FormFree
Company typePrivate
IndustryFinancial Technology
Founded2008 in Athens, Georgia, USA
FounderBrent Chandler
ProductsAccountChek, Passport, RIKI, FFX
Websitewww.formfree.com

FormFree is a financial technology company based in Athens, Georgia, USA, founded in 2008 by Brent Chandler. The company is known for its pioneering contributions and innovative technology solutions in the mortgage industry, especially through technologies that streamline and enhance loan verification and secure lending processes. The company specializes in providing lenders and borrowers with a more accurate and transparent understanding of borrowers' financial capacity, creditworthiness, and ability to repay loans.

Significantly, FormFree has been a pioneer in utilizing consumer-permissioned data, AI, and blockchain to verify multiple aspects of a borrower's financial status in seconds, thereby broadening the scope of financial inclusivity. This technology allows lenders to serve more customers without additional risk, making the credit process more accessible and inclusive, particularly for underserved groups.

History

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FormFree was established to address inefficiencies in verifying borrowers' financial information during the loan approval process, with a mission to transform the mortgage lending landscape through technological innovation.

Key Contributions

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Automated Asset Verification

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FormFree revolutionized the mortgage process with its flagship product, AccountChek, which was one of the first electronic asset verification solutions in the industry. This technology automates the collection and verification of borrower data, significantly reducing fraud risk and processing time, and eliminating the need for traditional bank statements and documents.

Innovations in Financial Analysis

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The development of Passport by FormFree further contributed to the industry by providing an all-in-one report that includes asset, employment, and income verification. This product enhances lenders' ability to assess borrowers' ability to repay loans, improving loan decision timelines and accuracy.

Development of RIKI

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The Residual Income Knowledge Index (RIKI) is another innovative product from FormFree that calculates residual income, helping lenders better understand a borrower’s spending habits and financial stability beyond traditional credit scores.

Products and Innovations

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AccountChek

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One of FormFree's initial products, AccountChek, automated the asset verification process for mortgage lending, improving the speed and security of verifying borrowers' financial information.

Passport

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Building on AccountChek's capabilities, FormFree's Passport application enhances financial inclusivity by leveraging blockchain technology enabling consumers to control their financial data, improving lenders' access to and providing lenders with, on-demand access to comprehensive and accurate, tokenized ability-to-pay (ATP) information.

RIKI (Residual Income Knowledge Index)

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RIKI provides a more comprehensive view of a borrower's financial health by analyzing residual income, particularly benefiting those with minimal or no traditional credit history.

FFX (FormFree Exchange)

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FFX, or FormFree Exchange, enhances the accessibility of financial data verification by integrating multiple data sources into a single platform. This innovation simplifies the data retrieval process for lenders, offering a unified view of a borrower's financial status, which aids in decision-making and risk assessment.

AccountChek's Impact and Contributions

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AccountChek has revolutionized the mortgage industry by enabling digital verification of assets, income, and employment. This technology has:

  • Enhanced the speed and efficiency of the loan verification process.
  • Reduced the need for paper-based verification, minimizing manual errors and fraud risks.
  • Supported financial inclusivity by providing detailed financial assessments for borrowers with limited credit history.

In recent years, AccountChek was acquired by Stewart Information Services Corporation, which plans to integrate its capabilities with Informative Research to further enhance the digital verification process in the lending industry.[1]

Impact and Contributions

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FormFree's innovations, such as AccountChek and FFX, have revolutionized the mortgage industry by enabling faster, more secure digital verification of financial data. These technologies have supported financial inclusivity by allowing a broader spectrum of borrowers to prove their creditworthiness.

Notable Achievements

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Pioneer Status

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FormFree is recognized as a pioneer in the digital mortgage space for introducing direct-source data analysis into lending decisions.

Industry Partnerships & Recognitions

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FormFree has formed strategic partnerships with major loan origination systems and lenders, significantly broadening its market influence and adoption. The company has been regularly featured in industry publications and has received multiple awards for its technology innovations.

Impact on Industry Standards

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FormFree's technology has been influential in shaping industry standards for borrower analysis and risk assessment. The company's solutions are integrated into the systems of major government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, under their automated underwriting systems.[2]

Patents and Intellectual Property

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FormFree holds several patents that cover the methods and systems for electronic verification of financial information, ensuring a competitive edge in fintech innovations.

Recognition

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The company has been consistently recognized in the HW Tech100 for its significant innovations in the housing and mortgage technology sectors.

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Category:Financial technology companies Category:Companies based in Athens, Georgia Category:American companies established in 2008

References

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  1. ^ Mendoza, Candyd (2023-03-03). "Stewart buys AccountChek from FormFree". Mortgage Professional America (MPA). Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  2. ^ Lane, Ben (2016-10-26). "FormFree Chosen to Provide Asset Verification for Fannie Mae". HousingWire. Retrieved 2024-07-16.