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Issue date: 31st October 2006

AVMs streamline second charges

Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) can deliver significant efficiency benefits and cost savings in the second charge market, according to financial software solutions provider Target Group. Secured loan providers such as Picture Financial Group are already reaping the benefits of integrating this powerful technology into their wider IT infrastructure. As a result, they are reducing costs, timescales and fraudulent applications and gaining competitive advantage through Point of Sale (POS) offers.

Much recent attention around AVMs has been focused on the first charge market. However, integrating AVMs into the second charge loan application process also brings significant benefits in the majority of customer cases. Spearheading this new approach from its launch in 2004, Picture incorporated Hometrack’s AVM directly into its application systems as part of its ambitious plans to become a major name in the consumer finance sector.

The real-time integration of Hometrack’s AVM into the IT solution developed for Picture by Target Group allows loan consultants to verify customer valuations within seconds. This information is then automatically included within the application data and may lead to a POS offer. As AVMs do not always accurately reflect property values – particularly recent house modifications – an associated confidence level is also given which allows Picture to determine whether a subsequent, more detailed valuation is required. The use of AVMs can potentially reduce the individual cost of customer acquisition by up to £180.

The entire Picture technology infrastructure is built to streamline the secured loan process. It uses a range of Target applications which combine to provide an end-to-end solution for managing the entire loan lifecycle. Target also created a powerful data warehouse for Picture: this enables a single point of access to data from a wide range of applications, including third party data sources such as Hometrack AVMs.

According to Neville Allport, Chief Executive of Picture Financial, “When we established Picture, we needed an all-encompassing IT solution which would help us to differentiate ourselves and achieve competitive advantage. Key to this is making loan applications as fast and efficient as possible. By integrating AVMs into the Target solution, we are achieving our aim and are considerably reducing both time and the costs.”

For further information contact
Gemma Polding, Marketing Executive - Tel: 029 20301593
Target, Target House, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9AU
Tel: +44 (0)2920 301 401
email: gemma.polding@targetgroup.net
Website: http://www.targetgroup.net

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