The Challenge
Operational Challenges: Addressing Growth and Demand Pressures
The client is one of the largest and most respected bank holding companies in the United States, headquartered in Atlanta, with a history spanning more than a century. As a result of strategic acquisitions, the client has grown to manage assets exceeding $500 billion and serves millions of customers across retail, commercial, and mortgage banking.
The client faced significant operational challenges that tested its ability to sustain efficiency and customer satisfaction. Following a major merger, underwriting delays and quality issues created a substantial backlog, negatively impacting customer satisfaction. Simultaneously, a surge in loan volumes strained compliance operations, particularly in ensuring timely and accurate TRID (TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure) reviews for their correspondent/wholesale channel.
Post-pandemic, the rising demand for loans required the client to rapidly scale underwriting staffing across various loan types and portfolio products, posing significant challenges to internal recruitment and training capabilities.
The Outcome
Streamlining End-to-End Processes with Agile and Scalable Solutions
Underwriting
Sutherland addressed the client’s underwriting challenges by establishing a pilot team of eight underwriters with extensive domain expertise. This team completed the client’s certification process within two weeks and immediately began working on live loans. Their rapid progress and exceptional performance cleared the underwriting backlog, significantly improving customer satisfaction. Due to these results, the team expanded to four times its original size, ensuring sustained efficiency and operational support.
Compliance and TRID Review
To tackle compliance issues, Sutherland initiated a pilot team of ten members focused on TRID (TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure) reviews. Within three weeks, this team was fully trained and certified, consistently outperforming the client’s existing vendor on all SLAs and performance metrics. Based on this stellar performance, the team’s responsibilities grew to include critical and detailed reviews, and its size increased fivefold.
Post-COVID Underwriting Expertise
In response to post-pandemic staffing challenges,
Sutherland’s recruitment team collaborated closely with the client’s managers to source and onboard qualified underwriters. These underwriters seamlessly integrated into the client’s operations, providing essential support across various loan types and portfolio products. This agile staffing model effectively bridged resource gaps and met rising demand.
Sutherland’s partnership delivered measurable and transformative results across key operational areas. By streamlining processes and enhancing customer satisfaction metrics (CSAT), Sutherland helped the client achieve a 10% cost reduction, even while maintaining onshore staffing. Accelerated training programs and shorter learning curves facilitated a 40% faster implementation rate, allowing the client to clear backlogs swiftly and improve turnaround times.
Through consistent excellence, Sutherland achieved 100% SLA compliance, maintaining “green” scorecards across all service level agreements since the partnership’s inception. This reliability reinforced Sutherland’s reputation as the client’s most dependable partner. Moreover, the scalability of Sutherland’s solutions—from small pilot teams to large-scale operational expansions—ensured seamless alignment with the client’s evolving needs.
That’s Digital Performance Unlocked and Measurable Outcomes Delivered!
Sutherland remains committed to fostering innovation and delivering excellence for the client. This partnership underscores the strategic importance of aligning expertise with operational priorities, ensuring a scalable and future-proof operational model.
“Your dedication and contribution to the projects are phenomenal. I appreciate the entire team’s efforts in reducing discrepancies and errors, bringing them under control.”
– Client Representative
Cost Savings
Faster Implementation
SLA Achievement
Reimagine Your Banking Operations to Unlock Efficiency and Growth
Services
Underwriting, Compliance
Industry
Banking and Financial Services
