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August 14, 2025

• Welcome to the Family: Baby Kuhnle

Congratulations to Lindsey Kuhnle and her family and their new addition: baby Lylian Denise arrived July 25!

• It’s the Final Countdown… to Fly-In!

We are just a week away from our 2025 Fly-In: Power Up Your Business! From our sponsors and our industry experts to our incredible sales team and staff members joining us from across the country, this is one you won’t want to miss.  If you haven’t already, please make sure to RSVP directly to Brittany Dunkle so that we can add you to our headcount.

• New Brokered Construction Outlet: Click n Close

We are pleased to inform you that Click n Close has been added as a One Time Close Construction outlet for Government and Conventional transactions. They have been added to the broker comparison sheet.

Join us for Sales Training on Monday, August 25 at 12pm Eastern – watch your inbox for the invitation!

• Appraisal Reviews

Please remember to resubmit your loan file to Underwriting as soon as the appraisal is received. We have been experiencing delays in closings due to appraisal issues that could have been addressed earlier if reviewed promptly.

Your immediate action will help us avoid unnecessary delays and ensure a smoother closing process. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

• Seafile Updates

You may have noticed changes in the Seafile interface – we will be updating any existing job aids to reference the new look and functionality. The “Preview” feature has been intermittently available for docs – you are able to click the “Download” icon in the interim until this is fully functional.

If you’ll be joining us at Fly-in next week, we will be discussing Seafile during the “FAQ Fuel” breakout session. If you miss that, we will be hosting another training the week of August 25. Please watch your inbox for an invitation!

• Itemization of Credits

To improve transparency around the Fees and Credits shown on a borrower’s final Closing Disclosure (CD), we will begin including a new document in all final closing packages: the 2015 Itemization of Costs and Credits. This document provides a clear breakdown of all Borrower Fees, Seller Obligated Fees, Seller Credits, and Lender Credits, organized into easily understood categories. Our goal is to make it easier for borrowers to identify specific credits and better understand their fees, reducing the number of questions at closing.

This document can be added to your closing packages immediately upon request from your closer and will be automatically included in all packages starting September 8, 2025. Attached you’ll find a copy of the new document.

• LoanCare Payoff Request Instructions

There are 2 ways to obtain a payoff on one of our loans being serviced by LoanCare:

The first and preferred method is to email your request to Clientpayoffprocessing@myloancare.com with the requested good through date.

• If a netted escrow payoff is desired, that must be noted in the request or a standard payoff will be provided.
• If you have an urgent request, you can include Amber Snook amber.snook@loancare.com and our own internal servicing operations team servicingoperations@vandykmortgage.com on the request and she can help escalate it on their end.

The second option is to request it through LoanCare’s website at VanDyk Mortgage Corporation – Third Party Payoff this option will likely require third party authorization be uploaded. Download the form for third party authorization here.

• Sarma and DataVerify EPC Credit Ordering

As a reminder, we should be using the EPC version of Sarma and DataVerify at this time. You will no longer see the “old” options in Encompass starting on Monday, September 8.

If you missed our training on the updated Sarma EPC interface, please check out the recording here. A how-to guide for Sarma EPC is available here. A how-to guide for DataVerify Fraud and SSA Verifications is available here. Reach out to ProductionSupport@vandykmortgage.com with any questions.

• House Bill Update: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

H.R.2808 – Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act
If signed, this bill will limit the sale of trigger leads, impacting how lenders, brokers, and servicers compete for borrowers. Expect servicers to ramp up direct solicitations, making database control and timely consumer outreach more important than ever.

What it means for lenders & branches:

• Get intentional with your database: Clean up records, secure consent, and optimize credit-pull notifications now.
• Soft Pulls: Let’s review policy for submissions in this space so we can offset the cross sell timeline and opportunity since this could be more competitive in 2026 for clients. The individuals reaching out or buying their information would have a direct relationship, a client for life mentality and communication should be adopted.
• Act before rates drop: Competitive scenarios will heat up, and speed to consumer will matter.
• Recruiting opportunity: With lead sources shifting, now is a smart time to connect with brokers—especially those at NEXA-style or franchise models—before their pipelines are disrupted.
• Ask the right questions: When onboarding recruits, clarify their current lead types and ensure your marketing investments align with their production expectations since some of them may not be viable without these leads.
• Celebrate! This is a long time win but will need us to be strategic in our approach with closed and future clients as well. More to come on this before the end of month!

