FinXTech’s Need to Know: Construction Lending

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Demand for housing hit a high unlike any other during the pandemic. While demand grew, the number of acquisition, development and construction (ADC) loans in bank portfolios grew parallel alongside it. Construction and development loans at community banks increased 21.2% between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s Quarterly Banking Profile.

As a subset of the commercial real estate (CRE) lending space, banks are accustomed to the timely process that construction lending requires. But are banks prepared for the influx of risk that can accompany this growth?

Mitigating construction risk is a bit like attempting to predict the future: Banks not only have to evaluate creditworthiness, but they also have to predict what the project will be worth upon completion. With another interest rate hike expected later this month, being able to accurately price projects is becoming more complicated — and more vital.

Here are three ways financial technology companies can help banks in their attempt to fund more ADC projects.

Software can automate the drawing process. Construction lending features the unique ability for builders to “draw” cash from their loan throughout the project. Spacing out the draw schedule protects banks from losing large amounts of money on projects that go cold, and also allows proper due diligence and inspection to be on rotation.

CoFi — formerly eDraw — specifically focuses on this process. Bank associates access all budgets, invoices, approvals and construction draw records in one web-based system. The bank’s borrowers and builders also can access the software through customer-facing accounts. A builder requests funds by uploading invoices, and CoFi then notifies the bank that their approval is required for the funds to be disbursed.

Once the bank approves the disbursement, the borrower is notified. Banks can also dispatch inspectors to the property using CoFi. After confirming that construction progress is in line with the draw requests, the inspector can upload their report directly into CoFi. With all of the proper approvals in place, the bank can release funds for the payment request. All actions and approvals are tracked in a detailed, electronic audit trail.

CoFi also has a construction loan marketplace banks can plug into.

Multiple parties and industries can collaborate in real time through web-based solutions Nashville-based Built Technologies operates as a construction administration portal, coordinating interactions and transactions between the bank, the borrower, the contractor, third-party inspectors and even title companies in one location. 

Legacy core banking technology wasn’t designed to completely support construction loans, which moved the tracking of these types of loans into spreadsheets. Built’s portal eliminates the need for these one-way spreadsheets. The moment a construction loan is closed, instead of a banker creating a spreadsheet with a specific draw budget, they can design one digitally in Built and reconcile it throughout the duration of the project.

Builders can even request draws from their loan through their phones, using Built’s mobile interface. 

Fintechs can better monitor portfolios, identify errors and alert banks of risk areas, compared to manual review only. ADC loans are fraught with intricate details, including valuations that fluctuate with the market — details that can’t always be caught with human eyes.

Rabbet uses machine learning and optical character recognition (OCR) when reviewing documents or information that is inputted to its platform, the Contextualized Construction Draw format (CCDF). It also continually monitors and flags high-risk situations or details for borrowers, including overdrawn budgets, liens or approvals. Any involved party — developer, builder or bank — can input budget line items into the platform. Rabbet then links relevant supporting documents or important metrics to that item, which is information that is typically difficult for lenders to track and verify.

Storing loan calculations and documents in one place can translate to faster confirmations for borrowers and easier reconciliation, reporting and auditing for the bank.

In July 2022, Built announced the release of its own contractor and project monitoring solution, Project Pro. The technology helps banks keep track of funds, identify risk areas such as missing liens or late payments, and stay on top of compliance requirements.

Banks with a heavy percentage of construction loans on their balance sheet need to keep notice of all elements attached to them, especially in a rapidly changing economic environment. Technology can alleviate some of that burden.

CoFi, Built Technologies and Rabbet are all vetted companies for FinXTech Connect, a curated directory of technology companies who strategically partner with financial institutions of all sizes. For more information about how to gain access to the directory, please email [email protected].

Six Reasons Banks Are Consenting to C-PACE Financing

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lending-8-13-19.pngBanks looking to stay abreast of emerging commercial real estate trends should consider an innovative way to fund certain energy improvements.

Developers increasingly seek non-traditional sources to finance construction projects, making it crucial that banks understand and embrace emerging trends in the commercial real estate space. Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing is one of the fastest-growing source of capital for new construction and historic rehabilitation developments throughout the country, and banks are jumping on board to consent to the use of this program.

