Advertising and Marketing, Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies

ARMCO QC Trends Report: Defect Trends Indicate Continued Lender Downsizing

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- ACES Risk Management (ARMCO), the leading provider of enterprise financial risk management solutions, announced the release of the quarterly ARMCO Mortgage QC Trends Report. The latest report provides loan quality findings for mortgages reviewed by ACES Audit Technology(tm) during the second quarter (Q2) of 2018.

The report's noteworthy findings for Q2 2018 include:
* Continuation of several defect trends:
o A significant quarter-over-quarter increase (23.8% over Q1 2018) in defects related to Loan Package Documentation, which are often associated with downsizing and understaffing, a trend that began in the previous quarter, Q1 2018
o The majority of defects were attributed to the Income/Employment category, a trend that began in the previous quarter, Q1 2018
o Core underwriting and eligibility issues were the most frequent cause of critical defects, a trend that has continued since the Q1 2017
* The critical defect rate decreased slightly, from 1.72% in Q1 2018 to 1.71%.
* Defects attributed to Borrower and Mortgage Eligibility increased by roughly 70%, from 6.57% in Q1 2018 to 11.36%

"In Q2 2018, we saw continued increases in defects typically resulting from downsizing and understaffing," said Phil McCall, president and COO of ARMCO. "This seems to indicate that many lenders are still responding to the reduction in business and compressed margins with personnel changes, even in a purchase-dominated market."

Although defects associated with loan package documentation do not usually result in non-saleable loans, they can still have a detrimental impact on profitability. They often result in investors and insurers suspending loan purchases, which can reduce warehouse line capacity and result in price adjustments.

"The market's current fluctuation demonstrates the financial reasons lenders need QC technologies that are dynamic and adaptable enough to respond quickly when the market shifts," said McCall. "Sacrificing quality is a costly but unnecessary consequence of revenue reductions. In reality, no lender needs to accept less than the highest quality, regardless of contracting volumes or margins."

The Q2 2018 ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report is based on nationwide post-closing quality control loan data from over 90,000 unique loans selected for random full-file reviews, as was captured by the company's ACES Analytics benchmarking software. Defects listed in the report are categorized using the Fannie Mae loan defect taxonomy. Each ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends report includes easy-to-read charts and graphs, a summary that outlines ARMCO's overall findings, a breakdown of defect rates for each Fannie Mae loan defect category, and a short conclusion. ARMCO issues a one-year analysis for the calendar year with each fourth quarter Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report.

ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Reports are available for download, free of charge, at https://www.armco.us/learn/reports/.

About ARMCO
Over half of the top 20 mortgage lenders in the U.S. choose ARMCO as their provider of risk management software. ARMCO's product line includes loan quality enterprise software, services, data and analytics. Its flagship product, ACES Audit Technology(tm), has set the bar for user definability in its category. It is used at virtually every point in the mortgage lifecycle, as well as for a wide range of risk-prone business operations outside traditional mortgage origination and servicing.

ARMCO's consultative approach to customer relationships leverages 25 years of mortgage risk intel, assuring that its clients are using the most effective risk mitigation strategies, and are using the fastest, most reliable, most efficient means for preventing risk-related loss. ARMCO distributes the ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report, a free quarterly analysis of industry-wide mortgage loan quality.

For more information, visit https://www.armco.us/ or call 1-800-858-1598.

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Business, Free News Articles, General Editorial, Insurance, Reports and Studies, Travel and Tourism

2019 Predictions: Key Travel Trends That Will Drive Growth of the Travel Insurance Market

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- With almost all travel insurance providers reporting strong growth in 2018, TravelInsurance.com expects this momentum to continue into 2019, and has identified five key drivers. In recent years travel for many has become less about simply taking a break and more about connecting with loved ones, immersing ourselves into what we are passionate about and exploring places that surprise, delight and challenge our views of the world.

