Saturday, April 30, 2011

Called for Referral Part 2

Part 2 of the 10 questions answered about ELT by one of our customers:

3. In retrospect, if given the chance to decide to enter the program anew would the same decision be made?
We would definitely make the same decision to enter into the Electronic Lien Program if given a second chance and highly recommend it to others.

4. Were you the person who championed the program's initiation or was it someone else?
Others in the Credit Union championed for the programs initiation and we officially went live with it 2 months after I started working for the Credit Union.

5. Do you feel the program promotes the credit union philosophy or does it have tones that may be counter to the CU philosophy?
The Electronic Lien Program promotes the Credit Union philosophy in all aspects. It allows our people to help the members in a timely manner. We make no profit off the fees required to use the program but at the same time have little to no expense for using the program as we pass the e-title fees along to the members and then send it directly to the service provider.

6.Have you changed your mind about that over time?
We have not changed our mind over time and encourage others to join the program.

All questions and responses reproduced as received from our customer. Also see Part 1 and Part 3.

Image above is 10 months.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Called for Referral Part 1

One of our customers (they are the BEST!) wrote us the following:

Thought you guys would like to see the questions that one of the Credit Unions asked us when they called for a referral about DDI. I answered them and saved them in word format so that this may be a reference tool you could use.

Here are the first of the 10 questions and how she answered them:

1. What has the program done to bring value to the staff and members?
The Electronic Lien Program has brought value to our staff by reducing the amount of time required to complete the paperwork needed to establish a lien. Corrections can be made much quicker and lien perfection time has been cut from 4-6 weeks to 2-3 days upon the DMV receiving the paperwork. We were able to eliminate a position and combine two jobs into one, thus saving the Credit Union money. Less time is needed for filing and there is less opportunity for errors to be made. The Electronic Lien Program has brought value to our members by enabling them to receive a clear title upon the completion of their loan and in the event that they lose the title they are no longer in need of contacting us to receive a lien release. A member therefore saves time and is able to go directly to the DMV to obtain another title. Everyone has also benefited from the ability to prevent fraud on liens. We saved over $300,000 thousand dollars because of the programs ability to help us locate titles and add our liens before one of the local dealers in the area was able to continue the fraudulent activity on our titles.

2. Given your length of time participating what has the trend in value been?
The trend in value over the past 3 years has increased and the Electronic Lien Program is one that our Credit Union cannot do without.

See Part 2 and Part 3.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Pennsylvania ELT Updates

I've just updated our PAElt.com site, refreshing the wording on the first page and adding some additional Frequently Asked Questions. A few examples:

Who is required to participate?
From the PA ELT Fact Sheet:
All Lienholders in the business of financing vehicles are required to participate in the ELT Program and must be under contract with a PennDOT-approved ELT service provider.
How do I sign up for the ELT program?
You need to complete a form MV-37 "Application for Enrollment/Change in Electronic Lien and Title System". PennDOT does not require a contract or agreement (as most other ELT states do). They do however require that you work with a "Service Provider" from the list of those on the form. DDI is a service provider for Pennsylvania. Use the link [here] to get a copy of our application and an MV-37. PA estimates 2 weeks from receipt to issuing an ELT account number (FIN number) but our experience has been that they issue an account number within a few days. A start date should be requested on the MV-37.
How do I switch service providers?
In Pennsylvania, the same form (MV-37) is used to switch providers as to sign up initially. Just indicate on the form a change of providers rather than initial enrollment. Pre-filled forms are available at eTitleLien.com.

Image above is Hot Wheels by Morning Toast.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Texas Considering Mandatory ELT

Legislation has been introduced into the Texas Legislature that would allow the DMV to mandate participation in the Texas ELT (Electronic Liens and Titles) program. It unanimously passed committee and its next step is a vote by the Texas House of Representatives. From the Committee Report:
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) has developed an electronic system for perfecting, assigning, discharging, and canceling security interests in motor vehicle titles. Participation by a lienholder in the system is voluntary. Interested parties report that the electronic lien system is running well and uses a competitive mix of vendors that lienholders use as electronic intermediaries with the system. However, it is also noted that only a fraction of the total transactions that could be performed each year are executed through the system. C.S.H.B. 2575 seeks to reduce costs and improve the titling process by authorizing TxDMV to require participation by a lienholder in the electronic lien system.
Texas implemented their ELT program in 2009.

Image above promotes electronic books offered by the Texas Ranger Research Center.

Hawaii Electronic Liens and Titles

Hawaii is unique among US states (and territories) by not having a state-wide Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Each county handles their own DMV responsibilities, including titling vehicles and recording liens. Honolulu County has by far the largest population and number of vehicles AND its own Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) program.

