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Catholics, evangelicals, Politics, Social issues, Women
It's hard to avoid religion when fighting about 'fourth-trimester' abortions
Before "Game of Thrones" infighting rocked Virginia Democrats, before the Michael Jackson moonwalk press conference, before a KKK and blackface photo surfaced from his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, Gov. Ralph Northam made some candid remarks about abortion on WTOP's "Ask the Governor" radio show.
The now embattled governor's words raised many religious, scientific and philosophical questions and he all but guaranteed that what his critics are calling "fourth-trimester abortion" will remain a hot-button issue in American public life.
A proposed Virginia bill on late-term abortions, he said, would allow termination in cases where an unborn child is "not viable" outside the womb.
"In this particular example, if a mother's in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen," said Northam, a former pediatric neurologist. "The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."
Northam is "greatly misinformed about what this bill would do. … It is infanticide," Democrats for Life leader Kristen Day told EWTN News.
Concerning bills of this kind in Virginia (tabled on a 5-3 vote in committee) and New York, she added: "I'm hearing from more people who say that they can't vote for Democrats if they continue to push this. … This abortion extremism is continuing to push Democrats out the party." She predicted large numbers of Democrats at Virginia's March for Life on April 3, sending this message: "We want to be a state that protects women, supports women and provides support for women to carry their pregnancies to term. That's what we stand for as Democrats."
To no one's surprise, President Donald Trump used Twitter to jump into this controversy, attacking Northam for making the "most horrible statement on 'super' late term abortion. Unforgivable!"
Tagged: abortion, late-term abortion, Ralph Northam, Ben Sasse, EWTN, Democrats For Life, Kristen Day, Donald Trump, Russell Moore
doctrine, evangelicals, Godbeat, Mainline churches, Politics, Women
At March for Life, embracing ancient doctrines reveals modern tensions
Just over a century ago, a Methodist leader on the church's Board of Temperance, Prohibition and Public morals noticed an empty lot facing the U.S. Capitol and thought it would be a fine place to do some lobbying.
The Methodist Building was finished in 1923 and 100 Maryland Ave., N.E., soon became an even more strategic address when the Supreme Court moved next door. The prohibition cause faded, however, and in recent decades the five-story limestone building has housed liberal Protestant activists of all kinds, as well as Kids 4 Peace, the Islamic Society of America, Creation Justice Ministries and others.
It's an unusual site for a March for Life prayer meeting. But, year after year, the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality meets there to mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade.
Defending life means "walking in a way that is out of step with the world," said retired Bishop Timothy Whitaker, former president of the denomination's Board of Discipleship. While there are secular people who oppose abortion, he focused his Jan. 18 sermon on why this issue has become so crucial to modern Christians who strive to affirm ancient Christian doctrines.
"Unless a part of the church is compromised by being conformed to the world," said Whitaker, "becoming a Christian profoundly changes one's perception of reality and one's behavior. … That is why the church is loved by many, as well as hated by many."
When the March for Life makes headlines, it is almost always for political reasons, such as this year's remarks by Vice President Mike Pence and a video-chat from President Donald Trump.
The massive march also serves as a hub for dozens of smaller events, with groups ranging from Episcopalians for Life to Feminists for Life, from Pro-Life Humanists to the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians. Almost all mainstream religious groups -- including progressive flocks -- include a pro-life caucus of some kind.
For decades, United Methodists were powerful supporters of the interfaith Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, ties that were cut by delegates at the denomination's 2016 General Conference. That same conference defeated a motion to retain an old affirmation of Roe v. Wade.
Tagged: United Methodists, Washington DC, Beltway, March for Life, Capitol Hill, Donald Trump, religious left, Mike Pence, abortion, Roe v. Wade, Didache, Timothy Whitaker
Academia, Baptists, doctrine, evangelicals, Politics, religious liberty, Social issues, young people
Jimmy Carter and Jerry Falwell, Jr.: Seeking some common ground at Liberty U
It's hard for anyone -- let alone a former president -- to visit Liberty University these days without mentioning President Donald Trump.
Sure enough, former President Jimmy Carter opened his recent Liberty commencement address with a quip linked to Trump's claims that his inauguration crowd was as large, or larger, than that of President Barack Obama.
The set-up: Trump addressed the school's 2017 graduates.
"This is a wonderful crowd," said Carter, after being introduced by Liberty President Jerry Falwell, Jr. "Jerry told me … that it's even bigger -- I hate to say this -- than it was last year." With a slight grin, he added: "I don't know if President Trump would admit that or not."
The crowd laughed, and some people cheered. Carter avoided any further Trump references -- at least by name.
The key to this day was that Carter and Falwell treated each other with respect, and even affection, setting the tone for an encounter between the evangelical left and right. In 2015, Falwell also made headlines by inviting Sen. Bernie Sanders to speak on campus.
