Working Groups
This page provides you with an overview of each of the LIXI working groups. LIXI members can
- convenor details
- standards the working group has already published (available for download)
- details of any standards currently under development
- a link to the online collaboration space for the working group (access restricted to working group members only).
Application
The Application working group has developed the standard for home loan applications. The parties to the application standard are lenders and loan writers (including the lender's staff and third party brokers).
This working group developed the standard for residential mortgage applications, the Credit Application Language (CAL). This standard is already widely used - by the vast majority of lenders and by most brokers. CAL was the first standard developed by LIXI.
Back Channel
This Back Channel working group developed the standards for the back channel messages, i.e. the status or progress messages which are sent electronically by the lender to indicate the progress of the loan from application to settlement or funding. Examples of such progress messages include: application received; conditional approval; and valuation ordered. The parties to this standard are lenders and loan writers.
The back channel standard is available and is widely used by those lenders who are using the application standard (CAL) for electronic lodgment of applications. This work is regarded as complete, for the time being.
Commissions
The focus of the Commissions working group is commissions payable by lenders to third party brokers (including up front and trail commissions). The parties to this standard are lenders and third party brokers.
The commissions standard has been developed. It has not yet been implemented, but is currently being tested.
Document Sharing
There is a significant amount of work going on around the world in relation to sharing documents in an intelligent way between computer systems or applications. In order to maximise the utility of these services, participants need to agree on a number of mechanisms and related content. LIXI members are developing or working on agreements for specific standards in a number of areas including the document upload and download mechanisms; the so-called 'metadata' fields that categorise information about the file(s) being transferred; the lists of values for enumerated metadata fields; and the categorisation of types of documents as they relate to mortgage processing.
Implementation
The Implementation working group develops recommendations for implementing LIXI standards by providing guidelines for sending and receiving messages between parties. The standard focuses on how the messages are sent and received - for example:
- the gateway used to send and receive loan applications.
- SOAP(Simple Object Access Protocol).
The implementation recommendations are used by all parties conducting LIXI transactions. The recommendations developed by this working group are available and in use.
Mortgage Insurance
The standards produced by the Mortgage Insurance working group relate to the process by which a lender requests a quote and approval from a mortgage insurance provider. The parties to the standards are therefore lenders and mortgage insurers.
There are two standards relating to mortgage insurance, one developed by Genworth, the other developed by QBE LMI. Both standards are in line with the LIXI application standard CAL). The standards are widely available to lenders and can be obtained by contacting the mortgage insurers.
Mortgage Fulfillment
Standards being developed around the fulfillment process, when a mortgage lender utilises an outsourcing mortgage processor to complete the mortgage transaction.
NECS Transactions
The NECS Conveyancing Transactions working group is developing a standard relating to the conveyancing transactions which will take place through the National Electronic Conveyancing System (NECS), when it is available. The parties to this standard will be all parties involved in conveyancing, including:
- lenders
- settlement agents
- conveyancers
- state revenue offices
- land registries.
NECS has outsourced the development of data standards to LIXI. The working group has started to develop business requirements for this standard, covering both industry and land registry needs. The next task for the working group is to start the development of a vocabulary for this standard, aligned to the LIXI vocabulary.See the NECS website to find out more about NECS.
Products
The Products working group is developing standards relating to information about products (such as rates and fees). The lenders provide this information to third party brokers and to service providers who have developed lending tools such as loan qualifier or loan comparison software. The aim of the standard is to allow for electronic updates to be passed through from the lender, when changes are made to rates and / or fees. Parties to this standard are lenders and providers of the loan tools.
The products standard has been developed. It has not yet been implemented, but is being tested.
Settlements
On 1 May 2005, Version 1.0 of the Settlement Instructions standard achieved formal status. This brought to a conclusion the first round of work conducted by the Settlements working group. Round one focused on defining the data set that is exchanged between Lender and Settlement Agent at the point of instruction. It defines a full data set that enables a lender to replace its existing manual instruction process (whether by fax, email or mail) with an electronic LIXI transaction. Version 1.0 of the standard is in use by a number of lenders and settlement agents.
A further round of work on the standard was proposed in June 2005 but did not continue due to lack of engagement. The proposed scope of that round was to define discrete data packages for status/backchannel messaging across the entire settlement process. A number of parties are already exchanging data in this way using the Version 1.0 standard with extensions.
Title Insurance
The standard developed by the Title Insurance working group relates to the process by which the lender requests and receives title insurance (which insures the title or legal ownership of a property for the lender). The parties to this standard are lenders and providers of the title insurance.
This standard is complete and is in use.
Title Search
LIXI members propose that an industry standard request and response architecture be developed, sufficient to permit parties involved in mortgage process transactions to request a title search and receive the title data in appropriately granular format, thereby enabling straight-through processing for mortgage settlement.
Valuations
The Valuations working group developed the standard covering the process by which valuation requests are made and valuation results received. The parties to the standard are lenders and valuers.
The valuations standards is complete and is in use. Future development by this working group includes a standard covering electronic (or theoretical) valuations, to support the Automated Valuation Model (AVM).
Vocabulary
The Vocabulary working group is responsible for developing technical requirements and technical standards for all working groups. This group therefore works with all other working groups to ensure that consistency of syntax and content is maintained across all LIXI standards and implementations.
How to initiate a new LIXI Working Group dialog
When you feel that there is a substantial requirement to warrant a new initiative, and sufficient interest and momentum to staff one, contact the Chair of the LIXI Technical subcommittee (refer LIXI home page) to initiate a Working Group dialog. Working Groups are established when there is sufficient noise and momentum to necessitate that something be done. The main instigators should contact LIXI to enlist the assistance of a full member organisation.
A Working Group must be proposed by a full member of LIXI and seconded by another full member. Working Group delegates must belong to an organisation that is a LIXI Full member.
A downloadable boilerplate Business Requirements document is available here
