Clear Capital unveiled OwnerInsight, a tool that enables safe social distancing while empowering homeowners to provide timely, high-quality information and images of the interior and exterior of their homes to lenders, appraisers, and appraisal management companies (AMCs) through a secure interface, Clear Capital announced in a press release.

OwnerInsight officially launched the week of March 30 and is being offered for free in response to the COVID-19 health situation. OwnerInsight works seamlessly on camera-enabled mobile devices with no need for app downloads, and photo metadata is captured to ensure protection against fraud, the company said.

Clear Capital developed OwnerInsight for the mortgage industry in response to the temporary approval of alternative appraisal products that reduce the frequency of in-person interaction to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

OwnerInsight, according to the release, ensures appraisers have vital information to complete accurate appraisals while also allowing homeowners and appraisers to comply with social distancing guidelines.

“OwnerInsight walks homeowners through a logical, easy-to-follow process of taking photos and answering a few questions about the quality, condition, and unique characteristics of their home,” Clear Capital co-founder and CEO Duane Andrews said in the release. “In order to provide easy accessibility to this helpful and timely technology, we are currently providing OwnerInsight, along with help desk phone support, at no cost to all lenders, appraisers, and AMCs.”

Andrews said the goal with OwnerInsight is to promote safe social distancing while helping provide the appraiser with adequate and sufficient information as referenced in question 15 of Fannie Mae’s “COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions” document.

Additionally, lenders, AMCs and tech platforms can build API connections to enable OwnerInsight within their workflows. All that is required to initiate an order with the API is a property address and basic homeowner contact information, the company said.

“During the COVID-19 health situation, OwnerInsight provides critical efficiencies for lenders and appraisers to access information that is indispensable to the appraisal process,” said Jeff Allen, executive vice president of Valuation Strategy at Clear Capital. “Without OwnerInsight on the market, homeowners and appraisers would face a manual and confusing back-and-forth, trapped in email and phone calls with unclear requirements and no fraud mitigation. We want to ensure the industry remains active and capital remains fluid during these difficult times.”

Clear Capital is partnering with Ellie Mae to make OwnerInsight seamlessly available to lenders via Encompass Partner Connect.

“During this unprecedented time, the need for innovative technology solutions that keep mortgage processes moving forward while limiting in-person interaction is critical,” said Parvesh Sahi, senior vice president of Business Development at Ellie Mae. “Clear Capital’s OwnerInsight will give our lenders the ability to connect homeowners and appraisers while ensuring a compliant and efficient mortgage process to solve both immediate and long-term lender needs.”