Calling the 93-year-old Carter the "world's most famous Sunday school teacher," Falwell praised his declaration of born-again Christian faith while in public life and his legacy, as an ex-president, of serving others. Liberty's leader stressed that Carter showed political courage, and paid a high price among Democrats, when he signed the Hyde Amendment banning the use of federal funds to pay for most abortions.
"The longer I live, the more I want to know about a person, and to give my political support to a person," said Falwell. "Policies are important. But candidates lie about their policies all the time in order to get elected. The same elite establishment that Jesus condemned remains the real enemy today."
Carter's visit, he added, was an example of Christians "uniting … on issues where they agree, rather than fighting about issues where they disagree."
Tagged: Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr., Jimmy Carter, Southern Baptists, women's rights, abortion, gender, SBC
Social issues, Politics, religious liberty, doctrine, Catholics
Jeffrey Bell -- A Catholic politico caught between two political worlds
Unity was the theme during the 1992 Democratic Convention, with nominee Bill Clinton, and his wife Hillary, joining hands with delegates as they sang an anthem called "Circle of Friends."
But there was a problem in the Pennsylvania delegation, where two-term Gov. Robert Casey was feeling excluded. An old-school Catholic Democrat, Casey had been denied a speaking slot during platform debates. On the convention floor, delegates were selling buttons showing him dressed as the pope -- since he opposed abortion.
Months later, a coalition formed to explore whether Casey should challenge President Clinton in 1996, running on progressive economics and cultural conservatism. Pro-life Democrats like Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver were involved, but Republican Jeffrey Bell -- Ronald Reagan's first full-time campaign staffer in 1976 -- emerged as a team leader.
Why would a Catholic Republican back a Democrat? In a 1995 interview, Bell told me that he was worried many religious voters -- especially evangelicals and Catholics -- had already decided they had no choice but to support GOP nominees.
"Republicans, unfortunately, have good reason to feel complacent," said Bell, after Casey's failing health prevented a White House run. As for evangelicals and traditional Catholics, Republican leaders "pat them on the head," and "buy them off easy," because cultural conservatives have few political alternatives.
"Why do Republicans have to address the concerns of moral conservatives? They have Bill Clinton. They have Hillary Clinton," he said. "They're right here in Washington, working full-time to make sure they have someone to vote against. …
"Someday, this is going to cause BIG problems for evangelicals and conservative Catholics."
Casey died in 2000, after major heart problems closed his career.
Bell died in February, after a career in which he ran for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey -- in 1978 and 2014 -- but was better known for work behind the scenes helping others, following beliefs that escaped easy political labels.
Tagged: Bill Clinton, Bob Casey, Jeffrey Bell, Democrats For Life, GOP, Republicans, Democrats, abortion, Donald Trump
Catholics, doctrine, evangelicals, Politics, Social issues
Is there still room for pro-life Democrats in their own political party?
On the subject of abortion rights, the 2016 Democratic Party platform language prepared for candidates was as firm as ever.
"Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice," it noted. "We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion -- regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured."
Most of the party's candidates agreed on other implications of that statement, from legal third-trimester abortions, taxpayer funded abortions and gender-selection abortions, which usually means aborting unborn females.
Most Democratic candidates backed that platform -- but not all.
Thus, it stunned some Democrats, especially in heartland and Bible Belt states, when Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez drew another bright line defining who participates in the work of his party.
"Every Democrat, like every American," he said, "should support a woman's right to make her own choices about her body and her health. This is not negotiable and should not change city by city or state by state." In fact, he added, "every candidate who runs as a Democrat" should affirm abortion rights.
Needless to say, these were fighting words for Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America.
"I am glad this conversation is taking place," she said, in a telephone interview earlier this week. It would help if the party's chairman "sat down and talked with us, because we are obviously feeling left out.
Tagged: abortion, Democrats For Life, Tom Perez, Kristen Day, Bible Belt, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Father James Martin, Archbishop Charles Chaput, immigrants, refugees
doctrine, evangelicals, Marriage, mass media, Politics, religion, religious liberty, Social issues, Web/tech
It's tricky: Donald Trump tries, once again, to nail down a personal Christian testimony
It was a tricky question when Jesus asked his disciples: "Whom say ye that I am?"
This was still a tricky question when conservative columnist Cal Thomas posed a version of it to Donald Trump, while interviewing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
"You have confessed that you are a Christian," said Thomas.
Trump responded: "And I have also won much evangelical support."