As the way we travel evolves, costs are increasing and itineraries are becoming more personalized to fit individual interests, needs and schedules. As a result, travel insurance is a more critical component in travel planning than ever before.

"In the last few years, travel insurance has become one of the most popular travel products available," said Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com. "It can be indispensable in today's travel environment, and it is cost-effective for almost all types of travel. Travel insurance can give travelers more than just peace of mind - it can assist you in times of need when unexpected, costly events occur before or during a trip."

The following are the trends that TravelInsurance.com expects will be the key drivers of growth in travel insurance purchases in 2019:

An increased awareness of comparison shopping for travel insurance - While today's online shoppers use comparison shopping sites for almost every e-commerce purchase, shoppers using online travel sites - such as direct airline sites and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) - aren't given the same opportunity when it comes to travel insurance. The OTAs and direct airline sites typically offer limited options from a single company at checkout, with little transparency to give a consumer confidence in what they're buying. The failures of this "take-it-or-leave-it" approach took center stage in 2018 when the Hon. Senator Ed Markey released a report warning that consumers might not be getting the protection they think they've paid for. As consumer awareness continues to grow, more travel shoppers will seek out comparison shopping sites like TravelInsurance.com, which offer a way to compare from multiple travel insurance companies in an easy and transparent way, usually resulting in better and more affordable coverage. TravelInsurance.com expects online comparison sites to be the fastest growing sales channel for travel insurance in 2019.

More travelers to hit the high seas in 2019 - Cruise vacations will continue to be a top travel trend in 2019, with at least nine new cruise ships being launched in 2019. And with the introduction of ships across a wide range of travel categories, from affordable to luxury, there really will be something for everyone. In addition to the baby boomers and senior market, who represent the most active cruise travel group, new cruise offerings are expected to bring young families and millennials into the market in 2019. Growth in the cruise industry in 2019 will translate to growth in travel insurance purchases, as cruises come with a unique set of travel risks that travel insurance can address - from missed ports of call to illnesses on board.

Growth in highly curated travel experiences for groups - Genealogy-driven travel, undertourism, experiential learning, volunteerism, and agritourism are all expected to grow in 2019 as travelers pursue their passions. TravelInsurance.com saw strong growth in its group travel business in 2018 and expects the trend to continue in 2019. More travelers are seeking out travel companionship with those who share common interests to enhance their travel experience. Group travel insurance is an ideal way to provide coverage for a group and makes the administration of travel insurance plans streamlined and easy.

Millennial nomads more likely to purchase annual plans - Extensive travel by millennials, Gen Y and Gen Z has become more prevalent as young travelers prioritize exploring the world as digital nomads. Whether to seek out the most remote islands in the South Pacific or to claim the ultimate selfie, young travelers are hitting the road with their social media followers in tow - both on their own and with friends. As the desire and commitment to traveling the world increases, TravelInsurance.com forecasts growth in annual plans which are designed for travelers who take multiple trips per year. Annual plans provide a convenience and can be cost effective for frequent travelers.

Uncertainty over health insurance coverage when traveling abroad - With the future of ACA health plans uncertain and the general lack of understanding of one's health insurance coverage, more consumers will purchase travel insurance with travel medical and emergency evacuation coverage when traveling in 2019. A recent survey conducted by TravelInsurance.com showed that about half (47 percent) of respondents don't know whether or not their health insurance provided coverage while traveling, especially when traveling abroad. And most standard Medicare plans do not provide coverage when traveling internationally. TravelInsurance.com also expects more countries to require incoming travelers to show proof of health coverage as a requirement to obtain a visa. These trends will be key drivers of growth in travel insurance plans that offer travel medical coverage.

A travel insurance policy can protect travelers from a variety of unexpected circumstances while they are traveling. Whether you're looking for trip cancellation coverage to reimburse you for the costs of hotels, flights and other pre-paid and non-refundable trip expenses or if you need medical expense coverage to protect you from the extensive costs of overseas treatment and hospitalization, a travel insurance policy can drastically decrease your risks.

