ICE Innovation Awards

First Financial Bank

When First Financial Bank (FFB) set out to maximize its HELOC opportunities, the team faced important challenges: how could they open up essential Encompass workflows to more members of the consumer lending team and, just as importantly, how could they efficiently identify which clients to target with new lending solutions?

Partnering with ICE, First Financial Bank found answers and results. Together, FFB extended the power of Encompass Web beyond the desktop, allowing over 400 new users to easily originate and monitor HELOC and HE loan applications. By streamlining workflows and automating the prequalification process, the bank’s consumer lending team gained a simple, effective way to manage day-to-day operations.

But the transformation didn’t stop there. The bank harnessed the power of ICE Business Intelligence (formerly AIP), integrating consumer, loan and property data to strategically pinpoint the most promising clients. By blending enhanced digital workflows with smart data, First Financial Bank elevated its outreach and impact.

The outcomes speak volumes. First Financial Bank saw a 25% jump in HELOC originations. An impressive 35% of first-lien mortgages included a simultaneous second loan, and satisfaction scores (both from internal teams and customers) rose by 30%. With ICE’s technology and automation as the backbone, First Financial Bank not only improved efficiency and scalability, but also strengthened the client and employee experience.

This is what innovation looks like. Real results, for real people, powered by partnership, making First Financial Bank a deserving recipient of this year’s ICE Innovation Award for Enterprise Web UI Excellence.

Intercap Lending

Intercap Lending has set a new standard for borrower retention and recapture by harnessing the full power of ICE Mortgage Technology solutions. Through the end-to-end implementation of the ICE Customer Acquisition Suite (ICE), including seamless integration of the newly launched Servicing Digital to Encompass Consumer Connect (SD to ECC) functionality—Intercap Lending has reimagined the process of retaining and recapturing borrowers, especially for rate and term refinances.

By adopting ICA and transitioning their loan officers and underwriters to the Encompass web platform, Intercap Lending is empowering their teams to work more efficiently and collaboratively. Their strategic investment in servicing digital enhancements enables the delivery of personalized offers to the right borrowers at the right time, maximizing retention and recapture opportunities.

The integration of SD to ECC, built in partnership with ICE Mortgage Technology, has elevated the borrower experience, providing a streamlined and intuitive journey from servicing to eligibility and closing. Intercap Lending’s commitment to leveraging innovative technology not only improves operational excellence but also ensures borrowers receive tailored solutions when they need them most.

These achievements exemplify how Intercap Lending’s forward-thinking approach and partnership with ICE Mortgage Technology are driving exceptional results for both their organization and their customers. We are proud to recognize Intercap Lending with the ICE Innovation Award for Retention and Recapture Excellence.

First Tech Federal Credit Union

First Tech Federal Credit Union has set a new benchmark for innovation and partnership, earning them ICE’s Innovation Award. Their proactive collaboration and strategic vision have been invaluable in helping us develop and refine our DDA Analyzer reporting tools. From the earliest stages of ideation through to full implementation, First Tech consistently demonstrated curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to excellence—qualities that define an exceptional DDA partnership.

With an outstanding +98% utilization rate of our DDA Analyzer, First Tech stands out as a leader in adoption and impact. They implemented a distinctive strategy by using it as a tool for Loan Officers, which enhanced calculation accuracy before submitting loans to operations. This, in turn, contributed to higher pull-through rates. Due to the success of this methodology, they are currently partnering with our product management team to explore the integration of DDA and TPO Connect, which will enable analyzer access for brokers in the wholesale space—further extending the benefits of our technology.

First Tech is also at the forefront of Encompass Innovation, implementing enhanced conditions, NDV, business rules, and customizations to optimize their lending operations. Their engagement and support have not only shaped the evolution of our solutions but also delivered measurable value for their organization and the broader community.

This is what innovation looks like, real results, driven by partnership and powered by ICE technology, making them a deserving recipient of the ICE Innovation Award for DDA Excellence: Outstanding Implementation.