"Yes, I know that," said Thomas. "You have said you never felt the need to ask for God's forgiveness, and yet repentance for one's sins is a precondition to salvation. I ask you the question Jesus asked of Peter: Who do you say He is?"
Trump responded: "I will be asking for forgiveness, but hopefully I won't have to be asking for much forgiveness. As you know, I am Presbyterian and Protestant. … We have tremendous support from the clergy. I think I will be doing very well during the election with evangelicals and with Christians. … I'm going to treat my religion, which is Christian, with great respect and care."
Thomas repeated the question: "Who do you say Jesus is?"
Trump tried again: "Jesus to me is somebody I can think about for security and confidence. Somebody I can revere in terms of bravery and in terms of courage and, because I consider the Christian religion so important, somebody I can totally rely on in my own mind."
Tagged: Donald Trump, Bishop E.W. Jackson, Time magazine, 2016 campaign, White House, Jerry Falwell Jr., Bible, Religious Right, abortion
worship, Web/tech, Social issues, religion, evangelicals
Last sermon from the police officer/pastor in Colorado Springs -- Time is short
As he began his last sermon, Hope Chapel co-pastor Garrett Swasey told newcomers that if they wanted to understand his point of view they needed to know that he was also a police officer in Colorado Springs.
Thus, he was used to being surrounded by lots of distractions while trying to focus on life-and-death issues -- like spotting threats to public safety. In this multitasking age, he said, it's easy to let the clutter of daily life hide what really matters.
"I have been quoted on a number of occasions and I never seem to get quoted on the things that I would like to be quoted on, and I'm quoted on the things that I don't really prefer to be quoted on," said the 44-year-old Swasey, one of several ordained elders at this small evangelical congregation.
"One of those things -- you've all heard me say this before -- is, 'Give me three seconds and I'll forget the Gospel.' Right? It's like I have some kind of spiritual ADD."
The congregation laughed as Swasey led them on a witty tour of his own mind, where serious thoughts about sin and forgiveness -- "Focus on the Gospel, focus on the Gospel, focus on the Gospel" -- crash into, "How the heck did Denver lose to Indy?" or visions from Three Stooges movies or nagging concerns about a superstar quarterback in New England improperly deflating footballs.
It's hard to focus on the eternal, he stressed, again and again. But it's crucial to try, because the clock is running and no one knows how much time they have left.
Two weeks later, the congregation gathered in mourning after Swasey -- on duty at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs -- was killed after he voluntarily responded to calls for help at the nearby Planned Parenthood facility.
Tagged: abortion, Colorado Springs, Planned Parenthood, Garrett Swasey, police, pro-life
World religions, World, sex, Social issues, Politics, Marriage, family life, Catholics, religious liberty
Candidate Hillary Clinton casts judgment on our very religious world
Looking at women's lives worldwide, Hillary Clinton is convinced that faith ioffers strength and hope to many, while "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases" continue to oppress others.
The Democratic presidential candidate cited her own Methodist heritage as an example of positive faith during the recent Women in the World Summit in New York City. But religion's dark side, she said, is easily seen when doctrines limit access to "reproductive health care" and cause discrimination against gays and the transgendered.
In the future, she stressed, politicians will need to force religious leaders to change these ancient teachings to fit modern laws.
"Far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health," said Clinton, focusing on issues she emphasized as secretary of state.
"All the laws that we've passed don't count for much if they're not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice, not just on paper. Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will and deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."
The Kennedy Center crowd responded with cheers and applause.
Tagged: Hillary Clinton, Planned Parenthood, abortion, transgendered, gay rights, New York City, feminism, Hobby Lobby, Democrats
Catholics, doctrine, family life, Godbeat, Marriage, mass media, sex, Social issues, World
Is this pope Catholic? The debate heats up
With Catholic leaders still sweating after the Extraordinary Synod on the Family firestorm, Pope Francis has once again tried to cool things down -- by publicly affirming core church doctrines.
The question, however, was whether Catholics could balance edgy front-page headlines about sex, divorce, cohabitation, homosexuality and modern families with the pontiff's orthodox sermons, which have received very little ink in the mainstream press.
"We know that today marriage and the family are in crisis," said Pope Francis, opening this week's Vatican conference on "The Complimentarity of Man and Woman in Marriage." It drew 300 leaders from a many world religions, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and several branches of Christianity.
Rather than yielding to the "culture of the temporary," the pope said, it's time to stress that "children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother. ... Do not fall into the trap of being swayed by political notion. Family is an anthropological fact -- a socially and culturally related fact. We cannot qualify it based on ideological notions or concepts important only at one time in history. We can't think of conservative or progressive notions."
Tagged: abortion, Euthanasia, Pope Francis, media bias, Russell Shaw, Ross Douthat, The New York Times


