Interest rates have risen from their record lows, housing inventory is tight and more homeowners are staying in their current properties, which means it is more important than ever for servicers to retain the customers they have. To help servicers boost retention and recapture strategies, ICE offers a mobile and web-based solution called Servicing Digital. This powerful, easy-to-use solution allows servicers to provide advanced, self-service tools to their customers to help deliver an unparalleled experience and unlock new growth opportunities in this challenging market.
Integrated with ICE’s industry-leading MSP loan servicing system, Servicing Digital provides homeowners with real-time access to detailed and personalized loan and property-related data — anytime, anywhere. Beyond just offering homeowners 24/7 self-service capabilities to handle day-to-day loan maintenance activities, e.g. making a mortgage payment or reviewing taxes, insurance, and loan details, the app also allows customers to better explore and manage their housing wealth. Servicing Digital can help customers perform “what-if” scenarios regarding their property, including options to build equity and the benefits or drawbacks of refinancing or paying down their loan. Servicers, in turn, can promote refinance opportunities or equity products more effectively by presenting customers with information that is personally tailored to them.
Boosting retention with home equity capabilities
With fewer homeowners moving to new properties, home equity is a prime opportunity for servicers looking to recapture business. In fact, ICE’s Mortgage Monitor data found that as of November 2024, the average U.S. homeowner held around $207,000 in tappable equity, representing a record level of untapped housing wealth—yet utilization remained below historical norms.
Servicing Digital offers servicers a way to help customers tap into that equity potential via a new integration with Validate, ICE’s property valuation tool. Validate allows customers to snap and upload photos of the interior and exterior of their home, after which the solution uses computer-vision technology and a condition-adjusted AVM to automatically determine the property’s value and available equity.
Thanks to this integration, servicers can configure the Servicing Digital app to alert customers if they have useable equity in their home. Customers can then click on the alert to begin the self-guided valuation process through Validate helping them understand how much tappable equity they have in their home without the need for a formal application. Servicers can then proactively offer equity-related products based on customer insights, creating new opportunities to strengthen relationships and revenue streams.
Assistance during loss mitigation
If a homeowner is facing financial difficulty, Servicing Digital also supports loss mitigation efforts by offering customers self-service tools to assess payment relief options or explore alternatives like refinancing or traditional home sales to preserve equity. Since the stress of unexpected financial challenges can leave customers hesitant to reach out directly to service representatives, Servicing Digital allows homeowners to initiate payment assistance requests online within the app, discreetly and independently, helping them take the first step toward obtaining financial relief. This approach not only benefits homeowners in distress but also helps servicers protect their portfolios while creating positive customer relationships.
“Mortgage servicing isn’t just about maintaining portfolios. It’s about building homeowner trust, in good times and financial hardship,” said Sandra Madigan, executive vice president of Servicing Technology Innovation at ICE. “That’s why we built Servicing Digital to be so much more than a customer engagement platform. It provides servicers with the tools, data, and functionality that help them better connect with their customers, to provide a more meaningful homeownership experience.”
ICE delivers end-to-end digital mortgage technology solutions that combine advanced analytics, robust data, and deep portfolio insights into one comprehensive ecosystem to help servicers retain customers, operate more efficiently, and unlock growth opportunities. For an industry navigating complex market conditions, consumer-facing tools like Servicing Digital are setting a new standard for excellence in customer engagement and operational success.