DDI continues to accept applications for participation in Honolulu's Electronic Lien and Title program. Honolulu does require that lienholders already have liens on record. To sign up, please visit eTitleLien.com to complete the application form. There is no sign up or participation fee.

Image above is from an op-ed with a curiously appropriate title: "Hawaii should play larger role in title race".

Saturday, April 16, 2011

We're in the GBA e-Bulletin again

The Georgia Banker's Association is again highlighting our ELT services as one of their strategic partners in the April 2011 e-Bulletin. They note:

ELT benefits banks in the following five ways:
  1. Save Time and Money – You can expect a 50% savings in your loan operations processing – no more opening, scanning, or filing paper titles. When it’s time to release a lien, just click on the release button on the electronic title and the Georgia DOR mails a clear title to the owner of the vehicle or to the recipient you specify. You save on mailing costs and file storage costs.
  2. Reduce Fraud – Premier eTitleLien™ has a built-in "Lien Alert" system and other safeguards so lenders and consumers benefit from the reduction in fraud inherent in any paper-based process.
  3. New! Verify Liens with Georgia DOR – With the latest release of Premier eTitleLien™, you get real-time access to the Georgia DOR’s titling system to check on the status of any VIN – whether titled by paper or electronically – to verify your lien status.
  4. Enhance Security – With electronic titling, your titles are maintained electronically, so titles can’t be lost, misfiled, stolen, or destroyed in the event of a disaster.
  5. Go Green – Electronic titling is ecologically friendly. Titles are held electronically, instead of in filing cabinets, eliminating the use of paper and associated waste.

Click here for the full e-Bulletin.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Idaho ELT Certification

On March 29, 2011 Decision Dynamics, Inc. (DDI) successfully completed the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) ELT certification process, and lienholders enrolled in the Idaho ELT program can now receive title information electronically in DDI’s Premier eTitleLien™ system.

DDI President and CEO, Glenn Thames says,

Lenders nationwide are selecting DDI’s Premier eTitleLien™ for their ELT services because it offers a low-cost, user-friendly solution with no start-up fees, no monthly minimums, and no long-term contracts.
Premier eTitleLien™ also offers training and support at no cost, with 24 hour system availability.

The full press release is posted to our main site eTitleLien.com.

Image above is a beautiful drawing of the Syringa flower (Idaho's state flower) from the Syringa Winery in Idaho.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

ELT in Iowa in 2011

We pay close attention to states considering or working on an ELT program. Earlier this year Iowa released an excellent study for the Iowa Legislature of "how to implement a uniform statewide system to allow for electronic transactions for the registration and titling of motor vehicles." The study considers costs and benefits to Iowa DOT, Counties, Dealers, and Consumers. It also incorporates some feedback from other states including especially Kansas, Wisconsin, and Florida.

We published excerpts from the study on our site AllAboutTitles.com. AllAboutTitles.com is our go-to spot providing information to states about ELT programs. It incorporates best-practices, legislation, and other data (like which states are "title holding" states - the owner retains the title even when there is a lien on the vehicle).

We are looking forward to working with Iowa as they implement their ELT program. Estimates are that the program should go into affect this year (2011) perhaps as early as July.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Fond Farewells

Once in a while we have customers say goodbye. Fortunately we have not lost a customer due to a poor job we've done. Recently, one of our customers (a bank) was acquired by another bank with a different ELT provider. We worked closely with our customer and the competitor to make sure the transition went smoothly, as we always do. Two folks from the bank sent us some very nice notes:

Ann
I wanted to take this time to tell you what a pleasure it’s been to work with you and your team there at DDI. You have always been so helpful in everything we needed.
I hope you have a great summer and I wish you and the company much success in the future.

Thanks so much.
And:

Our customers are great!

Image above is Adios by Philbert.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Where we are now

We often get asked (naturally) “Which states offer ELT?” and “Do you handle titles for <your state here>?”  The short answer is: Yes.

The longer answer requires a detailed look at each state and what is offered.  Today there are 19 states with an ELT program: AZ, CA, FL, GA, ID, HI, KS, LA, MA, NE, NY, OH, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA, and WI. What is offered through ELT by each state varies considerably. DDI works to smooth out the differences in each program while taking best advantage of any features offered.

For states without an ELT program, we offer services that mimic ELT features.  This allows our customers to have a single application for tracking liens and titles. Around the office we refer to our total offering ax a 52-state solution (including DC and PR).

Anywhere in the US you need to track titles, we’re there.

Edit: original post left off Idaho and Louisiana. Unbelievable!

Image is the Simplified U.S. Map by Patrick Mahoney.