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Fair Isaac’s mortgage banking division was established in 2004, when the company acquired London Bridge Software Holdings PLC. |
In a statement, Fair Isaac Chief Executive Officer Mark Greene said Fair Isaac had determined that “certain aspects” of the company’s mortgage industry business no longer fit Fair Isaac’s long-term strategy, but that the company will continue to offer FICO scores, custom analytics, marketing services and other decision... |
As Fair Isaac gets out of the mortgage software business, IBM announced the creation of LBPS Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary that will offer a range of automated lending services, including loan application, underwriting, processing, vendor management, document preparation and closing. |
LBPS will help lenders tailor loans to their customers’ individual needs, ensure loans are correctly priced, include only the appropriate fees, and generate all required documents and fund loans in a timely manner, the company said. |
IBM said Charlotte, N.C.-based LBPS will provide services not only to top-tier lenders, but that a “variable cost” framework will allow small and mid-size companies to take advantage of the company’s technology and services. |
Those include standards-based platforms such as FileNet, Palisades Technology Partner’s Impact Loan Origination suite, and automated and digitized processes that allow parties to the transaction to act in real time. Digitization of key data will allow for greater underwriting vigilance and higher quality, helping loans... |
“By integrating fulfillment and imaging technologies, proven processes and highly experienced lending professionals, we will deliver the automation and digitization necessary to help achieve the loan fulfillment efficiencies and service required for success,” Af Assur, general manager, IBM Mortgage Origination, said in... |
I was going to title this column "End of year analytics chores" but then I figured no one would read it: Who likes chores? And since it’s really about getting better next year, and that’s more fun and exciting than a chore, I changed it. So here goes. |
It’s the end of the year. The bean counters are counting the beans. Time to count some numbers in your Web analytics as well. If you’ve been tracking visitor behavior on your Web site this year, I’ll suggest a few simple calculations you can do to help you improve next year. If you haven’t been tracking visitor behavio... |
New bus lanes along a main road in St Leonards have created near misses among traffic, according to residents. |
The county council has installed several bus lanes along Bexhill Road, with two directly opposite each other. |
Cllr Matthew Beaver reiterated his opposition to the Bexhill Road bus lanes. He said: “Nothing I have seen so far, including the placement of the new bus stops has changed my opinion that these lanes are a waste of money and that the money could have been better spent elsewhere including the addition of real-time passe... |
An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “It was a conscious decision to locate the two new bus stops near to Bexleigh Avenue opposite one another, as it is the bus companies’ preference to have them situated in pairs, and there were various site constraints which determined their exact locations. However, the wes... |
“The new configuration still includes one lane of general traffic in each direction, just as before, and the fact buses will now be using the new, additional bus lane means they will cause less of a hold-up to traffic than was previously the case. |
Neighborhood Watch is a grass-roots program made up of volunteers who agree to be a block captain or join the program. Block captains receive messages from their local police department concerning crimes that occur within the block captain's neighborhood, such as burglaries, robberies, auto thefts, special meetings, et... |
Scott is the James H. Clark Professor of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. He is the Founding Chairman of the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford, the Director of the National Center for Simulation in Rehabilitation Research (NCSRR), and Director of the Mobilize Center, a NIH National Center f... |
I can’t wait for 2015. I’m going on Obamacare. I’m participating in a grand social experiment, so I feel — perversely, perhaps — somewhat privileged. It’s an opportunity that may never return, as the Supreme Court reviews the challenge to the Affordable Care Act. |
Working as an independent contractor, I’m responsible for coverage for myself, my wife and my 10-year-old daughter. |
The copays and coinsurance started creeping in and up they went. Like everyone else, I was resigned to rising costs as the individual market didn’t offer an alternative, at least not after our daughter was born in 2004. |
We entered the individual market in 2013 and again in 2014. |
On Oct. 27, our carrier Aetna said it would raise our monthly premium to $763.18 for medical coverage only, from $402 a month we paid in 2014 for medical and dental. So we decided it was time to go shopping. |
Through circumstances involving fluctuations in my wife’s income, we happen to qualify in 2015 for subsidized coverage as we can declare income below the $79,160 annual income threshold for a family of three. |
I created an account on Healthcare.gov and followed the instructions. Within moments, I received a PDF document indicating we would be eligible for $283 a month, or $3,396 annually, in subsidies from the government. |
Good news (I hoped). Healthcare.gov, here we come! |
Last year, out of curiosity, I remember going to the website to see how it worked. Like millions of other consumers, the site was down and I was instructed to try again later. My foray into Healthcare.gov ended right then and there. |
We didn’t qualify for subsidies anyway, so there was no reason to pursue coverage. |
This year, though, our circumstances changed. |
