Media Release

Digital signatures launched to streamline mortgage process

Bank of Melbourne today launched ‘e-sign’ technology, providing seamless, speedy convenience for mortgage customers who can now ‘click-to-sign’ their new home loan documents instead of using their handwritten signature.

Customers who choose to use e-sign will only need to visit a branch once to identify themselves, with the rest of the home loan process handled digitally. It is anticipated the new technology will halve the average time it takes from when a home loan offer contract is sent to when the bank receives a signed copy.

Bank of Melbourne Chief Executive, Michelle Winzer, said as well as being paperless, e-sign aims to simplify the home loan settlement process, making it faster and more convenient for customers.

“We’re always looking for ways to make banking more convenient and we’ve listened to our customers, who told us we need to make the home loan process simpler. Through e-sign we’re enhancing security and making things swifter and simpler for customers,” Ms Winzer said.

“Customers who choose to use the e-sign service will be among the first in Australia to be able to review and complete their new home loan offer contract, including the mortgage, at their convenience by accessing a secure online portal on their computer or tablet.

“The introduction of e-sign does not change our assessment process of home loan applications and contracts. Bank of Melbourne customers can expect the same attention to detail and support from our staff.”

Research undertaken by Bank of Melbourne with mortgage owners from a range of lenders across Victoria shows more than 62% rated the documentation process associated with their home loan settlement to be difficult, inconvenient, and frustrating. One in four respondents also said they were impacted by a delay caused by the documentation part of the process.

Some of the frustrations identified by mortgage owners across Victoria include:

• The number of visits required to their mortgage broker or lender
• Difficulty accessing and reading the hard copy home loan document
• Time taken to send or receive the documents through the post, and
• Security concerns.

“The documentation process is one of the most important stages of the home loan process that people go through,” Ms Winzer said. “We’re pleased to offer a user-friendly digital solution to make it simpler and faster for Victorians to secure their dream home or investment property.”

The e-sign service is hosted in a secure private cloud platform, which provides sophisticated and robust data protection. When customers choose to use e-sign they receive an email and SMS asking them to use a two-factor authentication process and to consent to receiving their home loan documentation electronically. Customers are then able to view their home loan documents, click to sign and return them automatically. Copies of the loan documents are available for download in the e-sign service, making them available for future reference by the customer.

 

Media Enquiries

Bridget Crowe, Bank of Melbourne Corporate Affairs                 

bridget.crowe@bankofmelbourne.com.au                                  

0407 963 549                

 

ABOUT THE RESEARCH:

The research was commissioned by Bank of Melbourne and conducted by Feedilicious. The survey was fielded within the Australian state of Victoria with people across metropolitan, regional and rural locations. The sample universe consisted of those within the 24-55 years of age segment. A sample size of 1,003 respondents was surveyed online in February 2018.

KEY FINDINGS:

Among surveyed homeowners with a mortgage:

• Have been impacted by a delay in home loan settlement due to the documentation process: Yes - 25.4%
• Overall rated experience with the documentation process, on a scale of 1 (very easy / convenient / friendly) to 10 (very hard / inconvenient / frustrating): 62.4% rated 6 – 10.
• Main pain points during the documentation process:
  • Security concerns (25.7%)
  • Difficulty in following the process (37.7%)
  • Number of visits to the mortgage broker / lender (41.6%)
  • Making errors during the signing process (23.4%)
  • Difficulty accessing and reading the hard copy home loan document (40.3%)
  • Time taken to send or receive the documents via post (34.8%)
  • Others (6.8%)