Breaking Down Silos: How AllSouth FCU Streamlined Mortgages with Integration

The Hidden Cost of Inefficiency in Mortgage Workflows

Imagine your credit union’s lending team entering the same borrower information into multiple systems, double-checking data across different platforms, and correcting typos that slip in along the way. This isn’t just tedious – it’s costly. In fact, loan officers can spend up to 40% of their time on manual data entry and related tasks. These manual, siloed workflows create delays, introduce errors, and sap resources that could be better spent serving members. For credit unions, the hidden costs of poor integration stack up in many forms: compliance risks from data inaccuracies, duplicated effort, slower service, and frustrated staffs. The need for seamless integration and automation in mortgage processing has never been clearer.

Meet AllSouth Federal Credit Union

AllSouth Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, serves a large community of members with a focus on mortgage lending. With approximately 118,000 members and $1.42 billion in assets (across 23 branch locations), AllSouth FCU is a thriving institution that prides itself on member service and efficiency. Like many credit unions its size, AllSouth faces the challenge of managing complex financial operations while delivering a smooth experience to members. Mortgage lending is a core service – and also one where operational inefficiencies can directly impact member satisfaction. AllSouth’s leadership recognized that to uphold its service standards, it needed to tackle a key pain point in the mortgage department: disconnected systems.

The Challenge: Disconnected Systems & Manual Data Entry

AllSouth’s mortgage process was hindered by a classic integration problem. The credit union relied on Fiserv DNA as its core banking system and Mortgage Cadence Loan Fulfillment Center (LFC) as its loan origination system (LOS). Unfortunately, these two critical platforms weren’t natively connected. Every new mortgage application or update required duplicate manual data entry – information had to be keyed into Fiserv’s core and then again into Mortgage Cadence, or vice versa. This “swivel-chair” workflow led to significant inefficiencies. Employees spent extra hours retyping data, which slowed down operations and introduced opportunities for human error. Even a small typo could cause inconsistencies between systems, potentially delaying loan processing or causing compliance checks to flag errors. The siloed systems also meant there were timing delays; data in one system might not reflect in the other until someone manually updated it, hindering real-time visibility. For AllSouth, it became clear that streamlining this back-office process was crucial to improving member service efficiency. They needed a way to bridge the gap between the core and LOS – automating the data exchange so that staff could focus on members, not paperwork.

The Solution: Seamless Integration with MortgageExchange

AllSouth FCU turned to MortgageExchange – a middleware integration solution from Mortgage Workspace – to break down its system silos. MortgageExchange is a secure, cloud-based platform that connects disparate systems and automates data transfer. Using MortgageExchange, the credit union implemented a direct integration between Fiserv DNA and Mortgage Cadence LFC. In practice, this means that data entered in one system automatically populates in the other, without any manual intervention. MortgageExchange established a rules-based data link between the core and LOS, effectively creating one source of truth for mortgage information across both platforms.

This integration was more than a simple data pipe – it was an intelligent workflow. MortgageExchange’s connectors and rules ensured that data passed between Fiserv and Mortgage Cadence accurately and in real time, enforcing data validation and business rules along the way. Importantly, the solution runs in the cloud, which reduces the need for on-site servers or custom code on AllSouth’s premises. AllSouth’s IT team didn’t have to build a custom interface from scratch or maintain separate databases; MortgageExchange handles the heavy lifting, encrypting sensitive data in transit and at rest to keep information secure. By entrusting the integration to a cloud-based managed service, AllSouth also gained a solution that is scalable (capable of handling growth in volume) and continuously monitored by experts. In short, MortgageExchange provided the missing link that allowed Fiserv DNA and Mortgage Cadence LFC to talk to each other effortlessly.

Outcomes: Efficiency Unleashed at AllSouth

After deploying the MortgageExchange integration, AllSouth FCU’s mortgage operations experienced a dramatic improvement. The data exchange between the core and LOS is now automatic and instantaneous, eliminating the lag that staff and members used to endure. Here are some of the most impactful outcomes AllSouth achieved:

• No More Duplicate Data Entry: The integration eliminated dual entries in Fiserv and Mortgage Cadence – staff no longer have to key in the same information twice. This not only saves time but also makes employees’ jobs less monotonous.

• Fewer Errors and Greater Accuracy: With information flowing directly between systems, the risk of human error dropped significantly. There’s less chance of typos or missed updates, leading to more accurate loan records across the board.

• Time and Cost Savings: Automating the workflow led to significant time savings and operational cost reduction for the credit union. Tasks that once took hours of manual effort are now handled in seconds by the integration. These efficiency gains translate into tangible cost savings – every minute saved in processing is a minute that can be used elsewhere, and fewer errors means less cost fixing mistakes.

• Staff Focused on Members, Not Paperwork: Perhaps the biggest benefit is qualitative – employees can now reallocate their time to serving members and growing the business instead of doing clerical data entry. Freed from wrestling with system silo issues, loan officers and processors can focus on guiding members through the mortgage process, answering questions, and providing personalized service. This improves the overall member experience and satisfaction.

• Secure, Scalable Automation: All these improvements were achieved with a secure, cloud-based automation solution. MortgageExchange acts as an ETL (export, transfer, load) middleware that doesn’t store data itself, ensuring data remains secure during transfers. The platform is built on scalable cloud infrastructure, so it can easily handle AllSouth’s growing data volumes and adapt to future needs. And since it’s a managed solution, updates and maintenance are handled by experts, meaning AllSouth’s team can stay focused on credit union business rather than IT upkeep.

AllSouth FCU’s turnaround was evident: what used to be a cumbersome, error-prone mortgage workflow became an effortless, real-time data exchange process. In the words of the case study, the project “greatly reduced the risk of errors” and yielded “significant time and cost savings,” allowing staff to devote more energy to members and business growth instead of data entry. Essentially, integration with MortgageExchange enabled AllSouth to do more with the resources they had – a win for both the credit union and its members.

Looking Ahead: Integration as a Catalyst for Digital Transformation

AllSouth Federal Credit Union’s success story is a microcosm of a broader trend in the credit union and banking industry. As member expectations climb and competition stiffens, digital transformation is no longer a buzzword – it’s a necessity. A key lesson from AllSouth’s journey is that integration is a catalyst for this transformation. By connecting core banking systems with lending platforms, credit unions can unlock new levels of efficiency and accuracy in their operations. Seamless systems mean front-line staff can trust the data they see, compliance teams get complete and consistent information, and members enjoy faster, smoother service.

The experience at AllSouth FCU highlights that investing in robust integration isn’t just about IT plumbing – it’s about enabling your people to work smarter and deliver better service. When mortgage platforms, core systems, and other applications share data freely, everyone benefits: errors drop, speed increases, and employees can channel their energy into value-added activities. Moreover, a secure integration platform ensures that these gains don’t come at the expense of data security or compliance – in fact, they enhance both by removing manual touchpoints that often cause mistakes.

For credit union leaders evaluating their next strategic move, AllSouth’s story poses an exciting consideration: How many inefficiencies lurk in your organization’s disconnected systems, and what would it mean to eliminate them? By embracing solutions like MortgageExchange and prioritizing interoperability, credit unions can turn operational pain points into opportunities for improvement. In an era where member experience is paramount, integrated systems give credit unions a competitive edge, enabling them to be agile, member-focused, and ready for growth. AllSouth FCU’s integration triumph is proof that with the right technology partnerships, even longstanding workflow headaches can be transformed into streamlined, scalable processes – paving the way for a more efficient and innovative future in credit union lending.