My wife’s small business had recently downsized and there were only two or three employees left. The business was in transition, and my wife started a new category for her small company. After working for more than 20 years in an office, she began working from home two years ago. Our garage is her office. |
Her 401(k) plan was terminated last year, and her employer ceased offering health coverage before that. |
We were legitimate candidates to apply for coverage under Obamacare. We did, and we were accepted. |
Thanks to a complete revamp of Healthcare.gov following last year’s fiasco, the website is far more user-friendly and robust. |
I’ve gone on the site multiple times in the past two months. I wanted to get acclimated to the site before selecting a plan, knowing how tedious Internet shopping can be if you need to edit or change selections after the final mouse click. |
During the last 10 days of November, I perused the site at random, switching back and forth between one health care plan and another, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, and then calling into the help line with specific questions. |
Can I pay the premium out of my health savings account (HSA)? Does “dental child” mean that my daughter is covered for dental under the health plan? Is the tax credit automatically applied so that the monthly premium shown on the plan is what is withdrawn from my checking account? |
I clicked around to my heart’s content, rifling back and forth through dozens of webpages open in multiple browser tabs. |
The format took a bit of getting used to, but every time I went to the site, the pages loaded quickly and consistently and help was available 24 hours a day, as advertised. |
After the torrent of criticism leveled at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year, the government hired Google talent and a Healthcare.gov point man. The result is a spot-on retail Internet shopping experience. |
The redesign presents information clearly and sticks to the information most relevant to a consumer-based decision: Premiums and deductibles, starting and ending dates, number of covered lives, and a comparison tool. |
As anyone with experience in a Web design and retail purchasing knows, it isn't easy to present information and take consumers from browse to close. Healthcare.gov’s elegant, simple design delivers a case study in Internet-based insurance purchasing. |
Details that outline copayments and coinsurance are available through a one-click function or through a PDF download. |
In Pennsylvania, where I live, I had a choice of 40 health plans from four carriers: Aetna, Independence Blue Cross, Assurant Health and UnitedHealthcare. Premiums, without the tax credit, varied from $680 a month for plans with deductibles as high as $9,800 to $1,790 a month for plans with no out-of-pocket deductibles... |
On the dental side, we had a choice of 26 plans from seven carriers. Premiums ranged from $56 to $105 a month. |
We eventually settled on an HSA plan from UnitedHealthcare with a $3,200 deductible for $802.40 a month and a dental plan for $49.02 a month. The tax credit will be applied to the medical portion of our health care expenses, so we’ll be paying monthly premiums of $519.40 for medical coverage and $49.02 for dental cover... |
In the early morning hours of Dec. 14, a day before the deadline to choose a plan for the coverage period starting Jan. 1, I called the Healthcare.gov customer service line to make sure my selections had gone through. After remaining on hold for more than an hour, I hung up. |
I called again a day later and after 30 minutes one of the health care “navigators” answered and helped me to make sure I was covered. As it turned out, I’d left out my daughter from the coverage. The health care navigator canceled my previous registration and reregistered us for family medical coverage beginning Jan. ... |
Three days later, I called again after I realized that my original dental selection was a health maintenance organization, not the preferred provider organization plan that our dentists accept. A navigator answered within five minutes and re-enrolled me into a new Delta Dental PPO plan. |
Because I signed up for dental after the Dec. 15 deadline, my dental coverage won't begin until Feb. 1. No big deal, unless one of us has a serious dental issue, which we don’t expect. I intend to let my HMO dental coverage lapse by not paying the $38.98 monthly premium. |
There was one unpleasant surprise. This week, I received a bill from the dental carrier for $131.30 for two months of coverage: February and March. At $131.30, the monthly premium amounts to $65.65, higher than the advertised premium on Healthcare.gov of $49.02. |
At worst, this smacks of bait and switch. |
As I was on the phone with the navigator, the site still showed a dental premium for a family of three under that plan at $49.02. |
My family medical and dental premiums have more than doubled: from $402 for medical and dental under Aetna to $868.05 for medical under UnitedHealthcare and for dental under Delta Dental. |
With the subsidy, the total out-of-pocket health and dental expense comes to $585.05. The medical plan comes with a $3,200 deductible. |
That’s still a premium increase of 45.5 percent from the $402 a month for medical and dental coverage in a plan with a $10,000 medical deductible. |
At $585.05 a month, we’re out of pocket $183.05 more than we were last year, but with better coverage and less exposure. |
In 2015, we’ll be paying more, but for more comprehensive coverage. The subsidy helps, no doubt. |
The higher price just means cutting back elsewhere. As a result, part of our budget that would have gone to dining out or entertainment will go toward medical coverage. |
What the market needs now isn’t more plans — 40 medical plans and 26 dental plans are more than enough. What the market needs are more carriers. As more carriers enter the market, the increased pressure there will be to keep a lid on price hikes. |
As for how the Supreme Court decides, well that’s another story for another day. |
