In response to the creation of the Hope for Homeowners troubled borrower refinancing program via the FHA, Cranbury, N.J.-based Visionet Systems said last week it had rolled out an updated version of its VisiRetention platform to facilitate bulk refinancing efforts under the HUD program. “The key to success (for H4H) involves proactively and quickly targeting troubled homeowners that qualify for the program to reduce further damage to their (lenders and investors’) portfolio and ensure home retention,” said Visionet in a press release. The platform was first made available during the refi-boom of 2005, to help lenders identify refinancing-eligible candidates quickly; like many tech platforms, it’s now seeing new life as an FHA-specific tool. Now, if only it could help mid-tier lenders find a buyer for the loans. (www.visionnetsystems.com) Moody’s Analytics rolls out consumer loan stress-testing service: Moody’s Analytics, a subsidiary of Moody’s Corp. (MCO), announced last week the launch of CreditCycle, a new service for forecasting and stress testing the performance of consumer loan portfolios. The service, according to a press statement, is the only one of its kind that integrates internal, lender-specific performance factors with regional economic performance data and forecasts. The service uses regularly updated global, national, and regional economic data and forecasts from Moody’s Economy.com, the company said. Portfolio performance forecasts under alternative economic scenarios can be used to facilitate compliance with risk management and regulatory requirements such as Basel II, as well. “By harnessing and integrating our macroeconimc analytics and forecasting, Moody’s CreditCycle can identify emerging risks before defaults start to spike,” said Tony Hughes, managing director of consumer credit analytics for Moody’s Economy.com. Which could be a good thing, given that defaults seem to be spiking pretty much everywhere at the moment. (www.moodys.com) Ellie Mae gets patent for data transmission: Pleasanton, CA-based Ellie Mae announced last week that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the company a patent for the secure exchange of data between mortgage originators and their lender and settlement service partners, via the firm’s ePASS technology. The ePass platform allows loan originators to transmit fully compatible mortgage information via the internet to the necessary parties, directly from the originators’ loan origination software, the company said. “We have developed many technical innovations to advance a paperless mortgage transaction, and the issuance of this patent reflects this effort,” said Limin Hu, Ellie Mae’s chief technology officer. Hu said the company would “explore the best ways to realize the value of this patent” in coming months — and while the company did not elaborate further, such statements are generally used by firms to signal pending litigation infringement claims against competitors. (www.elliemae.com)