For more information, or to search for a travel insurance plan, visit https://www.travelinsurance.com.

About TravelInsurance.com:
TravelInsurance.com helps simplify the complicated world of travel insurance by providing consumers with the easiest way to compare and buy trip insurance coverage online. A member company of the U.S. Travel Insurance Association, owned and operated by DigiVentures Holdings, LLC, a licensed agency that works with some of the largest travel insurers in the industry. Purchases can be made directly through the website, with policies sent via email within minutes. Learn more at https://www.travelinsurance.com.

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Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies, Restaurant, Hotel and Hospitality

How Much Does It Cost to Open a Restaurant? 350 Independent Restaurant Owners Share Their 2018 Startup Costs and Financial Performance

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- RestaurantOwner.com has released the report of their 2018 Cost to Open a Restaurant Survey. The report summarizes input gathered from over 350 independent restaurant owners and operators regarding their startup costs as well as their financial performance.

A copy of the survey report is available at: https://www.restaurantowner.com/public/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Open-a-Restaurant.cfm

The median restaurant startup cost was $375,000. This equates to a median cost of $113 per square foot, or $3,586 per seat. Many factors affected cost including remodel vs. new construction, free standing building vs. tenant space, and whether the restaurant was full service, limited service, bar or tavern, catering business, or takeout and delivery.

"New construction was more costly than remodeling. The median cost of building a restaurant from the ground up, not including real estate, was $650,000," said COO Joe Erickson.

Remodeling a non-restaurant space was the second most costly, with a median cost of $425,500. Remodeling an existing restaurant space was the least costly, with a median cost of $275,500. Consequently, the median sales to investment ratio was highest for remodeling an existing restaurant space (4.2:1), versus either remodeling a non-restaurant space (2.1:1) or new construction (2.0:1).

The median size of restaurant startups was 3,070 square feet, and 120 seats. This size resulted in a median of 31 square feet per seat. Kitchens occupied about 31% of the restaurant space, with a median size of 1,000 square feet.

The median annual sales across all service types was $1.125 million. That financial performance resulted in a median annual revenue of $325 per square foot, or $10,567 per seat. Median time to profitability was 5 months. 25% of owners reported that their restaurant was profitable within the first 2 months and another 25% took 12 months to become profitable. The median net income reported was 5.5%.

About RestaurantOwner.com:
RestaurantOwner.com provides leadership, financial management and operational training and resources to independent restaurant owners and managers to improve the guest experience, employee engagement and achieve better financial results.

More information: https://www.restaurantowner.com/.

*IMAGE FOR MEDIA: https://www.restaurantowner.com/members/images/1474c.png
*Image Caption: page three example from the comprehensive 2018 report.

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Business, Education and Schools, Free News Articles, NonProfit and Charities, Reports and Studies

New study by UNC-CH researchers finds that walking while listening to Walking Classroom podcasts improves student learning, retention, and mood

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Walking Classroom Institute (TheWalkingClassroom.org) has released results of a research study conducted in spring 2018 by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by the Oak Foundation, confirming that walking while listening to The Walking Classroom podcasts improves student learning as well as retention of information, student mood, and attitudes toward learning.

The study, which tested 319 4th and 5th grade students over a three-month period, had the students complete a series of measures over four testing periods to assess learning, mood, cognitive performance, and attitudes toward learning. The findings were overwhelmingly positive for The Walking Classroom program methodology.

Walking Improves Student Learning and Retention:

Students who walked and listened to The Walking Classroom's educational podcasts demonstrated significantly higher levels of learning than students who sat while listening to the podcasts. This result was demonstrated both in short-term and long-term retention as measured by performance on a 10-question comprehension quiz on podcast content administered immediately after the walk as well as one week later.