Equity Prime Mortgage

Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM), our largest wholesale client, stands out as a true innovator in leveraging DDA/Mortgage Analyzer technology to transform their business operations. By adopting an exception-based workflow for their underwriters, EPM has achieved a remarkable 3-4x return on time investment, enabling their team to focus on high-value tasks and scale efficiently as market volumes fluctuate.

Unlike many lenders of their size who hesitate due to change management costs, EPM has fully committed to automation. Rather than reconfiguring our solution to fit their existing processes, EPM has proactively adapted their workflows to maximize the benefits of DDA. This forward-thinking approach is unique in the wholesale sector and demonstrates EPM’s dedication to innovation.

EPM’s efforts are focused on delivering a streamlined and positive experience for their broker clients. By reducing conditions, minimizing touchpoints, and limiting documentation requests, EPM removes friction from the process, allowing brokers to concentrate on supporting their borrowers rather than navigating complex procedures. The less time brokers spend on process, the more seamless their experience.

This efficiency is further accelerated through EPM’s strategic use of the Mortgage Analyzers, which materially reduce turn times at initial review and throughout the loan lifecycle by surfacing exceptions early and consistently. The Analyzers enforce a uniform review and validation process, automatically checking commonly overlooked, time-consuming details such as SSN, DOB, name and document continuity. Thus, eliminating rework and driving faster, more predictable outcomes.

We applaud EPM for assembling a dedicated team to identify and address workflow pain points, driving continuous improvement and adoption throughout their organization. Their commitment has resulted in a more uniform, resilient approach that not only improves customer experience but also boosts team morale and operational excellence within EPM.

EPM’s success story demonstrates the power of embracing technology-driven change. Their achievements in process optimization and automation are a testament to what’s possible when innovation is paired with commitment, making EPM a deserving recipient of the ICE Innovation Award for DDA Excellence Wholesale: Process Optimization.

MGIC

MGIC has redefined innovation and partnership through its collaboration with ICE Mortgage Technology. Committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience, MGIC continually evolves to meet the needs of lenders and homebuyers by providing seamless access to its mortgage insurance (MI) solutions and functionality.

As the first mortgage insurer to take full ownership of its Encompass Partner Connect (EPC) integration and manage ongoing functionality within the EPC platform, MGIC set a new industry standard. Leveraging its preferred technology stack, MGIC rebuilt the EPC integration, achieving full parity with ICE’s solution and seamless connectivity to the MI Center order management system. They achieved this remarkable milestone on time by meeting the original EPC transition deadline of October 2025.

By taking full ownership of its integration, MGIC now controls their own release schedule to deliver enhancements and ensures lenders have timely access to the latest MI solutions. MGIC empowers lenders to better serve homebuyers with low-down-payment financing options while adapting to a rapidly changing market.

MGIC’s forward-thinking approach and unwavering commitment to customer experience make it a truly deserving recipient of the Innovative Technology Partner of the Year award.

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank has set a new standard in real estate loan servicing modernization, earning ICE’s Innovation Award for their outstanding partnership and transformative results. Over a dedicated multi-year collaboration with ICE, U.S. Bank achieved two major milestones: the successful implementation of new Loss Mitigation and Collections solutions, and the seamless transition of their HELOC portfolio onto MSP and the Consumer Loan Workstation.

Our joint efforts culminated in a successful conversion in September 2025, dramatically enhancing U.S. Bank’s Loss Mitigation and Collections system maintenance and oversight functions. At the same time, U.S. Bank streamlined their operations by consolidating all real estate loans onto a single, unified platform. This dual-track approach not only improved operational efficiency and customer experience, but also positioned U.S. Bank for scalable growth.

This achievement exemplifies the power of partnership, innovation and shared commitment to excellence, demonstrating how U.S. Bank and ICE together are shaping the future of loan servicing. In recognition of these accomplishments, U.S. Bank is honored with the ICE Innovation Award for Dual Impact Partnership Excellence.