ABA Banking Journal - November 2007 - (Page 57)

Tech topics Getting good at global sourcing Mortgage BPO: helped by technology ABA Banking Journal senior editor Lauren Bielski interviewed Adrian Sharp, vicepresident and head of global financial services solutions at Patni Computer Systems, Inc., a software development and offshore outsourcing company, with U.S. headquarters in Cincinnati. She queried Sharp about decision support, workflow, and business process management tools that support the business process outsourcing for mortgage processing. While not yet a dominant trend today, outsourcing more complex services like mortgage processing is emerging as a realistic alternative. Sharp talks about the technology under the covers that supports such work and why some banks are sharing their workload. Narratives around outsourcing are pretty consistent. The media tend to discuss how outsourcing and offshoring each threaten the wallet of the domestic worker. Or we The idea that mortgage processing could be outsourced sort of surprised me, I confess. I think of it as an essential banking activity. Well, first of all, clerical aspects of mortgage processing can be outsourced and have been. Certainly, many banks that are outsourcing mortgage-related tasks are getting certain application completion tasks, fact checking, or other administrative work done in other places during our night hours so they can run, in effect, a 24-hour operation. Secondly, though, is the fact that many outsource providers ABA BANKING JOURNAL/NOVEMBER 2007 57 www.ababj.com/subscribe.html Illustration by John Lund/images.com hear the story that these contracts need extensive managing to be effective. Are there other trends, or narratives, worth noting? Sure. Basically, the BPO industry has gotten better at delivery work for banking clients. We’ve learned that how a process is organized, what kind of analysis goes into the mapping aspect—along with use of underlying workflow and rules engines—can make all the difference in the result. A sound process is easier to manage and gets the work done correctly. Maybe execs focus on the cost benefit of outsourcing but there also should be a process improvement benefit. I’ve heard others mention this but it remains an important message to be emphasized: you should improve the process you outsource. Most of the time, there is something that can be done differently. http://www.patni.com http://www.ababj.com/subscribe.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ABA Banking Journal - November 2007

ABA Banking Journal - November 2007 Contents Editor’s Column Briefing: Good News for Mortgages Sleight of Mind N.Y. Hiring Bonanza May Be Bane Snapshot: A Look at Held-For-Investment Loan Growth ABA Resources ABA Chairman’s Position “The Moose Bank” Thrives on Manufactured Housing Loans Finding the Middle Way for Your Bank’s Retirement Program Pass the Aspirin Cover Story: Self-Service Steps Up DIY U.K. Style Marketing to Millennials Getting Real With “Gen Wired” Ethnic Marketing: Disinterested Banking Getting Good at Global Sourcing Case in Point Turn Compliance on It's Head Banker’s Mart To Advertise/Index of Advertisers The Economy

ABA Banking Journal - November 2007

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