C-PACE financing programs allow for private funders, like Twain Financial Partners, to provide long-term, fixed-rate financing for 100% of the cost of energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation components of real estate development projects. This financing often replaces more expensive pieces of the construction capital stack, like mezzanine debt or preferred equity. Currently, over 35 states have passed legislation enabling C-PACE; new programs are currently in development in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, among others.

C-PACE financing can typically fund up to 25% of the total construction budget, is repaid as a special assessment levied against the property and is collected in the same manner as property taxes. Like other special assessments, a lien for delinquent C-PACE assessments is on par with property taxes. Due to the lien priority, nearly all C-PACE programs require the consent of mortgage holders prior to a C-PACE assessment being levied against the property.

C-PACE industry groups report that over 200 national, regional and local mortgage lenders have consented to the use of this type of financing to date. While there are many reasons mortgage holders consent to C-PACE, below are the top six reasons banks should consider consenting:

C-PACE Financing Cannot be Accelerated. In the event of a default in the payment of an annual or semi-annual C-PACE assessment obligation, only the past due portion of the C-PACE financing is senior to a mortgage lender’s claim. For example, assume Twain Financial provided $1 million of C-PACE financing to a project, with a $100,000 annual assessment obligation due each year over a 20-year term. In the event of non-payment of the C-PACE assessment in year 1, Twain could not accelerate the entire $1 million of C-PACE. Rather, Twain’s lien against the property is limited to $100,000.

C-PACE Financing Does Not Restrict a Senior Lender’s Foreclosure Rights. Unlike other forms of mezzanine financing, C-PACE funders do not require an intercreditor agreement with a senior lender. Rather, the senior lender can foreclose on its mortgage interest in the property in the event of a default on the senior lender’s debt, in the same manner as if it was the sole lienholder on the property. The C-PACE lender does not have any right to prevent, restrict, or otherwise impact the senior lender’s foreclosure.

Senior Lenders May Escrow the C-PACE Assessment. In many cases, senior lenders will require a monthly escrow of the annual C-PACE assessment obligation, in the same manner as property tax and insurance escrow requirements. The C-PACE escrow serve to further mitigate risks associated with the failure to pay the C-PACE assessment when due.

C-PACE Funds Fully Available as of Date of Closing. C-PACE financing typically closes simultaneous with the senior lender. At the closing date, all C-PACE funds are deposited into an escrow account, to be withdrawn as eligible costs are incurred. Senior lenders have the reassurance of knowing the funds are available to be drawn as of the date of closing.

C-PACE Financing May Increase the Value of the Senior Lender’s Collateral. In most states, a threshold requirement for C-PACE financing is that an engineer establish the savings-to-investment ratio is greater than one. In other words, the savings achieved by the financed improvements over the term must outweigh the cost of the improvements. PACE projects directly reduce a building’s operating costs, increasing its net operating income and valuation.

Relationships matter. Nearly every C-PACE project involves a lender’s customer who wants or needs to complete a project. C-PACE funded projects make good business sense for the building owner and the building’s mortgage lender.

How Spreadsheets Add Risk to Construction Lending

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lending-4-11-19.pngMillennials are entering the housing market with a force, yet low inventory across the country is stalling their dreams of homeownership. Now is the time for lenders to either begin or ramp up their construction loan programs. These niche loan products are a great addition to any book of business, but to be successful you have to be able to manage and service the loan after it closes.

Post close actions have traditionally been done with spreadsheets. This method, while fairly understood, is actually limiting and prone to formula errors. Additionally, spreadsheets naturally reach a tipping point in a team’s ability to scale and share reportable data with management and others in the organization. This puts loan completion in jeopardy and creates more risk to the lender.

The Limits of Spreadsheets to Manage Construction Lending
Spreadsheets can only do what they are designed to do—no more and no less. As your program grows, you are bound to reach the point where a spreadsheet is no longer functionally efficient and becomes a risky way to manage your pipeline.