In addition to improvements in learning the material presented in the podcast, walking had a significant positive impact on cognitive test performance. Students were given a 3-minute multiplication test both after walking and after sitting, and the resulting math test scores were significantly higher for the groups that had walked prior to taking the test.

Walking Improves Student Mood and Attitudes Toward Learning:

The study also tested the effects of walking on student mood and attitudes toward learning and found that walking (versus sitting) had similar improvements in those areas. All positive-affect markers (e.g., students describing themselves as strong, happy, alert, excited, and enthusiastic) increased after walking and listening to podcasts and decreased after sitting and listening to podcasts. Similarly, negative-affect markers (e.g., students describing themselves as irritable, nervous, upset, mad, and sad) all decreased after walking, demonstrating a strong positive influence of the Walk, Listen, and Learn program on student mood and attitudes toward learning.

Laura Fenn, CEO and founder of The Walking Classroom said, "We've had teachers reporting similar results with their students in our annual surveys for years, but seeing the results confirmed in this study is thrilling. Knowing that The Walking Classroom is actually helping students learn more and retain more information, while also helping them feel happier and more excited about learning, is very rewarding."

The study was conducted by Erianne Weight, Ph.D. and a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its purpose was to test the impact of learning during physical activity on student short-term and long-term learning retention, cognitive performance, mood, and attitudes toward learning. Baseline data was gathered one week prior to listening to the podcasts. Additional results were gathered immediately after walking and listening to podcasts, immediately after sitting and listening to podcasts, and one week after the podcasts were delivered.

For more details or to read the full study, please visit https://thewalkingclassroom.org/research/.

Additional press resources: https://www.thewalkingclassroom.org/walking-classroom-press-kit/

To schedule interviews with The Walking Classroom founder and CEO Laura Fenn, contact her directly at: laura@thewalkingclassroom.org.

About The Walking Classroom:

A national award-winning education program, The Walking Classroom provides students with an innovative way to get exercise without sacrificing instructional time. The Walking Classroom Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was founded by CEO/Creator Laura Fenn, a former 5th grade teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience. Laura developed The Walking Classroom program as a way to add exercise to the school day without sacrificing instructional time. While all students benefit from the increased activity and educational content of The Walking Classroom, children with low academic achievement and childhood obesity stand to benefit the most. Students with alternative learning styles such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism also benefit from the program. The Walking Classroom program is now used by tens of thousands of students in all 50 states.

Learn more at TheWalkingClassroom.org.

Photo credit: Laura Fenn.

VIDEO (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/baKysvehpyY

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Business, Free News Articles, Insurance, Reports and Studies, Software

After Inc. Releases Warranty Analytics 2.0 White Paper

NORWALK, Conn. -- After, Inc., the global leader in Warranty 2.0 solutions, announced today that it has just released its latest research on the warranty analytics industry. After, Inc.'s white paper, "Warranty Analytics 2.0 - Addressing the Gaps in Current Software Solutions," provides an analysis of the warranty services market, outlines the differences between warranty management and warranty analytics software, and offers an alternative - Warranty Analytics 2.0 - to address the limitations in current data analytics solutions.

While self-service analytical software packages contain some functionality for data prep, querying, exploration and visualization, there can be material limitations post-implementation. Problems arise when there is a lack of internal technical/analytical resources to correct data errors in real time.

After, Inc.'s Warranty Analytics 2.0 solution combine warranty-specific data visualization platforms with outsourced and highly trained warranty data analysts in an analytics-as-a service business model to ensure that the data being uploaded and the results being generated are complete and accurate.

To download a copy of the "Warranty Analytics 2.0 - Addressing the Gaps in Current Software Solutions" white paper, click here: http://afterinc.com/warranty-analytics-2-0/

Or, visit After, Inc.'s website at: http://afterinc.com/.

About After, Inc.:

After, Inc. (afterinc.com) is a global leader in the warranty services industry. Its predictive analytics, data-driven marketing strategies, reporting and program administration are second to none. After, Inc. partners with some of the world's top brands to help transform their warranty businesses, driving customer satisfaction post-purchase, higher product reliability, deeper brand equity and additional revenue / profit opportunities.

Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn. with offices in New York City, After, Inc. is part of the EPIC Holdings family of companies, which also includes EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants and PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services.

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Business, Free News Articles, Mining and Metals, Reports and Studies

Thintri Report Highlights Market Opportunities in Titanium

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- Thintri, Inc. (www.thintri.com) has announced a new market study that analyzes markets for metallic titanium. The report predicts expansion of titanium markets into new applications with corresponding growth in overall market volume.

According to the report, "The Titanium Age: Markets, Opportunities and New Processes," an update of Thintri's earlier 2016 study, the industry has gone a long way to resolve the price and supply instabilities of the past. Those instabilities acted to prevent the expansion of titanium into new, promising markets. The automotive sector, for example, is one where titanium could bring about significant performance and efficiency increases, but high prices and frequent fluctuations in price and supply presented too much uncertainty to allow for adoption in many large industrial markets.

Titanium is an abundant resource, with the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metal, is essentially nonmagnetic, and is highly resistant to corrosion, even in hostile environments like salt water. Furthermore, it is highly biocompatible, making it useful in medicine, as in hip and other joint replacements, and surgical instruments. Titanium is a critical material in aerospace and has become well established in trucks and heavy vehicles, marine structures and ships, chemical processing and general industry. A significant share of the available titanium supply today is used to form steel alloys.

Titanium has enormous potential in a large number of markets, many of them new, but market growth has been hobbled by high costs, volatile prices, processing difficulties, supply issues and industry-wide inefficiencies. Much of the constricting of supply has been attributable to cycles in aerospace demand as well as titanium's use in steel production, both of which are huge sources of titanium demand which are also subject to general economic conditions.

These cycles have often led to extraordinary runups in prices, where some more than doubled in a single year, and some users were simply unable to obtain the titanium they needed. The volatility dampened enthusiasm for titanium in new applications and the instability made it impossible to cultivate new markets.

Today, after several years of sluggish demand for many commodities, titanium is rebounding. As the aerospace sector has worked through its stockpiled titanium, demand has returned to reasonably healthy levels as capacity for most products has levelled off. More importantly, industry consolidation has led to greatly improved efficiency in manufacturing, which promises to restore some stability in price and supply. As a result, emerging markets, particularly medical, in many cases are now even outpacing traditional markets.

At the same time, this apparent stability is threatened by the new international trade picture. Russia and China, both important sources of titanium, are also potential subjects of tariffs and/or sanctions that could upend the global titanium industry. How, and whether, these issues are worked out will have a significant impact on titanium markets.

Throughout all this, a number of low cost processing and manufacturing technologies have continued development that promise to produce titanium (commercially pure and alloyed), potentially at greatly reduced cost. These processes, some of which are already commercialized, will significantly reduce costs in extraction, machining, welding and manufacture of titanium, and help the industry maintain more stable supplies.

The promise of supply stability and lower prices can be expected to lead to the capture of new markets, bringing titanium to a broad range of new applications. Low cost production processes may also provide a substantial investment opportunity.

Thintri's report, "The Titanium Age: Markets, Opportunities and New Processes" analyzes current markets for titanium and the present industry landscape, and projects market activity through 2024. Latent demand, i.e., demand that will be created by newer forms of low-cost titanium in established and new applications, is also calculated and projected through 2024. More information can be found at http://www.thintri.com/.

About Thintri, Inc.:

Founded in 1996, Thintri, Inc. (www.thintri.com), is a full-service consulting firm, based in New York and directed by J. Scott Moore, Ph.D. Thintri's services include business intelligence, market research, technology transfer and technology assessment, and in-depth, off-the-shelf market studies on promising emerging technologies.

