensures that any changes to the underwriting assumptions are captured immediately, so agency staff always have access to the most current loan terms.  ProLink Solutions typically yield significant time, and cost benefit savings for our customers.

Deal Closing and Construction Management

The ProLinkHFA database continues to capture data through the construction or rehabilitation of a housing project.  We provide the ability to track and compare line-item budgets, construction progress, change orders, and disbursements, so staff can easily manage their construction pipeline and make insightful and timely decisions.  Construction inspection reports, draw requests, and change orders are continually managed through Procorem and ad hoc ProLinkHFA reporting functionality allows for the easy tracking of construction progress.  This helps with workload planning because staff can better estimate when projects will be ready for transfer and handoff to Asset Management staff.

ProLink Solutions software helps the housing industry achieve their affordable housing mission.  We eliminate laborious data entry tasks with seamless time and cost benefit solutions that let you continue to do business the way you want.  Let us help you eliminate obstacles and achieve results faster!