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Q: android Method setOnPreparedListener must be called from the UI thread, currently inferred thread is worker I am loading video from async task and get this error

Method setOnPreparedListener must be called from the UI thread, currently inferred thread is worker.

 @Override
    protected Void doInBackground(Void... params) {

        videoView.setOnPreparedListener(new MediaPlayer.OnPreparedListener() {

            public void onPrepared(MediaPlayer mp) {
                progressDialog.dismiss();
                videoView.start();
                duration = videoView.getDuration();
            }
        });

        do {

            current = videoView.getCurrentPosition();
            System.out.println("duration - " + duration + " current- "
                    + current);

            if (sync.isCancelled())
                break;

        }

        while (current != duration || current == 0);

        return null;
    }

What to do?

A: Move it to onPreExecute(Executed on the UI thread). Inside your AsyncTask add this:
    @Override
    protected void onPreExecute() {
        videoView.setOnPreparedListener(new MediaPlayer.OnPreparedListener() {

            public void onPrepared(MediaPlayer mp) {
                progressDialog.dismiss();
                videoView.start();
                duration = videoView.getDuration();
            }
        });

    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' revolution turns 40
Mixing rock, pop and RnB like never before, Michael Jackson's "Thriller", 40 years old next week, became the most successful album of all time and defined a coming era with its audiovisual ambition.
"Thriller" has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide since its release on November 30, 1982.
It consecrated Jackson as the "King of Pop" and remains a musical lodestone.
Even renewed allegations of paedophilia in the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland" failed to dent his popularity, and Jackson's reach has continued to grow, with his music currently ranked 60th in the world on Spotify with 36.7 million monthly streams.
His influence is still all over the charts, not least in the form of The Weeknd, whose music has channelled Jackson, from an early cover of "Dirty Diana" (2010's "DD") through to his recent chart-topping album "Dawn FM".
"Michael is somebody that I admire. He's not like a real person, you know? When I started making music, that's all I wanted to aspire to, just like every other musician," the Canadian singer-songwriter told GQ magazine recently.
Much of the magic on "Thriller" is thanks to producer Quincy Jones, who had worked with Jackson on 1979's "Off The Wall".
"The record company didn't want Quincy for 'Off The Wall'. They took a dim view of this producer from the jazz world — music that sold peanuts in the eyes of the industry," said Olivier Cachin, author of two books on Jackson.
But the collaboration saw sparks fly — literally on one occasion.
"When we were finishing 'Beat It'… we were working five nights and five days, with no sleep. And at one point, the speakers overloaded and caught on fire!" Jones recalled to Rolling Stone.
Sammie Okposo's management reveals how he died, says he didn't slump
Watch video of Kizz Daniel as he performs at World Cup in Qatar
News1 week ago
Governor Sanwo-Olu promises salary increase for street sweepers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


