Why, in an era of digital banking, are mortgage teams still re-keying data between systems? Picture a busy loan officer toggling between a core banking platform and a loan origination system, manually copying member information from one to the other. It’s tedious, error-prone, and frankly outdated. Yet this was daily life for many staff members at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union – until they decided to put an end to it. The story of how Affinity Plus tackled this challenge offers a blueprint for any credit union leader tired of duplicate data entry and operational bottlenecks.
Affinity Plus FCU is a member-focused credit union headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving roughly 240,000 members with nearly $4 billion in assets across 30 branches. As one of Minnesota’s largest credit unions, Affinity Plus has built a reputation for community-centered service and a forward-looking approach. But even a progressive institution of this size wasn’t immune to back-office friction. Behind the scenes, their mortgage operation was grappling with disconnected systems that didn’t play nicely together – a pain point all too familiar in the industry.
Like many credit unions, Affinity Plus relied on two mission-critical systems that didn’t natively integrate: Jack Henry’s Symitar Episys core banking system and the ICE Encompass mortgage loan origination system (LOS). The problem? These platforms were essentially speaking different languages, with no automatic data exchange. Every time a member applied for a mortgage or a loan moved through the pipeline, staff had to manually re-enter data from one system into the other. This redundant process was not only slow – consuming valuable staff hours – but also introduced opportunities for human error and inconsistencies in member information. Keying the same borrower details multiple times increased the risk of typos or mismatches, which could lead to compliance headaches or frustrating corrections down the line. The operational friction was clear: disconnected systems were dragging down efficiency. The team knew there had to be a better way than cutting-and-pasting their way through the workday.
Affinity Plus found its answer in a cloud-based integration solution called MortgageExchange®. Offered by Mortgage Workspace (a division of Access Business Technologies), the MortgageExchange platform is designed to bridge disparate financial systems and automate the flow of data between them. Instead of building a costly custom interface from scratch, the credit union opted for this ready-made solution to connect Symitar and Encompass. MortgageExchange was deployed to effectively link the Symitar core with ICE Encompass, enabling automated, real-time synchronization between the two systems. In practice, this meant that whenever a change or new entry was made in one platform, the data would flow seamlessly to the other – no manual rekeying required. The integration was rules-based and configured to follow Affinity Plus’s specific workflow, ensuring that only the necessary information transfers at the right time (in line with business rules and regulatory requirements). Because MortgageExchange is a cloud-managed service, it relieved the credit union’s IT burden – ABT handles the heavy lifting, monitoring updates and ensuring uninterrupted data flow. In short, MortgageExchange integration created a real-time digital handshake between Symitar and Encompass, and the results were immediate.
With the Symitar–Encompass integration in place, Affinity Plus reaped several important benefits. These outcomes resonate not just for one credit union, but as common goals for any institution looking to streamline mortgage operations:
Since implementing the MortgageExchange integration, Affinity Plus has transformed a once cumbersome process into a streamlined workflow. The credit union eliminated redundant work that was weighing down its mortgage department and removed the risk of errors caused by manual input. They’re now operating “with newfound agility,” with data flowing effortlessly between systems and no one playing middleman. The solution saved countless hours of staff time and improved the accuracy of member data, ultimately enhancing their ability to serve members better. Employees now spend more time building relationships instead of cross-checking fields – translating into smoother, faster mortgage experiences. Less internal friction = more external satisfaction.
The impact goes beyond efficiency metrics – it’s also about reduced risk. With a single source of truth for mortgage data, there’s far less chance of inconsistencies. Compliance reporting is easier when systems are in sync, and staff trust what they see in both platforms. For Affinity Plus, this integration has de-risked a key part of operations while cutting weeks off processing times and boosting morale (no one misses the drudgery of data re-entry).
Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union’s journey is not just a one-off success story – it’s part of the digital transformation sweeping through credit unions nationwide. Even highly regarded, tech-savvy institutions can have blind spots where legacy processes linger. By addressing their mortgage systems gap, Affinity Plus positioned itself to be more responsive and member-centric than ever. Other credit unions are taking note: siloed systems and manual workarounds are widespread, but solutions like MortgageExchange prove it doesn’t have to be this way.
For credit union leaders considering integrations, the takeaway is clear: connecting your core with your LOS isn’t just an IT project, it’s a strategic imperative. It frees your people to do the work technology can’t – building relationships, advising members, and innovating services. It also prepares your institution for the future with clean data and agile processes. In a competitive landscape, the ability to move faster and serve better is a real differentiator. Affinity Plus shows that eliminating “double-entry” isn’t a dream – it’s achievable with the right tools.
As credit unions continue their digital journeys, those still bogged down by manual processes may find inspiration – and a playbook – in what Affinity Plus accomplished. The message is simple: integrate to innovate. By tearing down walls between systems, credit unions can unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and member satisfaction – writing the next chapter of growth with less toil and more trust.