  • Limited Visibility Into the Life of the Loan: Each loan has many different data points and touches over time, and housing them in a spreadsheet is basically burying important and vital information every time the loan is touched. It’s nearly impossible to see history, anticipate the future—and most importantly, clearly see problems before they arise. Spreadsheets force a reactive instead of a proactive method, which means a lender who is using spreadsheets is always playing catch-up.
  • No Reporting: Can you open up the spreadsheet right now and easily and accurately report on the pipeline, draw reports or consultant reports? The answer is probably no. And what do you do when you need to produce 1098 or 1099 reports? How do spreadsheets support these requirements? Getting your 1098s or 1099s from spreadsheets is a tedious, manual process prone to error. If you have a good quantity of construction loans, this is a large undertaking, and is difficult to scale. As you consider spreadsheets, consider the additional work that those spreadsheets will cost you over time.
  • A Finite Number Of Loans One Person Can Manage: Spreadsheets require a lot of time to properly manage one loan, and we have found that dedicated and experienced construction loan administrators can typically manage 35 to 50 loans using spreadsheets at one time. Any more than this usually adds to poor customer service.
  • Drains In-house Resources: If your program is doing well and your origination volume is growing, team members are limited in scale before a new hire must be acquired to take on more loans. Throwing bodies at the problem is not the best solution.
  • Location, Location, Location: Spreadsheets, no matter if they are stored on the cloud or on desktops, are still accessed by individual devices. You are now limited to these single failure points. What are the implications of losing this data, or the individual that knows how it works?
  • No Tracking: A spreadsheet does not offer tracking, task automation, complaint management, event monitoring, risk analysis and draw validations to ensure that the loan is meeting all of its milestones and risk requirements. As a workaround, lenders turn to the sticky note to help them keep track of important dates and actions. We all know the ineffective nature of this system, especially as key factors such as deadlines for draws, inspections, liens or permit expirations often get lost in the sticky note shuffle.
  • No Compliance Monitoring: Spreadsheets cannot keep you in compliance with government regulations, state statutes, loan program requirements, internal compliance, in-house policies/procedures or industry best practices. In order to maintain strict compliance, spreadsheets require constant vigilance. This may be their biggest limitation.

If Not Spreadsheets, Then What?
Spreadsheets just don’t cut it for construction loan management. Lenders who want to increase revenue while adding fewer additional resources need a digital construction loan management solution. Digital solutions reduce risk, improve efficiencies, allow scale and provide a better customer experience. Not to mention it keeps track of every small, yet critical, part of the construction loan. Never again will you be questioning if you are over-dispersing funds. Digital solutions, especially those that are cloud-based, can alleviate all the limitations of spreadsheets and the tipping point will be a thing of the past. Once you are running on this new level, you can bring more revenue and smart growth to your organization.

5 Critical Components for Construction Lending Success

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lending-12-31-18.pngThe tough reality is that bankers are experiencing margin compression due to the current state of the yield curve and rising interest rates.

Without refinances to process, and new mortgages growing rarer, they must rely on other types of loan products. Enter construction loans.

Construction lending was once a vital part of a healthy loan product mix. Of course, many bankers will point directly at TRID, or the Know Before You Owe mortgage disclosure rules, as their roadblock to originating construction loans. Support for TRID, like many other regulatory rules, hasn’t been prevalent in the industry, and some bankers don’t have the information they need to mitigate risk.

So what now? Who is offering support for these regulations? And how can lenders begin construction lending again?

Instead of giving up on construction lending, most community banks have all the resources they need to start and maintain a successful construction lending program; it’s all at their fingertips.

To become successful in construction lending, you need these five components to all work together:

1. Support in the C-suite and boardroom
Before looking at solutions, your board must have a consensus on whether or not to even launch the program. Construction lending programs require effort from several C-level executives and the board. Everyone in the C-suite and boardroom need to be on the same page. Having this consensus helps assemble and maintain a successful program.

2. Your Loan Origination System (LOS)
Sometimes lenders don’t know where to begin with a construction loan program, particularly with respect to staying compliant with TRID. It can surprise lenders that the fields and forms required to support construction loans may be available through their LOS. Work with your LOS provider to diagnose how other lenders have utilized the LOS platform when offering construction loan products, particularly the production of the lender’s estimate (LE) and closing document (CD). If your LOS solution does not support construction loans, there are other workarounds in order to still reach the end goal, such as using a document service provider.

3. Specialized document service provider
Mitigating risk and pleasing all who are involved in a construction loan isn’t easy given how many moving parts are involved. It can be done with the proper resources. Document service providers are one of the most important elements to have. The provider gives lenders the specific form needed for each step of the project, no matter if the project is down the street or across state lines.

Before you sign on with any document service provider, make sure of three things:

  • They are able to produce both the LE and CD, particularly if your LOS doesn’t provide them. 
  • They are able to provide the state-specific documents that are going to be needed in the closing package.
  • They are able to guarantee that their documents will protect your first lien priority in each state.