LONDON — Ambitious Dutch TV group Eyeworks has acquired respected compatriot production house Egmond Film & Television.
Under the deal, Egmond will be fully incorporated into Eyeworks, and the new outfit will trade as Eyeworks Egmond. CEO Hans de Weer will remain on board.
The acquisition is part of Eyeworks' ongoing drive to break into drama and film.
Oerlemans, who founded Amsterdam-based Eyeworks in 2001, noted the Egmond deal was in keeping with his outfit's international ambitions.


We all know where Squires Gate is, but to define the location exactly is useful in the context of understanding the emblem of Squires Gate FC.
If we consider the southern section of the Fylde Coast then we see running essentially north from the estuary of the River Ribble a string of towns and areas including, in order south to north, Lytham, Lytham St Annes, Squires Gate and Blackpool.
If we then look at the emblem of Squires Gate FC we note the main feature is a portcullis and, specifically, a chained portcullis.
The use of a portcullis in heraldry is well established, having been one of the devices used by the Tudor kings and queens throughout the Tudor period (1485 – 1603).
If we then consider that a portcullis, as well as being a heavy metal grille used to bar the gateway to a castle, could also be described as simply a gate. Add that to the word Squire meaning a chief landowner of, normally, a rural estate then we might just have found the origin of Squires Gate.
Some four miles or so to the south of Squires Gate FC stands Lytham Hall. This somewhat stately home has a fascinating history of which space constraints in an article of this nature prevent me going into in great detail but, in summary. Lytham Hall is now a Grade 1 listed 18th century country house built in the Palladian style but the history of a house on this site goes back quite a bit further.
Originally there was a Benedictine Priory on the site (12th century). The land and buildings were acquired in the 16th century by Sir Cuthbert Clifton and the current Lytham Hall was commissioned by Thomas Clifton.
In addition to the grand country house, the Lytham Estate consisted of extensive grounds including land which was purchased by Sir Cuthbert in nearby Great Marton. Whilst the current Lytham Hall parkland has been reduced to 78 acres, the grounds were very extensive back in the Georgian period and may well have "joined up" Lytham with Marton by-passing the coastal Lytham St. Annes.
The significance of this for our story is that Squires Gate FC is in the area of Blackpool known as Marton. From this, it is tempting to think that there was a huge long driveway up to Lytham Hall (4 miles away) from a gatehouse, protected by a portcullis, located somewhere in Marton.
This seems somewhat unlikely, particularly as there is evidence of the gatehouse having been located at Hastings Place in Lytham before being relocated to the current hall.
The Clifton family are often described as great eccentrics and travellers. There are many tales to tell but the family line came to an end in 1979 when Henry Talbot De Vere Clifton, known to his friends as Harry, died having spent his inheritance having left Lytham Hall in the hands of his creditors some years earlier. The title of Squire of Lytham now rests with James Hilton.
The remainder of the emblem takes us into more familiar territory featuring, as it does, the Red Rose of Lancaster on the purple pale at the top of the shield. This is repeated, in a slightly different representation, below the portcullis.
The two red creatures seen facing in towards the Red Rose pose something of a challenge heraldically. They appear to be lions and, specifically, demi-lions in that only half of each creature is visible. Normally when a demi-lion is used it is shown with both front legs raised (rampant) but not in this case. Equally, two demi-lions facing each other is most unusual.
As befits the identifier of a football club, the place on the emblem where a motto might reside is occupied by the name of the club.
Keen readers may well have realised that the above is based on little but speculation. It is often the case that the origins of emblems are lost in the mists of time and that a certain amount of poetic licence might be needed when attempting to explain the meaning.
In the case of Squires Gate FC we can suggest that this is almost certainly the case as no one at the club can ever remember the club emblem being any different from what it is today. Squires Gate FC have some of our longest serving volunteers, around 60 years in one case, which is quite remarkable.
Given that, should anyone out there reading this with far greater knowledge then please feel free to get in touch.


