SPARK 8.1.5 Release Notes & Webinar

The SPARK 8.1.5 release is planned for Saturday, February 1st. This update includes enhanced functionality for Referral Partners in SPARK. The maintenance window will occur from 11:00 PM CT on Saturday, February 1st through 9:00 AM CT on Sunday, February 2nd.

Please join us for a release webinar on Thursday, January 30th at 11:00 AM CT, where you can see a demonstration and ask questions about the content of this release.

You can view a recording of the release webinar here.

What's New

Add Multiple Referral Partner Users on a Package

We have heard user feedback that it would be valuable for multiple Referral Partner Users from one company to have access to a package using the Referral Partner portal during loan origination.

We have added the ability for Internal and Referral Partner Users to add multiple referral team members to the same package. A 'Referral Partner' is defined as the Referral Partner of record for the package, and an 'Additional Team Member' supports the Referral Partner by assisting with loan origination tasks.

Referral Partner Users can now add one or more Additional Team Members when referring a package.

Referral Partner Users can also manage the Referral Partner and Additional Team Member roles after they have referred a package.

Internal Users can manage the Referral Partner and Additional Team Members through the Authorized Users feature. We have made the Referral Partner Users tab always available regardless of whether there is already a Referral Partner documented on the package. Company and Invited Date have also been added to the Referral Partner Users table.

Referral Partner Company Dashboard

Our new Company Dashboard provides Referral Partner managers with visibility into company activity, including company-wide metrics, and package lists for Pending, Submitted, Active, Complete, and Inactive Packages.

The company dashboard can be enabled by Creating or Editing a Referral Partner.

Invite existing Applicant Portal Users to the Referral Partner Portal

• When a contact’s email matches an existing Applicant Portal User account (3rd party), Internal Users can add them as a Referral Partner and invite them to the Applicant Portal.

• This approach is recommended for customers who have previously invited Referral Partners as 3rd party users in SPARK, as it allows continuity of access without retiring their existing account and reinviting them as Referral Partner Users.

• After this user is invited to the Referral Partner Portal, they will need to be added again to any existing packages. 

Hide Inactive Referral Partner Companies and Referral Partners 

We have introduced a new toggle to hide inactive Referral Partner Companies and Referral Partners throughout Referral Partner Management. This feature allows Internal Users to concentrate on the Referral Partners they are actively collaborating with.

Support for Internal Referral Partner Companies

• When creating or editing a Referral Partner Company, lenders now have the option to set the company as internal to your organization.

• Referral Partners associated with an internal Referral Partner Company will not be listed in Project Agents. 

• Referral Partners associated with an internal Referral Partner Company will not have a referral fee documented on the packages they have referred. 

What's Changed

Updates to "My Dashboard" for Referral Partner Users

This dashboard now reflects where the user is a Referral Partner or Additional Team Member, including metrics and package lists.

Updates to Referral Partner Management for Lenders

• Metrics and package lists were updated to reflect which packages a Referral Partner User has access to as a Referral Partner or Additional Team Member.

• Hover states have been added to Closed and Referred Packages data visualizations for increased usability.

Management of Referral Partner Documents

• Documents can now be added when creating and editing Referral Partner Companies.

• CAIVRS Check was added as a default Document placeholder for Referral Partners and Referral Partner Companies due to its common usage for Referral Partner due diligence.

What's Been Fixed

• Information Request To Dos on Referral Partner Homepages - A hotfix was released to resolve an issue where referral partners couldn’t view details of assigned information requests from their homepage. Clicking on an information request now correctly opens the detailed view.

• Copy Package Issues - Two hotfixes were released to address issues with copying packages. The first fixed a problem introduced after the 8.1.4 release, while the second resolved an issue when the new package was being created for a different product. Both fixes ensure package copying works as expected in all scenarios.

Find Out More

Stay tuned for the latest features and subscribe to your favorite categories. You can view our product roadmap at any time here.

If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or submit a ticket to the SPARK Support Team. Your feedback will help us make SPARK the best loan origination software in the market!