Technology is a key partner in the ongoing mission to improve officer safety. When you combine tech with proven policing tactics, you have a force multiplier that enhances safety for both officers and the citizens they serve. |
Nowhere is this more necessary than during a pursuit, which is a high-risk event for both police and the public. While a dynamic pursuit is in progress, conditions change constantly and decisions have to be made in an instant. |
From driver simulation training that prepares cops ahead of time for the challenges of high-speed driving, to GPS tracking technology that enables officers to safely end a pursuit while still tracking a suspect, police leaders nationwide have a responsibility to incorporate tech into their police pursuit training and p... |
Here is a laundry list of considerations and options to get you thinking in advance of your next pursuit about the decisions that will enable you to be a clear-thinking officer before, during and after the pursuit, as well as the technology that can assist in that decision-making. |
Possessing an absolute working knowledge of whether or not you are allowed by policy to pursue and if so under what conditions you must terminate. |
Training extensively in essential pursuit skills taught in emergency vehicle operations, pursuit management, technology deployment classes and driver simulation training. |
Wearing your body armor and utilizing your seat belt at all times. |
Obtaining – as often as possible – the plate number, and a description of the vehicle and its occupants prior to activating your lights. |
Paying attention to where the driver came from so that if necessary, you can later check the security cameras and witnesses to help determine who was driving the vehicle. |
Remember, there is one law no one can break and get away with; that is the law of physics. |
Don’t over drive your skills. |
Show that you do care about going home at the end of your shift by driving with “due care.” Hopefully you have trained in the application of these skills before the incident. |
Remember, your actions are the only element of the pursuit you are truly able to control. |
When your policy dictates or your commander orders it, you must terminate. Notify dispatch you are terminating the pursuit as you slow down. Shut your siren down when you reach a safe speed, then shut your overhead lights off. Pull over temporarily, and then you may resume patrol at the speed limit in the direction of ... |
Utilize available GPS technologies such as StarChase, which allows an officer to “tag” a fleeing vehicle and track a vehicle via GPS even after the pursuit is terminated or OnStar, which can track and slow vehicles to an idle speed. |
When you catch yourself shouting into the mic, perform autogenic breathing, while deliberately keeping yourself focused and calm. Breathe in through the nose slowly, hold and then out through the mouth slowly pushing the breath out with the muscles in your abdomen and repeat. Consciously make certain your transmissions... |
Break up the natural occurrence of tunnel vision by deliberately scanning for hazards to the left and right, which is essential to do during a pursuit anyway. |
If the vehicle is a stolen vehicle known to be equipped with OnStar, you can request that the dispatcher contact OnStar to remotely slow the vehicle and then disable the engine, thus terminating the pursuit. |
Resist the impulse to bull rush. If you rush in, everyone will rush in. If you slow the action down, everyone will slow down. |
Transition to a high-risk stop. |
Treat the situation like any other armed and barricaded suspect. Contain the suspect and call out the people with the shields and the armored vehicle who have trained often for such a circumstance. |
Maintain your cover and continue to communicate in an effort to call him out. |
Keep his hands in view. |
Order him to slide out of the vehicle face down, palms on the ground until he is in a prone position. |
Make certain there are no weapons in their hands and within their reach. |
Effect a “car take-out” technique, which are compliance techniques coupled with joint manipulations to effectively remove resistive suspects from vehicle. Hopefully, you have trained in the application of these skills before the incident. |
Determine if the rolling vehicle is an imminent threat to other drivers. If so attend to the vehicle first. |
If the vehicle is not a threat, you may attend to the suspect first. |
Immediately and constantly assess the suspect’s hands and gait to determine if he might be holding something like a weapon in his hand or tucked in his belt. |
Watch the hands throughout the pursuit for the tossing of contraband, fruits of a crime or the act of acquiring a weapon. |
Approach every corner by “cutting the pie” as if he is laying an ambush. |
Throughout this pursuit, radio your circumstance, location and direction of travel. Consciously control your breath. |
If the suspect flees into a residence or building, remember these words. “Suspects do not run to where your friends and weapons are, they run to where their friends and weapons are.” Stop and set up a perimeter to hold him in place until you can orchestrate a legal arrest. |
Remember, the act of fleeing an officer is not a capital offense. You can’t use deadly force unless the fleeing suspect’s escape poses an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to the community at large. |
Determine the suspect’s direction of travel. |
Arrange through transmissions to cordon off the area. |
Call for a K-9, and standby to prevent the track from being disturbed. |
The passenger(s) often can identify the escaping driver. |
Passenger(s) may be accomplices in the driver’s crimes and be the proverbial bird(s) in the hand. |
There is often evidence of whatever crime the driver was involved, left in the vehicle. |
Immediately attempt to cordon the area. |
Realize criminals will often hide the moment they believe they have lost their pursuing officer. |
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