There's a new buzzword in the financial services marketplace: customer experience (CX).
One of the biggest challenges for financial institutions today is to deliver a high-level customer experience that's relevant and seamless while providing added value in both the physical and digital realms.
Unfortunately, financial institutions generally fall short of this goal. According to the North America Consumer Digital Banking Survey conducted by Accenture Consulting, 73 percent of customers said the experiences they received from their banks' physical (branch), online, and mobile channels were less than seamless.
There are substantial costs to under-delivering on CX. A recent report by Fenergo revealed that financial institutions lose $10 billion in revenue a year because of poor customer experience, largely due to unsatisfactory onboarding processes and inefficient data management.
Efforts by financial institutions to adopt digital processes have been inconsistent. The most successful institutions have taken a holistic approach to digital transformation and integration across the banking ecosystem in order to gain market share across all age groups.
The mortgage industry, in particular, is facing an uphill climb when it comes to merging physical and digital customer experiences. One out of five mortgage customers do not use digital channels at any point in the mortgage purchase process, the Accenture survey found. "The industry still has a long road ahead to advancing digital capabilities to be on par with other industries and customer expectations," the authors stated.
The auto finance industry also has a ways to go when it comes to a seamless physical and digital customer experience. With car buyers becoming increasingly comfortable shopping in a digital environment, drawing customers into physical dealer showrooms isn't necessarily going to be the best sales strategy for auto lenders going forward. The auto lending lifecycle and typical customer's car-buying journey have changed — customers now expect a fast, easy, and simplified financing application process.
The same goes for consumer lending. According to research conducted by PWC, the majority of borrowers — especially young borrowers — now prefer to apply for loans online. Lenders who expect to compete in the consumer loan sector must have viable digital loan application processes that integrate seamlessly with the experiences offered at their physical locations.
The clock is ticking, though, because more and more customers now expect their banks to offer advanced digital capabilities. They have high digital expectations in every other area of their lives, whether it's hailing an Uber or listening to Pandora on their smartphones or watching Netflix on their smart TVs. Why shouldn't they expect it from their lenders when it comes to getting a mortgage, car loan, or personal loan as well?
The good news is that many banks seem to realize the importance of leveraging digital technologies to their fullest extents. About half of banking executives say that "enhancing the customer experience" is a top investment priority for their institutions, according to CSI's Executive Report on Banking Priorities.
Using digital technology to streamline and simplify the mortgage process can help financial institutions differentiate their loan products and boost customer satisfaction and loyalty in an increasingly competitive market environment. This may result in more long-term customer relationships and higher profitability.
The validity of the eNote is critical to the successful sale of the loan into the secondary market. eNotes offer added convenience while enabling faster transactions and improved quality control.
This encapsulates the settlement and closing process by including all the documents needed to execute the loan. eClosings streamline the customer experience for customers while speeding up turnaround times, improving data quality, and boosting efficiency.
This serves as a digital storage place for the eNote where authorized users can perform key actions against the eNote. It gives originators, warehouse lenders, investors, and loan servicers the ability to manage electronic assets.
Until recently, misunderstandings and misinformation with regard to the legalities, enforceability, and transferability of eNotes was holding back widespread adoption of digital lending. But growing market acceptance, along with case law regarding the enforceability and validity of eNotes, is helping pave the way to a digital lending revolution.
Two recent court cases in particular have set precedents for the validity of digital lending, specifically as it relates to digital mortgages. In April 2016, a New York court reversed a ruling in which a foreclosure was dismissed due to the borrower having given an eSignature on an eNote for the mortgage. The court ruled that the eSignature and eNote constituted a clear record of transfer and ownership, thus rendering the foreclosure allowable.
The following week, a Florida appeals court ruled in favor of Wells Fargo Bank in a foreclosure case, stating that the eNote used by the bank was sufficient to prove that the government-sponsored enterprise Fannie Mae owned the note, which enabled Wells Fargo to move forward with the foreclosure.
These cases established the fact that electronically signed promissory notes secured by real property are legally enforceable by lenders, and the implication of this precedent will extend to other forms of consumer lending as well.