4. In-house subject matter expert
Before the financial crash 10 years ago, construction loan expertise was abundant. But a decade after the recession, experts on construction lending can be difficult to find inside the bank. Finding or recruiting somebody like this on your team can be an amazing resource. They can be helpful in educating other lenders and assist in problem-solving loan structuring to benefit the entire company.

5. Post-close draw management and servicing
How do you manage the cost and process involved after you close that construction loan? Loan servicing is an integral piece of construction lending, and it is very hands-on and specific. Once the loan is closed, someone must be servicing this loan to ensure success for the duration of the construction loan: managing first lien priority, draw administration, inspections, and communication with key stakeholders such as the borrower and contractors. At the end of the day, you need someone to manage the lenders’ holdback, while simultaneously protecting the physical, financial, and legal interests of your bank.

Beyond Spreadsheets: Digitizing Construction Lending

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Many banks rely on spreadsheets and personal contact to oversee and manage construction loans—methods that are ineffective today. How can financial institutions improve this process? In this video, Built CEO Chase Gilbert explains how upgrading technology and making the process digital creates efficiencies for both bank and borrower, and allows for better risk management capabilities.

  • Why Digitize Construction Lending
  • Efficiency Gains and Other Benefits
  • Confronting Common Obstacles

How To Make Construction Lending Less Risky

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lending-8-14-18.pngWhen compared to the world economy as a whole, the construction industry lacks luster, at least in terms of its embrace (or lack thereof) of digital innovation. According to a 2017 report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the construction sector has grown by just one percent over the past two decades, while global economic growth has increased at nearly three times that rate. Construction was also the second-least digitized economic sector on MGI’s Digital Index, indicating a serious need for digitization, which could help boost the industry’s growth rate.

Another MGI report found a significant performance gap between industry members that leveraged digitization compared to those who don’t, “with the U.S. economy reaching only 18 percent of its digital potential.” The current lack of technology in the construction industry presents a clear opportunity for industry players establish industry leadership.

A Perfect Storm: Industry Growth Meets Digitization in a Burgeoning Economy
Despite political agitation and a series of natural disasters, 2017 proved to be a strong year for the housing market. Housing showed steady growth in spite of these external factors and a 10.5-percent decline between November 2015 and November 2016. Experts at Zillow believe the housing shortage will continue to drive housing market trends throughout 2018, swelling consumer demand for remodels and new construction.

Fueled by stable interest rates, a strong economy, and inventory shortages, the construction industry stands to enter a period of significant growth in 2018. As predicted by Dodge Data & Analytics, the industry could see a three percent increase with new construction starts in 2018 reaching an estimated $765 billion.

If the industry fails to digitize, it will likely struggle to keep pace with market demands. Currently, large construction projects take 20 percent longer than expected to reach completion and are up to 80 percent over budget. Not only do significant delays and expense oversights like these inhibit those working directly in the industry, such as contractors, sub-contractors, builders, and developers, but also those financing the projects. Missing project completion targets and budget goals makes improperly monitored construction lending a risky business. MGI lists improved “digital collaboration and mobility” as essential to the construction industry’s ability to meet its potential future growth.

Relieve Strain on Lender Resources with Digitization
Oldcastle Business Intelligence estimated in their 2018 Construction Forecast Report that construction, as a whole, would grow by 6 percent in 2018. This year is projected to see significant growth in single-family housing starts, estimated to increase 9 percent, with a predominant focus on Southern and Western regions. As housing and construction demands continue to climb, financial institutions stand to corner a substantial chunk of the growing market and increase revenue.

Historically, lenders have shied away from construction lending, viewing construction loan portfolios as administratively taxing and risky from both regulatory and credit decision perspectives. By bringing the construction loan administration process online through collaborative, cloud-based software, financial institutions can become industry leaders while relieving the burden on their lenders, mitigating risk, and improving the experience for everyone involved.

Reduce Risk with Construction Lending Software
The digitization of construction lending translates to less risk all around. Construction lending software streamlines the facilitation of compliance and regulatory timelines, reducing potential fines and penalties for non-compliance or loan file exceptions. In addition to the risks imposed on the industry by staunch government regulations, lenders also understand the high credit risk involved with traditional construction loans (and their many moving parts) due to their multifaceted, unpredictable nature.

