MEQUON, WI -- 07/23/08 --
"Web 2.0." It's a fluid term with a broad range
of meanings. But many experts agree with Internet guru Tim O'Reilly -- who
is often credited with coining the term -- that Web 2.0 reflects a
"business revolution... caused by the move to the Internet as [a]
platform(1)."
In October 2007, Mortgagebot® LLC (www.Mortgagebot.com) created its own
"business revolution" by launching the award-winning Mortgage Marvel® (www.MortgageMarvel.com), the most
innovative and hassle-free Internet platform for consumer borrowers who
need instant access to accurate mortgage rate-and-fee quotes from a wide
selection of reliable lenders. Now Mortgage Marvel moves to the next level
of Web 2.0 functionality with innovative new widgets, enhanced localization
features, and an interactive "Ask an Expert" forum.
"Mortgage Marvel's new 'Web 2.0' functionality gives mortgage shoppers the
ultimate in convenience, choice, and control," said Scott Happ, President
and CEO of Mortgagebot. "Our unique new widgets, enhanced localization
features, and the availability of unbiased expert advice all help empower
consumer borrowers to do business on their terms -- enabling them to make
faster, better, and more informed mortgage decisions."
Unique new widgets bring accurate mortgage rates and fees to desktop and
browser
Recently Mortgagebot announced the Mortgage Marvel application programming
interface (API), which enables third-party Web developers to incorporate
custom-configured Mortgage Marvel functionality into their Web sites --
examples of which can be found online at www.OptHome.com and www.BeatYouThere.com.
But the API has also enabled Mortgagebot to develop a unique,
groundbreaking capability: Mortgage Marvel "widgets." These revolutionary
new "miniaturized" versions of Mortgage Marvel can be placed right on a PC
desktop or in a Web browser, empowering mortgage shoppers to monitor rates
and fees in real time. Mortgage Marvel's Yahoo!
widget and iGoogle
gadget are now available for free download (for either Windows or Mac
operating systems). What's more, the technology can be easily adapted for
any Web site that would benefit from offering accurate, anonymous,
real-time mortgage-shopping capabilities.
Mortgage Marvel's innovative widget technology interactively monitors more
than 250 lenders' rates and fees -- according to user-specified search
criteria -- and displays the top results. There's even a direct link to
each lender's Web site so borrowers can apply online when they find the
ideal mortgage product.
Enhanced localization helps borrowers choose a trusted lender
In today's marketplace, it makes sense for borrowers to select a lender
they know and trust. And some consumers would rather stop by a lender's
nearest office and work with a professional loan officer. So Mortgagebot
has further augmented Mortgage Marvel's impressive localization
functionality with the integration of Google Maps.
Mortgagebot recently gave Mortgage Marvel the power of "localization" --
enabling borrowers to filter their rate-search results to display the
locations of Mortgage Marvel lenders that have branches within a specified
ZIP code.
Mortgage Marvel's newly enhanced localization capability uses Google Maps
technology to provide detailed maps and specific office-location
information. When a borrower clicks on "Lender Information," Mortgage
Marvel provides a Google-derived map that dynamically displays the selected
lender's branch locations.
"Mortgage Marvel is all about choice," said Dan Welbaum, Mortgagebot's
Chief Marketing Officer. "We live in a busy world, and today's mortgage
shoppers want to see all of their options in the most convenient way
possible. Whether it's rates, fees, closing costs, or the location of a
lender's branch offices, today's borrowers are savvy shoppers -- they want
to know the details before they make a decision."
Interactive "Ask an Expert" capability informs borrowers, gives them added
control
Last but by no means least, Mortgage Marvel's popular Learning Center now
offers a helpful new option: Free access to a team of unbiased experts with
years of mortgage-industry experience. Mortgage Marvel's new "Ask an Expert"
forum enables consumers to post questions online and get answers from
Mortgagebot's team of mortgage professionals. Visitors can also browse the
answers to questions that others have previously asked.
"Many consumers have questions," noted Mr. Welbaum, "and there's nothing
like solid answers to help borrowers feel a greater sense of control over
the mortgage process. Our staff experts don't work for any lender, so they
have no bias toward any particular loan product -- which means they can
answer consumer questions from an unbiased, general industry perspective."
About Mortgagebot
Mortgage Marvel is a product of Mortgagebot LLC (www.Mortgagebot.com), the Inc. 500
company that leads the industry in providing consumer-direct,
Internet-based mortgage-origination solutions. Mortgagebot combines its
mortgage expertise with leading-edge "software-as-a-service" (SaaS)
technology to create robust, scaleable, and affordable mortgage Web sites
for nearly 800 lenders nationwide.
Mortgagebot's flagship product suite is the award-winning Mortgagebot
PowerSite product family, a fully configurable and completely
private-labeled solution set that enables lenders to take mortgage
applications enterprise-wide: over the Internet, in the branch, through the
call center, or from a loan officer's PC. PowerSite's intelligent and
interactive functionality enables borrowers to complete an entire mortgage
application, get pre-approved, and receive full disclosures in as little as
20 minutes. And because PowerSite solutions are deployed via the Internet,
there is no PC software to install and maintain.
To view a brief Mortgage Marvel video presentation, visit
www.mortgagebot.com/marvelvideo2.
(1) Wikipedia; "Web 2.0" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0)
Mortgagebot, Mortgagebot PowerSite, and Mortgage Marvel are registered
trademarks of Mortgagebot LLC.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, contact:
Cindy Golisch
PR Unlimited
480-471-8820
Dan Welbaum
Chief Marketing Officer
262-292-2707
Mortgagebot LLC
1000 W. Donges Bay Rd., Ste. 200
Mequon, WI 53092
Toll-Free: 877-861-3354
