i23a LoanMaker® WebService
Product Features



Our LoanMaker 23a App for the iPhone/iPad
has all the same capabilities as the i23a WebService.

Download on the App Store.

Fast, accurate & reliable calculations

The i23a WebService provides fast, accurate, and fully-featured installment loan calculations to any user with a browser and internet connection. This includes not only PC's runing Windows, but also Apple or Linux systems, as well as many handheld devices which have a web connection.

The i23a WebService uses formulas and algorithms that have been in use for over 30 years -- you can count on the same reliable and correct calculations that you have received from other PROM Software products over the years. Moving these calculations to a web-based platform is the next logical step in providing our services to the financial and insurance industries.

PROM's i23a WebService is hosted at redundant sites in data centers with backup facilities.

Easy to use, works with any browser

One of the biggest advantages of PROM's i23a WebService is that it works on any internet browser. It doesn't matter whether it's on a Windows PC, Apple, Linux, PDA, or a front-end or back-end system. There's no special training required for end-users.

Virtually no maintenance costs

Two other major advantages of the PROM i23a WebService is that it virtually eliminates any maintenance costs for you. Because no software is installed on client PC's, there's no need to maintain the software throughout your organization.

Even if PC software is "free" there is a significant maintenance effort and associated cost in maintaining the software and required hardware.

"Free" applications (typically provided by insurance companies) usually only run on one operating system -- typically Windows. And not all versions are typically supported which requires your customers to change or update their PC's just to run the "free" software. And keeping "free" programs properly installed and running on a variety of Windows platforms can incur quite a bit of support costs.

Upon an update to the "free" PC program, all PC's have to be tracked down and updated. If some are missed, they will continue to run the old version, likely producing incorrect results. It is quite often very hard to find all the installations that need to be updated.

If you're using the i23a WebService and a change in the calculations becomes necessary (due to an insurance plan change for example), the i23a WebService is updated on our webhosts at the appropriate time. From that point forward, ALL clients will be running the new version.

If you use our WebService to support a dealer network, the advantages are even greater -- the change will automatically appear to the dealers at the specified time. No need to chase down PC's all over the city, state or country!

Unlimited number of users, no per-copy license hassle

Because our i23a WebService is delivered over the internet, you can give an unlimited number of users in your organzation access to the service. There is no 'per-seat' licensing and none of the associated complicating issues such as restrictive copy-protection schemes that often fail to work easily or properly.

As a WebService client, you're free to use the service on any PC or system you want, and you can change or update any system without having to uninstall, reinstall, obtain a new license, and so forth. Your employess can use the service from home or in your customers' offices. If you're an indirect lender, you can allow your dealers to access the system to get accurate calculations.

(Access to the i23a WebService is protected by a User Name and password to prevent unauthorized use. You can change the password from time-to-time if you want, and you can have different User Names and passwords for different WebServices -- for example for use in different states where the credit insurance plan varies.)

Dealer reserve (participation) and buydown calculations

If you specify a 'buy rate' (the lender retention rate), the i23a WebService will calculate the dealer reserve. If the buy rate is greater than the loan interest rate, the dealer buydown payment will be calculated (the amount the dealer has to remit to the lender in order for the lender to maintain their desired return).

Qualifies as a Reg Z calculation tool

There are benefits to an institution under Regulation Z when they use a calculation tool both from the perspective of disclosure violations and of meeting the requirement to use an alternate tool to verify calculations.

Footnote 45d to Section §226.22(a) of Regulation Z states:

"An error in disclosure of the annual percentage rate or finance charge shall not, in itself, be considered a violation of this regulation if: (1) The error resulted from a corresponding error in a calculation tool used in good faith by the creditor; and (2) upon discovery of the error, the creditor promptly discontinues use of that calculation tool for disclosure purposes and notifies the Board in writing of the error in the calculation tool."

And Section 1305.14 of the Examination Handbook (January 2004) of the Office of Thrift Supervision states:

"When a financial institution claims a calculation tool was used in good faith, the financial institution assumes a reasonable degree of responsibility for ensuring that the tool in question provides the accuracy required by the regulation. For example, the financial institution might verify the results obtained using the tool by comparing those results to the figures obtained by using another calculation tool."

XML output available for system integration

PROM's i23a WebService can generate XML output which makes it very easy to incorporate its calculation ability into other computer systems. The i23a WebService Engine can be called directly (without having to go through a HTML form) using GET and POST protocols. This option enables a back-end system, website, or document generation system to use the highly accurate calculations of the i23a WebService product. Operation is transparent and seamless to the end-user.

Specifications

Computes installment loans with single-premium (net or gross) credit insurance

Interest can be calculated by any of three interest calendar systems: Actual/365, Actual-to-first-payment, and the Federal Calendar.

All interest calculations are done by the U.S. Rule (United States Escrow Rule) which makes sure that no compounding of interest (interest-on-interest) occurs during the loan.

The computed monthly payment can be rounded to the nearest whole cent or truncated to the lower whole cent. In consumer lending, it is common to truncate the payment. If the payment is rounded to the nearest whole cent, it can increase the finance charge by several cents or more -- and it is possible that the effective interest rate could be greater than the stated loan rate. Truncating the payment prevents this. Default is to truncate the payment.

Credit life insurance can be calculated by a variety of methods, both net payoff and gross coverage. Provisions are included for single and joint coverage, maximum benefit limits, maximum term limits, and truncated coverage.

Credit disability (accident-&-health) insurance is available with single and joint coverage. Provisions are included for both a maximum total benefit and a maximum monthly benefit (the lower of the two applies). Maximum term limits also apply, and truncated coverage is available.

Filing fees (fees paid to public officials) are available -- these fees are added to the loan amount and become part of the amount financed.

Loan fees (prepaid finance charges) are available. The fee can be financed or deducted from the loan amount. It becomes part of the finance charge and affects the Annual Percentage Rate.

Loans up to $100,000,000 and more can be accurately calculated. The formulas and algorithms used in PROM's i23a WebService engine have been developed and in use for more than 30 years, and have calculated millions of loans. The i23a WebService engine is written in a high-level compiled language (over 10,000 lines of C++) which maintains a very high degree of accuracy and precision to 16 significant digits.

The dealer reserve or buydown calculation is done by any of three methods: Difference in Charges, Present Value, or Pro-rate.

A minimum dealer reserve amount can be specified. First the dealer reserve is calculated and, if it is less than the minimum amount, the minimum amount is shown. Default is no minimum. (Note: The dealer buydown feature does not work if a minimum reserve is specified.)

A percentage paid can be specified. It is a fairly common practice to pay only a percentage of the dealer reserve to compensate the lender for the expected early terminations. Rather than issue a chargeback for a portion of the dealer reserve paid on a terminated loan, the lender just pays a percentage of the dealer reserve (commonly 70% - 80%) on all loans. Default is 100%.

2019-04-24