Managing PointCentral or Point “Classic” with the Correct Use of Templates

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PointCentral vs. Point “Classic”

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All users of Calyx Point or PointCentral will see the Point client software we call “Point”, and all will use templates, reports, and data folders. In plain English, the Point client is the program we all lovingly call “Point” and that we do our originating and processing within.

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PointCentral adds on a back end server providing additional security, and the ability to use Business Rules. It is not immediately visible to the user that they are in PointCentral vs Point “Classic.”

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When logged in to the system, the easiest way to tell is to look at the data folder list on the left hand side of your screen. If a folder name says something like “Active Origination (PDS)” then you are in PointCentral. If it doesn’t have the (PDS) at the end, then you are in Point “Classic” (not the official name but commonly used to describe Point without the backend Point Data Server that is a part of PointCentral).

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(The Business Rules are the feature that distinguish PointCentral and provide a layer of security, and Compliance, not possible with Point “Classic.” Business rules are the defining feature of PointCentral, and are of incalculable value to any mortgage software user, regardless of company size...) I will talk more about them in my next emailing in January.

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The good news… the Templates feature of both products is equally supported and is the foundational enhancement for any user of either product.

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PointCentral and Point “Classic” use all five of the following template types for best use of the Product

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The First Two Templates are what we call Sub Templates and may be invoked while in a file….

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1. Loan Programs A Loan Program template describes the basic loan type and the amortization period. It also defaults the “NA” for lock period to indicate an unlocked loan when disclosing with TRID. It also allows for default of the Loan Origination Fee Percentage (but not a dollar amount…). In general, you should default whatever percentage that you generally use, and change it for the exceptions (Leave a 1 percent as a default if that is your normal business practice, and leave it blank if you normally do not charge a Loan Origination Fee percentage).

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2. Closing Cost Scenarios These are perhaps the most misunderstood of the template types in Point. This template type (along with the Loan Program), effectively erases the entire Fees Worksheet and starts over again. If you put fees in a Fees Worksheet and then invoke a Closing Cost Scenario, it will wipe out all your information and start over. We suggest that you train your staff to always invoke a Closing Cost Scenario upon starting the Fees Worksheet, and not necessarily while in the Borrower Information Screen.

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The Closing Cost Scenario is your chance to set up a fees worksheet by Investor, or by specific Prepaid Finance Charges, or even by Title Company Fees (not recommended you do this in the TRID era unless you are REALLY comfortable with how things work). I have enclosed some Closing Cost Scenarios for one of my favorite investors in California, New American Funding. You may copy these for your investors and edit as needed.

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3. Prospect Master Template A single template is recommended for this section of Point. Since we do not recommend that you use the Prospect Side of Point, a user will see a single Template that says “DO NOT WORK IN THE PROSPECT SIDE OF POINT” if they try to start a file in that part of the program. The recommended practice is to ALWAYS start in the Borrower side, and to start from a Borrower Master Template. The file will default to Prospect Status, and you will not need to switch your file from one folder to another. Yes, the Prospect side is still visible, but we generally recommend you not use it (there are very occasional exceptions to this rule).

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4. Borrower Master Template (File) Clearly the most important template for enforcing compliance with TRID and for efficient workflow. Starting from the appropriate Borrower Master Template ensures that a loan has correct disclosure language on the TIL and Loan Estimate, and that statuses are defined appropriately on the Track: Status screen. If you are set up in PointCentral, and if you are using Business Rules, the Borrower Master Template provides an important foundation for the Business Rules to use for triggering several of the important statuses.

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5. Reports Calyx has done a great job with reports, but my template set includes four numbered reports that you will find a great enhancement over that is available in Point. They will appear at the top of the report list once you have installed the template set.

 

a. Daily Compliance Report – Looks for files that have become an Application per TRID in the last 7 calendar days, and checks to see if a Fees Worksheet Date Prepared and Loan Estimate Available through date are entered. These latter items indicate for all practical purposes that a user has completed these screens for Disclosure.

 

b. Weekly Compliance Report – Reviews your files for activity at either Prospect or Application Status in the last 25 days. This is very helpful to remind yourself to clean out your old files and disposition them before the 30 day time limit.

 

c. Current Status Report – Reviews your entire pipeline and groups all active files by Current Status, very useful for management, processing, and origination.

 

d. Address Label Report – A modified version of the Calyx report that filters out files with a TBD or To Be Determined in the subject property address. The Address Label Report is the single most important marketing tool in the program. You must remember to check Marketing in the Reports tab to see this report.

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How to Install these templates….

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You will see a link at pointguru.org that will allow you to download the template set as a zip file. Place this zip file on your desktop…(This document is included within that zip file, as well).

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a. Point Classic customers…. Unzip the file and you will see a folder called pnttempl. Identify the location of your existing templates folder, usually c:\pnttempl if you are only using your own machine. This location will vary if you have templates installed on a network share. If none of this makes sense, an IT guy can usually show you this in about 10 minutes.

 

b. PointCentral customers…. You will either have your own server hosted in your enterprise, or you may be hosted by FocusIT or ABT. Have your IT guy call me and I will explain how to copy these into the server location, which is quite obscure and not for the faint of heart unless you are an IT person. Once they are copied, you will have to go into PointCentral Administration and resynchronize your template set, from the very bottom of the page where you edit a particular template set. In addition, you will need to add the following field IDs in the Custom Field ID section of PointCentral and resynchronize your entire data folder structure….Field ID 630 for Borrower-CoBorrower Combined Income, and 13602 for the LE Cost Expires Date. Don’t be shy about calling PointCentral tech support if you need help with these latter steps. 800-342-2599 Hit 5. If you do not resynchronize your files, you may see an error message regarding fields that are not normally mapped when you run one or more of these reports.

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Please enjoy these templates and remember…. Look them over before you use them. I do make mistakes, and certainly there are various interpretations of where to place fees on the Closing Cost Scenario and how to mark Prepaid Finance Charges. It was the latter issue that encouraged Calyx years ago not to provide templates, but I am willing to reach out with mine as a courtesy to you, understanding that there is only ONE PROMISE OR COMMITMENT, and none regarding the ultimate veracity of the nuances of how to fill out PFCs, fees, TRID Disclosure language, etc.

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I promise to remain as available as I can through January 15th if you have questions or need help installing the templates. Remember that you may need an IT guy to install these templates, especially if you are running PointCentral.

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