Topics of focus have included communications, aerospace, medical and industrial imaging, photonics, materials and coatings, semiconductor devices, manufacturing, industrial logistics, security, thermal management, energy, and a host of others.

For more information, visit http://www.thintri.com or call Dr. Moore at 914-242-4615.

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Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies

Eye Tracking Technologies Create Extraordinary Market Opportunities in Gaming, Medicine, Market Research, Automotive and More

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Thintri, Inc. (www.thintri.com), has announced a new market study that predicts explosive growth in markets for eye tracking. According to the report, "Market Opportunities in Eye Tracking, 2018," an update of Thintri's earlier 2015 study, eye tracking is penetrating markets as diverse as market and advertising research, medical and even psychiatric diagnosis, website and online content development, automotive safety systems, gaming, virtual/augmented reality, piloting drones and a host of others.

Some of these applications will undergo explosive growth, leading to billion-dollar markets within a decade.

Eye tracking, the following and recording of a person's gaze as it moves from one point to another, has long been used as a means for severely disabled people, such as quadriplegics, to access technology by controlling computers and other devices with eye movement. Because of the stringent reliability and accuracy requirements involved, such systems have been costly, limiting the use of such tools in new applications.

Today, however, the advent of less expensive, less bulky and non-invasive systems is bringing eye tracking to a wide range of entirely new applications, from gaming to medicine and automotive safety. Already, eye tracking is used to control smartphones and detect fatigue and sleepiness in operators of heavy machinery.

Web-based platforms combined with common webcams used for eye tracking will allow even the smallest companies to conduct global market and advertising research studies with hundreds of participants spread all over the world, all for just a tiny cost compared with traditional methods.

Eye tracking is a fairly mature technology. Most major technical issues have been resolved and development efforts are mainly focused on development of new applications. All that is standing in the way of explosive market growth is customer awareness and education.

According to the Thintri study, most segments will undergo healthy growth while some markets are poised to reach billion-dollar levels within a decade. Promising markets like automotive, where the technology could save lives by alerting drivers who are distracted or drowsy, or gaming, where a first-person shooter could aim and fire with unprecedented speed and accuracy, could quickly gain millions of users.

Thintri's report, Market Opportunities in Eye Tracking, 2018, projects extraordinary growth for eye tracking markets, in several cases exceeding a billion dollars per year within a decade. The remarkable versatility and utility of eye tracking leads to the conclusion that many promising applications of eye tracking have probably not yet even been investigated.

More information can be found at https://www.thintri.com/eye-tracking-technology-report-2018.htm.

About Thintri, Inc.:

Founded in 1996, Thintri, Inc. is a full-service consulting firm, based in New York and directed by J. Scott Moore, Ph.D.

Thintri's services include business intelligence, market research, technology transfer and technology assessment, and in-depth, off-the-shelf market studies on promising emerging technologies. Topics of focus have included communications, aerospace, medical and industrial imaging, photonics, materials and coatings, semiconductor devices, manufacturing, industrial logistics, security, thermal management, energy, and a host of others.

For more information, visit http://www.thintri.com or call 914-242-4615.

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Free News Articles, Reports and Studies

ARMCO Releases Fourth Quarter / Calendar Year 2017 Trends Report

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- ACES Risk Management (ARMCO), the leading provider of enterprise financial risk management solutions, announced the release of the quarterly ARMCO Mortgage QC Trends Report. The latest report provides loan quality findings for mortgages reviewed by ACES Audit Technology(TM) during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017 as well as the 2017 calendar year (CY).

The report's noteworthy findings include:
* The Q4 2017 critical defect rate increased slightly, from 1.65% to 1.68%
* The percentage of purchase transactions declined for the second consecutive quarter
* The CY 2017 critical defect rate increased seven percent
* The distribution of critical defects shifted significantly from 2016 to 2017.

"In 2016, the categories containing the majority of critical defects reflected the industry's reaction to TRID, which had been implemented at the end of 2015," said Phil McCall, president of ARMCO. "In 2017, we see a shift away from those categories, toward the types of defects that align with the industry's move to a purchase-driven market."

