How Neighborhood Loans embraced verification automation to hit record volume without adding staff
Before Truework: 70% of Verifications Were Manual
Neighborhood Loans' corporate processing team, led by Regional Processing Manager Paola Patino, knows what slows a loan file down—and for years, verification of income and employment was near the top of that list.
Before Truework, roughly 70% of Neighborhood Loans’ verifications were manual. Processors were making phone calls, chasing down employers, waiting on callbacks, and piecing documentation together by hand. Only about 30% of verifications were automated, primarily through The Work Number.
When loan volume picked up, the manual work didn’t just slow things down: it forced a staffing conversation. More files meant more hands needed on verifications, and that meant hiring.
What Changed: One Platform, Multiple Integrations
Neighborhood Loans integrated Truework directly into both Blend (their point-of-sale system) and Encompass (their loan origination system), giving loan officers and processors access to Truework’s Instant network, Payroll Credentials, and Smart Outreach—all without leaving the tools they use every day.
Today, Truework automates income verification on approximately 30% of Neighborhood Loans’ applications. That may not sound dramatic, but the impact compounds: every automated verification is a file that doesn’t require manual outreach, follow-up calls, or employer chasing from the processing team.
The amount of work that the teams had to put into obtaining those VOEs decreased significantly. For them to be able to rely on somebody else to take ownership in that portion of the process was a big relief.
Paola Patino, Regional Processing Manager, Neighborhood Loans
The Neighborhood Loans team found Smart Outreach to be particularly valuable. When instant and credentials-based methods don’t return a result, Truework’s team contacts employers directly, handling the follow-ups that processors used to have to manage themselves. Unlike standard manual workflows, Truework’s outreach process leverages contact data from previous verifications to automate outreach when possible, reducing human intervention and increasing the rate of success. Combined with real-time status tracking in the Truework dashboard, processors always know exactly where the verification stands.
The Impact: Record Year, Same Headcount
In 2025, Neighborhood Loans had its biggest year ever, breaking production records for four consecutive months. Volume surged in Illinois and across new regions the company had brought on board.
Despite this, Neighborhood Loans’ corporate processing team maintained the same staffing levels. The team kept two openers the entire year and added just one processor. No additional hires were needed to handle record volume.
Maintaining that headcount was possible because of Neighborhood Loans' broader push toward automation—with Truework driving the verification efficiency that kept the same team on a much larger pipeline.
With bigger production, we did not need to hire any more staff. The automation allowed us to scale without adding headcount.
Paola Patino, Regional Processing Manager, Neighborhood Loans
Pricing by verification was significantly cheaper with Truework. Neighborhood Loans saw ~50% or more savings compared to The Work Number.
~50%+
savings on cost per verification vs. prior vendors
~80%
reduction in pre-approval verification costs
4 months
of consecutive record loan volume (with no new hires)
At the pre-approval stage, the savings were even more striking. Through the Truework-Blend integration, loan officers can now pull verified income data for pre-approvals at a fraction of the prior cost. Previously, when a pre-qualified loan didn’t convert, Neighborhood Loans absorbed the full verification expense. As a result of the partnership with Truework, Neighborhood Loans estimates that pre-approval verification costs dropped by at least 80%.
The savings with the Truework-Blend integrations have been significant. We got to keep more profit on our loans.
Paola Patino, Regional Processing Manager, Neighborhood Loans
Faster Pre-Approvals, No Bottlenecks
With Truework embedded in Blend, loan officers no longer need to wait for a processor or opener to pull income data. They can access three years of verified income and employment information on their own, generate accurate pre-approvals for their agents, and do it any time, including evenings and weekends.
They can do this on a Saturday night and be able to obtain that data any time, without having to come back to the office. The fact that the loan officer can do it on their own without having to rely on a loan partner or an opener is a lot of time saving.
Paola Patino, Regional Processing Manager, Neighborhood Loan
Cleaner Closings, Fewer Fire Drills
Truework also helps Neighborhood Loans avoid the last-minute scrambles that can derail closings. The team uses Truework for re-verifications of employment before close, ensuring reps and warrants stay valid and that there are no post-closing issues with GSE requirements. Processors can see whether a Truework verification is already in the files and make smarter decisions about what to order next, avoiding unnecessary charges.
Even the small things add up. The team also highlighted Truework's individualized invoices per verification as a valuable feature, saving time when passing charges through to borrowers and maintaining compliance documentation.
The Partnership
From onboarding through go-live, the Neighborhood Loans team was emphatic about Truework's support. According to Paola, “Customer service is an A. Truework was there the whole time to hold our hands. I have a call with my rep every two weeks. She was available to me 100% of the time.”
When asked how she’d describe Truework to a colleague in the industry, Paola kept it simple: “Truework is a solution to help you save time, help you be more productive, and help us keep things moving forward without delays.”
Outcomes
- ~50%+ savings on cost per verification compared to previous vendors
- ~80% reduction in pre-approval verification costs through the Truework-Blend integration
- Four consecutive months of record loan production handled without hiring additional openers
- Approximately 30% of income verifications automated across Blend and Encompass
- Loan officers empowered to pull verified income data, even away from the office, without additional support
About Neighborhood Loans
Neighborhood Loans is a nationwide residential mortgage lender headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. Founded in 2009 by Reno Manuele and Tony Ameti, the company operates in-house across offices in Illinois, New York, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and other states. Recognized by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) as a top statewide lender, Neighborhood Loans is dedicated to empowering homebuyers through a process-driven mortgage experience that exceeds industry standards. NMLS# 222982.
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