Since the financial crisis, lenders have been forced to look for alternative sources of value other than financial leverage due to increased regulations and growing competitive challenges. Digital technology offers an opportunity to create shareholder value, engage customers, and build trust by streamlining the sales, marketing, customer onboarding, and account opening and servicing functions.
In short, financial institutions need to focus on serving the right customers at the right time, with the right services and at the right cost. Or in other words, they should focus on creating an outstanding customer experience.
Part of this is offering personalized products and pricing to customers. Digital tools allow the kind of customization marketers only dreamed of in the past. Access to customer-specific data and analytics allows lenders to examine profitability on a customer-by-customer basis and offer customized products and pricing.
Improving the customer experience by using digital technology can lead to a high return on investment for financial institutions. This is achieved through a combination of lower channel costs, digital self-service, churn reduction, new customer and product acquisition, and higher revenue. But keep in mind that maximizing ROI requires that digital adoption be achieved at scale.
Just as important, failing to deliver a high-level customer experience by adopting digital technologies can lead to tremendous lost opportunity costs and declining relevance in the marketplace. Financial institutions that fall behind in this area will likely see increasing levels of customer attrition and stagnant growth in new customers and product sales.
CX is affecting all types of consumer lending, and financial instutions should be looking for ways to innovate internally as well as partner with vendors that can help them reach borrowers with user-friendly, secure digital options.
The poster child for digitizing the mortgage application and lending process is Quicken Loans' Rocket Mortgage, which was introduced to the public via a Super Bowl ad in 2016. This is a fully digital, mobile-friendly mortgage loan that allows borrowers to go through the mortgage application process at their own pace. They can get pre-approved in minutes and have access to a wide selection of purchase and mortgage refinance products, including conventional, FHA, VA and USDA mortgage loans. Borrowers also have digital access to mortgage bankers for assistance as needed.
While mortgages are essentially a commodity, Rocket Mortgage has made the application process unique. Due largely to the success of Rocket Mortgage, Quicken Loans is now the largest online retail mortgage lender in the U.S. Quicken Loans closed more than $400 billion in mortgage loans between 2013 and 2017.
Additionally, marketplace lenders like LendingClub, Prosper, Sofi and CommonBond are also leading the way when it comes to using digital tools to offer a better customer experience. Digital technologies like Docusign's eSignature and eOriginal for vaulting original documents are making it much easier to execute digital-only mortgage transactions.
Like mortgage lending to buying a home, auto financing is integral to the car-buying experience. Most people apply for some measure of financing, so the borrowing process should be built into the customer journey. Increased collaboration between dealers and lenders will allow for that.
Dealers are on the front lines in the car-buying experience. They're the ones nurturing the customer relationship, answering questions, and assisting buyers in selecting the right vehicle. It's natural that they also be the ones to aid buyers through the financing process. But when PwC and AutoFi interviewed car buyers, many customers complained about the lack of transparency and service in the financing component. They referenced long wait times, stacks of paperwork, and a lack of acknowledgement of their preferences.
AutoFi addresses those pain points with a fully digital approval process that allows customers to have greater control over their car-buying choices. They can choose which vehicles they'd like to finance, as well as decide on any add-ons from the comfort of their own homes — not when they're in a sales agent's office, exhausted and under pressure. Customers can also apply for financing and receive a credit decision within minutes, then schedule the pick-up of their new vehicles digitally as well.
The AutoFi platform caters to the trend toward autonomy. People want to browse and shop online. They conduct their own research, then home in on their purchase selections. They increasingly expect to finish the transaction digitally as well, without having to sit in an office being sold to or feeling rushed to sign on for financial agreements they don't fully understand. Digitizing the financing process allows for greater consumer education and autonomy.
Genpact reported that auto financing could further evolve as lenders and manufacturers invest in more user-friendly features. These might include better comparison tools, as well as the implementation of predictive analytics to deliver customized offers and rates. Customized rates are especially important, as people can develop skewed expectations solely by looking at rate averages. Because lending decisions depend on an individual's income, debt-to-income ratio, and credit history, researching average rates provides an inaccurate, or at least incomplete, picture. Customers may find themselves frustrated to learn that they qualify for less financing than they anticipated or that they're subject to a much higher interest rate.
