Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
the adviser logo
Lender

Non-major bank launches digital signatures

by Annie Kane11 minute read
Non-major bank launches digital signatures

From today, customers of the non-major bank will be able to digitally review and sign home loan contracts and mortgage documentation.

Starting from today (21 October 2021), home loan customers of BOQ-owned lender ME Bank (ME) will have the ability to digitally review and sign home loan contracts and mortgage documentation via the KWIL platform.

The move comes following a partnership agreement with ME’s solicitor, Galilee, which is hosting the digital document platform.

Documents will not be able to be returned if they are unsigned or incomplete.

==
==

According to ME, the change will help “provide efficiency and ease” for brokers and provide a “smoother and more efficient experience” for customers when signing their loan and mortgage documentation.

It is estimated that documents signed digitally are returned 10 business days faster than paper documents, with KWIL suggesting that it reduces the settlement time frame by 80 per cent.

Brokers will be provided with read-only access to KWIL to view their client’s loan offer and mortgage documents and can track the progress of the signing of these via the platform.

They will also receive emails to confirm when digital documents have been issued for a customer and completed by them. 

The bank added that brokers will still be able to request hard-copy loan packs for signing, should they so wish, by opting out when submitting the application, while customers can also do so by opting out when the digital documents are sent to them.

It comes after the lender had moved to trialling digital signatures earlier this year.

Many lenders have been rolling out electronic signature options on residential loan forms via similar partnerships (such as DocuSign) since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, as movement restrictions and stay-at-home orders made the witnessing and use of wet signatures more difficult.

While temporary reforms were put in place enabling digital signatures to be used on documents last year (which were recently extended until 31 March 2022), these laws were yesterday (20 October) made permanent.

The reforms allow documents, including deeds, to be validly executed in technology-neutral and flexible manners, according to the federal Treasurer.

[Related: NAB explains key to speedy turnarounds]

digital signatures

AUTHOR

Annie Kane is the managing editor of Momentum's mortgage broking title, The Adviser.

As well as leading the editorial strategy, Annie writes news and features about the Australian broking industry, the mortgage market, financial regulation, fintechs and the wider lending landscape.

She is also the host of the Elite Broker, New Broker, Mortgage & Finance Leader, Women in Finance and In Focus podcasts and The Adviser Live webcasts. 

Annie regularly emcees industry events and awards, such as the Better Business Summit, the Women in Finance Summit as well as other industry events.

Prior to joining The Adviser in 2016, Annie wrote for The Guardian Australia and had a speciality in sustainability.

She has also had her work published in several leading consumer titles, including Elle (Australia) magazine, BBC Music, BBC History and Homes & Antiques magazines.  

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member for free today!