In 2017, the majority of critical defects centered around issues associated with core underwriting and eligibility issues, which is reflective of the deeper complexity of purchase transactions, as compared to refinances.

The Q4/CY 2017 ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report is based on nationwide post-closing quality control loan data from over 90,000 unique loans selected for random full-file reviews, as was captured by the company's ACES Analytics benchmarking software. Defects listed in the report are categorized using the Fannie Mae loan defect taxonomy.

Each ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report includes easy-to-read charts and graphs, a summary that outlines ARMCO's overall findings, a breakdown of defect rates for each Fannie Mae loan defect category, and a short conclusion. ARMCO issues a one-year analysis for the calendar year with each fourth quarter Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report.

"When you see how much the issues that impact quality can change quarter to quarter and year over year, it becomes apparent why lenders should use the most current data for strategies going forward," said McCall. "ARMCO provides the Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report for free because we want to arm all lenders with as many tools as possible to achieve quality in the most efficient way possible."

To obtain a copy of the report, please visit https://www.armco.us/knowledge/mortgage-qc-industry-report-2017-q4.

About ARMCO:
ARMCO - ACES Risk Management delivers web-based enterprise financial risk management solutions, as well as powerful data and analytics, to the nation's top mortgage lenders, servicers, investors and outsourcing professionals. A trusted partner devoted to client relationships, ARMCO offers best-in-class quality control and compliance software that provides U.S. banks, mortgage companies and service providers the technology and data needed to support loan integrity, meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk and drive positive business decisions.

ARMCO's flagship product, ACES Audit Technology(TM), is available at any point in the mortgage loan lifecycle, to any size lender, and is user-definable. ACES standardizes audit requirements, ties pre-funding reviews to post-closing quality control audits, enables seamless trend analysis, identifies credit, compliance and process deficiencies and helps create manageable action plans.

For more information, visit http://www.armco.us/ or call 1-800-858-1598.

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Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies, Water and Wastes

New Study Strengthens Evidence that Fluoride Safely Prevents Tooth Decay, But Critics Ignore the Study They Once Welcomed

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A study led by researchers at the federal government's National Toxicology Program (NTP) has found no link between elevated levels of fluoride and cognitive/learning deficits. The American Fluoridation Society (AFS) reports that the recently released NTP study examined rats that consumed food and water with varying exposures of fluoride. The researchers "observed no exposure-related differences in motor, sensory, or learning and memory performance" for any of the nine tests they conducted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes the benefits of adding fluoride to toothpaste and drinking water. The CDC and many leading health experts recommend adding fluoride to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Most public water systems in the U.S. add more fluoride to reach the level proven to reduce the rate of tooth decay for children and adults.

When the NTP study was first announced, an anti-fluoride group welcomed the news with a headline declaring that the study's findings "could end fluoridation." This group cited the NTP's "cutting edge scientific tools" and wrote that the NTP's decision to conduct a study "puts a lie to [proponents'] claims" about fluoridation. The American Fluoridation Society (AFS) noted that critics have been quiet since the NTP study results were publicly released.

"Critics of community water fluoridation were thrilled when the NTP said they would conduct a thorough study of this issue," said AFS President Johnny Johnson. "However, they have been as quiet as a church mouse since the NTP's findings were made public. Once again, they choose to ignore the studies that don't fit into their fear-based mindset. They're choosing silence over science."

The NTP research studied rats during their prenatal development through their adulthood. These rats consumed water with three different concentrations of fluoride (0, 10 and 20 ppm) and two different fluoride levels in food: 20.5 ppm (a standard diet) and 3.24 ppm (low-fluoride diet). Although fluoride critics often claim that fluoridation is harmful to the thyroid, the NTP study revealed that thyroid hormone levels were not altered by exposure to levels as high as 10 or 20 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride.