Proactively sending customized rates and offers not only sets consumers' expectations more accurately, it cuts through the noise they endure in standard auto financing experiences. Companies can develop educational campaigns around different customer segments based on their demographics and income levels, as well as leverage new analytics and underwriting technology to provide smarter, faster credit decisions.
According to Genpact, a properly integrated workflow can reduce the time it takes for an account to go into manual review by 50 percent. The company also noted that artificial intelligence could scan contracts for missing information instantaneously, potentially decreasing the length of time it takes to complete the loan process and reducing tedious back and forth that detracts from the customer experience.
Student loan debt is one of the most prominent — and least understood — lending areas in the U.S. More than 44 million Americans collectively owe $1.48 trillion in student loans. But as Student Loan Hero reported, many student borrowers are misinformed about their loan terms and obligations. Fifty-two percent were unaware that interest accrues on the loans while they're in school, and the majority said they were only "somewhat confident" in their understanding of student loan debt.
It's clear that an improved customer experience is urgently needed. The U.S. Department of Federal Student Aid (FSA) recognized that it needed to overhaul the experience to reach its application goals and reduce loan defaults. By developing social media campaigns and analyzing student behaviors on the FSA website, the department was able to simplify the online experience and tailor it to users' core interests, former chief customer experience officer Brenda Wensil said in an interview with McKinsey.
But the government isn't the only lender working to establish a better student loan borrowing experience. SoFi is an alternative lending company that offers student loan refinancing services. Borrowers can obtain pre-approval within minutes, after which they're given options related to their interest rates and monthly payment terms. They can also upload the necessary documents and sign their loans electronically.
In addition to its lending component, the company also offers extensive educational information for prospective borrowers. These include primers on basic student loan terms, as well as pay-off and savings calculators to help borrowers gain a better understanding of how to manage the debt.
Despite the inroads being made toward a better customer experience, hindrances to progress remain. One of these is the challenge of finding investors and capital partners who are comfortable dealing with the unique characteristics of digital loans.
Loans originated digitally have unique digital characteristics that traditional paper-based loans don't have. These include electronic promissory notes (eNotes) and electronic signatures (eSignatures), as noted earlier. Unfortunately, not all capital partners are prepared yet to manage these digital characteristics.
For example, with digital mortgages, eSignatures captured using Docusign must be stored in an eVault. If this isn't done properly, the mortgages could become illiquid, in which case they couldn't be sold to investors in the secondary market.
Therefore, loan originators need to reconcile their efforts to adopt digital technology in order to deliver a better customer experience with investors' expectations of and capabilities for handling loan documentation. Both sides of the equation — the customer side and the investor side — need to be considered as institutions formulate their digital and CX strategies going forward.
The fact is that as the industry strives to make things simpler and easier for customers by using digital technology, this inevitably makes things more difficult and complex for lenders and capital providers. Finding partners who are willing to embrace the challenges and complexities presented by digital technologies requires time and effort.
Creating these kinds of win-win partnerships takes real diligence and effort on the part of loan originators and capital partners. This kind of collaboration can't be accomplished solely by exchanging emails and text messages or reviewing spreadsheets. It requires lenders and investors to get in a room together and have deep, meaningful conversations.
Tremendous opportunity lies ahead for lenders that are willing to invest resources into using digital technology to deliver a better customer experience. But there are no shortcuts to success.


One of the most memorable cars in motoring history is no doubt the Citroën DS. And with a new contributor on this log with the alias 'La DS Margot', let me haste to be the first to post a Goddess! Just round the corner of Coolhaven, this beautiful Citroën can be found. I reckon it a DS Pallas, but aren't quite sure. Anyone?
The details on this car are so nice! Just look at the taillights, the nose, the roof! All the chrome trimming, fancy but not over the top… Really a remarkable car. The Citroën DS was build between 1955 and 1975, and by the looks of it I reckon this an early one? The DS is well-known for its futuristic, aerodynamic body design from Italian designer Bertoni, and for its innovative technology. Best known is its hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension system, now almost stereotypical for Citroën.