The bill is still pending—follow its progress and be ready to adjust when signed here: Text – H.R.2808 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

• Marketing/Sales Teams Channel Launch

Marketing has been launching new collateral, and we want to keep our sales team up to date! Starting August 14^th, we will be repurposing our “Marketing and Sales” Team Channel to use as a marketing launch space. We will update our sales team as soon as materials are uploaded to Total Expert and Seafile. Want to join in on the fun? Use this link to get added: General | Marketing and Sales | Microsoft Teams

• HR Updates

401(k) Information – Plan for Your Future

We’d like to bring to your attention the updated 401(k) Highlights Sheet, which includes a QR code on page 2 for easy access to valuable resources.

Venrollment.com is a new platform used by our plan’s financial advisor, Rockefeller, to give participants more tools and information about the VanDyk Mortgage 401(k) Plan. Through the QR code link, you’ll find:

• Contact information for Principal (record keeper) and Rockefeller (plan advisors)
• Short videos and educational materials to help you understand your plan and investment options
• The ability to schedule a virtual 1-on-1 meeting with a Rockefeller Private Advisor to review your personal retirement goals

Whether you want to learn more about the 401(k), adjust your contributions, or review your investment strategy, we highly encourage you to scan the QR code and explore the tools available to help plan your future retirement.

🌿 Live Well, Work Well – Taking Care of Yourself During National Wellness Month

August is National Wellness Month, a time to focus on self-care, building healthy habits, and supporting your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Whether it’s adding more movement to your day, making time for rest, or exploring stress-reducing activities, small changes can have a big impact.

📄 Learn more here: National Wellness Month Resources

 

• New Hires: Welcome!

James Butcher – Business Development Associate, Branch 545

Brenda Estrada – Loan Originator, Branch 265

Melissa Eligul – Loan Originator, Branch 265

Ralph Kies – Business Development Associate, Branch 261

 

 

Agency Updates

Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac has updated their Guide to allow Mortgages to be secured by single-wide CHOICEHomes. The construction elements for single-wide CHOICEHome must include:

• A covered porch (minimum 72 sq. ft.), and
• An attached carport/garage (space to accommodate one or two cars) built with materials and finishes equivalent to the primary structure

 

USDA

USDA has made the following updates to their handbook:

• Ch 4 Lender Responsibilities:
  • Revised the conflict-of-interest guidance to clarify that only employees that have a direct impact on the mortgage transaction (underwriters, appraisers, inspectors, engineers, etc.) are prohibited from having multiple sources of income from a single Rural Development transaction.
• Ch 9 Income:
  • Clarified taxable income for housing allowances should be included in annual income.
  • Added guidance for verifying previous employment.
  • Clarified IRS Form 8821 is an acceptable method to request IRS tax transcripts.
  • Clarified the number of household members must be identified in GUS.
  • Added direct third-party verifications to the options for verifying assets.
  • Clarified reserves entered into GUS must not exceed the balance on the most recent official monthly bank statement, however lenders may choose to use a lower balance at their discretion.
• Ch 10 Credit:
  • Clarified multiple Verifications of Rent may be combined to make up the required 12 month history when no gaps exist.
  • Combined the disputed accounts guidance into one section.
  • Clarified the credit report for a non-purchasing spouse is maintained in the lender’s permanent loan file.

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Upcoming Events and Reminders

Miss a training? You’ll find our monthly newscast and Iron Sharpens Iron recordings in the VDM Vault. Department-specific trainings are shared in their respective Seafile folders.

Don’t forget: you can find invitations on our shared calendar under What’s Happening at VDMC.net (all times posted on the What’s Happening calendar are EST)

• Deal Desk: Every Tuesday @ 1:30pm Eastern
• Origination Nation: Every Monday and Thursday @ 12:00pm Eastern
• VanDyk Mortgage Newscast: Thursday, August 14 @ 1:00pm Eastern
• Production Roundtable: Tuesday, August 19 @ 3:00pm Eastern

25 Points