How Plains Commerce Bank Cut Manual Verification Work and Built Speed Into Every Loan File
The Challenge: Keeping Up When Volume Surges
Plains Commerce Bank is a community bank headquartered in Hoven, South Dakota, with a mortgage operations team that knows the cost of a stalled file. For Sarah Lutes, AVP of Mortgage Solutions, whose role centers on keeping processors supported and workflows running clean, the problem wasn't whether verifications would get done, but rather whether they'd get done fast enough to keep files moving.
When loan volume surged, the team’s capacity for manual verification calls didn’t scale with it. Third-party verifications that depended on employer callbacks created backlogs that no one could afford. Files slowed. Closing timelines stretched. Plains Commerce Bank needed a reliable solution that could handle those verifications without piling more onto the processing team.
What Changed: Truework Inside Encompass
Plains Commerce Bank integrated Truework directly into Encompass, their loan origination system, giving processors access to instant, payroll credentials, and Smart Outreach verifications without ever leaving the loan file.
The day-to-day impact was immediate. Instead of toggling between systems or initiating manual outreach, processors could order a verification from within the tool they were already using.
This is great for our team to be able to work in Encompass and order a verification from Truework without leaving the Encompass file. Easy and user-friendly.
Sarah Lutes, AVP Mortgage Solutions at Plains Commerce Bank
Smart Outreach became a key part of the workflow. When instant and credentials-based methods didn’t return a result, Truework’s team contacted employers directly, handling the follow-up calls that processors used to manage themselves.
Truework’s outreach process leverages contact data from previous verifications to automate outreach where possible, reducing human intervention and increasing the rate of success. Clear, real-time status updates in the dashboard meant processors always knew exactly where each verification stood, with no guesswork and no internal follow-up required.
The Impact: Faster Files, Better Borrower Experiences
For Plains Commerce Bank, the core value of Truework is speed, and what that speed enables downstream. Faster verifications move files through the pipeline faster. Files that move faster mean shorter turnaround times for borrowers. And shorter turnaround times keep Plains Commerce Bank competitive in a market where delays cost deals.
The biggest value is speed and efficiency. Automated VOIE allows us to move files through the process faster, which ultimately creates a smoother and quicker mortgage experience for our borrowers. Reducing delays in verification helps us stay competitive and improves overall turnaround times.
Sarah Lutes, AVP Mortgage Solutions, Plains Commerce Bank
Over 12 months, Plains Commerce Bank achieved an 88% verification completion rate, and Smart Outreach achieved an 86% 24-hour turnaround rate, with a median third-party turnaround time of just 1.31 hours. All of this collectively saved the team more than 110 hours of manual outreach work.
Freeing Processors to Do Higher-Value Work
One of the less visible but equally important benefits: when Truework handles verifications, processors get their time back.
At Plains Commerce Bank, the team members who handle verification calls are the same people responsible for preprocessing loan files. Every hour spent on a manual VOE call is an hour not spent structuring and preparing files upfront, work that directly affects file quality and pipeline health. By offloading VVOEs to Truework, Plains Commerce Bank’s processors stay focused on the work that keeps files moving effectively.
The team members who typically handle these calls are also responsible for preprocessing files. By offloading verification work, they can focus more on preparing and structuring files upfront, which improves overall efficiency and file quality.
Sarah Lutes, AVP Mortgage Solutions, Plains Commerce Bank
Cost Visibility Built In, At No Extra Charge
Plains Commerce Bank also benefits from Truework’s individual receipts, which provide upfront visibility into the cost of every verification. Unlike vendors that charge separately for this level of transparency, Truework includes it at no additional cost, saving Plains Commerce Bank an average of approximately $10 per file.
For a team that monitors workflow efficiency closely, clean per-verification invoicing is one less administrative task to manage, and one more way Truework reduces friction across the process.
The Partnership
From onboarding through go-live, the Truework team has been a consistent presence for the Plains Commerce Bank team, responsive to troubleshooting, proactive on follow-through, and available whenever the team needed guidance. That relationship has shaped how the Plains Commerce Bank team thinks about Truework as a whole.
I would describe Truework as a very supportive and responsive partner. They’re proactive about checking in, quick to follow up, and genuinely willing to help however they can. That level of service makes them easy to work with and dependable when you need extra support.
Sarah Lutes, AVP Mortgage Solutions, Plains Commerce Bank
Outcomes
88%
verification completion rate
86%
of Smart Outreach verifications completed within 24 hours
1.31 hours
median third-party turnaround time
111 hours
saved via Smart Outreach
~$10 per file savings
on individual receipts, included at no additional cost
About Plains Commerce Bank
Founded in 1931, Plains Commerce Bank is a privately held, FDIC-insured community bank headquartered in South Dakota. The bank offers a full range of commercial banking solutions focused on service, trust, and long-term partnership. For more information, visit www.plainscommerce.com.
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