The only side effect found by the NTP study was inflammation of the prostate gland, which was observed only at a fluoride exposure that was far above the level of human exposure by drinking fluoridating water.

In addition to the NTP study, research published in 2015 by the American Journal of Public Health found no link at all between fluoridation and IQ scores. This 2015 study was conducted in New Zealand, where fluoridation programs are common. The New Zealand study examined a large sample of people and examined IQ scores collected over a 31-year period.

Few public health topics have been researched as thoroughly as CWF. In fact, the database maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine contains more than 56,000 studies or research papers on fluoride. And the Library's records include more than 6,400 studies that focus specifically on fluoridation.

Two other recent reports reinforce the safety of fluoridated water. In a report issued this March, Public Health England reviewed the evidence surrounding fluoridation and reached this conclusion: "The findings of this report agree with the view that water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure to reduce the frequency and severity of dental decay, and narrow differences in dental health between more and less deprived children and young people."

In April, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued a report stating that "there is currently no scientific basis for concerns about the safety of children and adults" due to fluoride exposure from foods and drinks.

For more information, visit https://americanfluoridationsociety.org/.

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Advertising and Marketing, Business, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies

ARMCO’s Q3 2017 Trends Report: Critical Loan Defect Rate Drops for First Time in 2017

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- ACES Risk Management (ARMCO), the leading provider of enterprise financial risk mitigation software solutions, announced the release of the ARMCO Mortgage QC Trends Report. The latest report is for the third quarter of 2017, which relays loan quality findings for mortgages reviewed by ACES Audit Technology(TM) between July 1, 2017 and September 30, 2017.

The report's noteworthy findings include:
* The Q3 2017 critical defect rate declined 6 percent from the previous quarter, revealing the first decrease in this rate for 2017
* The percentage of purchase transactions declined in Q3 2017
* Purchase transactions and FHA loans accounted for a disproportionately higher number of critical defects in Q3 2017.

"As the percentage of refis increased in the third quarter of 2017, we saw a drop in critical defect rates. That said, purchases still comprise the majority of mortgages originated, so critical defect activity still aligns with what you'd see in a purchase-driven market," said Phil McCall, president of ARMCO. "Lenders need to be mindful of the risks inherent with purchase transactions and take precautions, regardless of fluctuations in purchase/refi market share."

The ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report is based on nationwide post-closing quality control loan data from just under 100,000 loans selected for random full-file reviews, as was captured by the company's ACES Analytics benchmarking software. Defects listed in the report are categorized using the Fannie Mae loan defect taxonomy.

Each ARMCO Mortgage QC Industry Trends report includes easy-to-read charts and graphs, a summary that outlines ARMCO's overall findings, a breakdown of defect rates for each Fannie Mae loan defect category, and a short conclusion. The current and previous reports also contain an analysis of the top credit-related critical defects, which is now a regular feature of the report. ARMCO issues a one-year analysis for the calendar year with each fourth quarter Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report.

To obtain a copy of the report, please visit https://www.armco.us/knowledge/mortgage-qc-industry-report-2017-q3

About ARMCO:
ARMCO - ACES Risk Management delivers web-based audit technology solutions, as well as powerful data and analytics, to the nation's top mortgage lenders, servicers, investors and outsourcing professionals. A trusted partner devoted to client relationships, ARMCO offers best-in-class quality control and compliance software that provides U.S. banks, mortgage companies and service providers the technology and data needed to support loan integrity, meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk and drive positive business decisions. ARMCO's flagship product, ACES Audit Technology(TM), is available at any point in the mortgage loan lifecycle, to any size lender, and is user-definable. ACES standardizes audit requirements, ties pre-funding reviews to post-closing quality control audits, enables seamless trend analysis, identifies credit, compliance and process deficiencies and helps create manageable action plans.

For more information, visit http://www.armco.us/ or call 1-800-858-1598.

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