Overseeing construction portfolios requires constant vigilance in tracking and monitoring cost estimates, advances, material purchases, labor costs, construction plans, and timelines, all while ensuring proper paperwork is filed and maintained for every transaction and correspondence.

Bringing the construction loan management process online gives lenders the ability to monitor their entire construction portfolio from one location. Real-time monitoring and alerts automatically highlight areas of concern, excessive advances, stale loans, maturities and overfunded projects. Digital oversight also allows lenders to foresee and correct potential problems with budget and timelines.

Increase Efficiencies Through Digitization
Financial institutions that implement a digital solution for construction loan administration drastically improve efficiencies, eliminating former portfolio limitations. By increasing efficiency, lenders can invest more time in bringing in additional business, approving more loans, and better serving existing clients.

Improve User Experience with Digital Lending
In addition to risk mitigation and efficiency gains, construction lending software also drastically improves the overall user experience in the construction loan administration process by providing a singular platform for communication throughout the life of each loan. Bringing the process online allows lenders, borrowers, builders, inspectors, and appraisers to collaborate and communicate in one place, preventing missed phone calls and the inevitable tangle of email correspondence.

How Fintech Can Improve the Customer Experience in Construction Lending

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construction.png

One of the most underserved areas in financial technology is construction lending, which exposes banks and non-bank lenders to unnecessary risk, costs shareholders money and negatively impacts the client experience for borrowers. For an asset class that is finally gaining steam after punishing many lenders during the Great Recession, this is an area that can’t be ignored.

The problem? Once a construction loan closes, it’s booked into a loan servicing system. But to be properly serviced, that requires paper files, spreadsheets, emails and phone calls between lender staff, borrowers, builders, draw inspectors (people who go out to the job site and validate that the work is being done before a bank can release loan funds from a draw request) and title companies throughout the construction period. This coordination between parties is critical for lenders to mitigate risk and ensure that every dollar is actually going into their collateral. However, this reactive rather than proactive process is not only slow and costly, but it prevents even the most sophisticated internal systems from providing lenders with real-time visibility into what’s going on, much less their clients.

The concept of applying technology to a problem within lending in order to greatly reduce risk, increase transparency, eliminate friction, improve the customer experience and drive cost savings did not make its way into construction lending until recently. Most lenders don’t realize there is a better way.

This is the perfect example of how fintech can help solve a problem faced by banks and non-bank lenders alike.

Where Fintech Can Help

Risk: Construction loans are often perceived as the riskiest loans in a bank’s portfolio. As such, they garner significant attention from regulatory agencies that want to ensure risk is being properly managed. Technology applied to construction lending allows key information to be transparent and consumable in real-time. This reduces the opportunity for human error, ensures loans aren’t being overfunded and helps a lender maintain a first lien position throughout the life of a construction project. And perhaps the most exciting byproduct of bringing these loans into the digital world is the data. Analytics can now be used to help lenders make better decisions about the loans they make as well as proactively manage risk in their active portfolio. For instance, imagine proactive notifications to alert appropriate lender personnel that a construction project has gone stale or that a borrower has materially changed their behavior based on historical data.

Efficiency: Construction loans require more post-closing support and ongoing administration effort to be properly serviced than any other type of lending. While critical, this effort costs lenders more money than they likely realize. By bringing collaboration and automation into construction lending, lenders can now connect with their borrowers, builders, draw inspectors, and others in real-time, allowing each party to push things forward while knowing where (and with whom) things stand in the process. This eliminates countless steps and saves everyone significant time. Not only does this improve a lender’s efficiency, but it also gets borrowers their money safer and faster–creating happier builders and allowing lenders to accrue more interest.

Customer Experience: Today, the customer experience for a borrower managing a construction loan is sadly lacking. If a borrower or builder wants to make a draw on their loan, or wants to know where a loan currently stands, it requires a phone call or an email to their lender. This triggers a domino effect of events that usually results in stale information and disrupts the lender’s workflow. Through technology, borrowers and builders have full transparency into what’s going on, and can often self-serve from their phone or computer. That ends up being a better customer experience even though there is no human-to-human contact. Technology also means faster access to draws, which means that projects can be pushed forward faster.

The best part is that with the right technology solution, lenders don’t have to choose which of these three areas is most important because they can have their cake and eat it too. As with most areas of the financial services industry, fintech’s introduction to construction lending is changing everything for the better.