Quicken Loans
Online Chat Helps Deaf Clients Get Mortgages Jun 09, 2006, 11:04 am PDT
News provided by Quicken Loans


Lenders are continually making it easier for clients to get a mortgage. Some have even gone to great lengths by using innovative technology such as the Internet. Lenders such as Quicken Loans have taken it a step further by using popular Web-based features such as online chat. This tool has become particularly valuable for the deaf community who generally either has to use e-mail or rely on a "relay service" to communicate.
And, considering obtaining a mortgage is one of the most stressful situations a person may ever have to deal with, having the appropriate means for communication is key. Innovative lenders give their clients several ways to contact them, be it telephone, e-mail, chat, or telephone and video relay service. But the company's mortgage bankers have learned that their deaf clients prefer online chat and e-mail as their primary form of communication.
"We are embracing the deaf community with our new online chat feature," said Bryan Stapp, chief marketing officer, Quicken Loans. "Using online chat, our deaf clients can conduct the most important parts of their home financing transaction directly with their mortgage banker without having to rely on a third party service."
In a secure setting, clients provide their personal information via chat, allowing mortgage bankers to ask questions about their personal financial goals and needs in order to research the best purchase and refinance programs for the client's situation.
"Online chat is great for hearing-impaired people to communicate with hearing people," said Ted Baldwin, a deaf client who used the Quicken Loans chat service to carry out his mortgage transactions.
Baldwin, of Oakland, Calif., planned to browse the Quicken Loans Web site for home loan information, when he noticed the "Chat Online Now!" button.
"Because of the chat service, I was able to get more information than I expected," he said. "And I'd rather chat directly with a person. It doesn't take a lot of time."
While online chat is popular with Quicken Loans deaf clients, Stapp adds that anyone with a computer and Internet connection can use it, and many do. He said chat is a helpful service for clients who don't have a lot of privacy at work or parents who use chat late at night, so as to not disturb their sleeping family.
By using technology such as online chat, lenders like Quicken Loans are getting ahead of the game by encouraging all types of clients to apply for a mortgage. That kind of technology makes it easier to communicate with the lender and get through a complicated and sometimes overwhelming process.
This article is reprinted by permission from Quicken Loans © 2006 Quicken Loans Inc. All rights reserved.