Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS^®), a mortgage loan origination software, residential servicing software and commercial servicing software provider, recently hosted its 28^thAnnual Users' Conference, drawing close to 300 lenders, servicers and industry partners to Dallas for the three-day event.

FICS' Annual Users' Conference provides attendees with access to valuable activities and demonstrations, user-focused workshops and panels, as well as direct interaction with the organization's technology experts. Additionally, attendees gain insight into best practices from educational sessions covering a wide range of topics impacting the mortgage industry today.

"FICS' user conference helps our team connect with our peers and learn from FICS' experts on the ways to best leverage technology," said Larissa Torres, senior director of first mortgage for Phoenix-based Desert Schools Credit Union. "The chance to provide feedback on the direction of future products and updates, as well as the high level of service we always receive, demonstrates their dedication to our success."

Dawn Gibbs, CEO and chairman of the board for FICS, provided attendees with key insights on the expanding role of technology in today's evolving mortgage industry. Gibbs also reaffirmed FICS' dedication to the continual innovation of existing mortgage processes, as well as the importance of the one-on-one customer support they have become synonymous with.

"Our industry, by its nature, is one that demands a personal touch because buying a home is emotionally a much deeper transaction than almost any other purchase that a consumer will make," Gibbs said in her opening speech. "My goal at FICS is to continue developing software solutions to assist our users in being more efficient and, therefore, more productive, while preserving the value of the human element."

FICS' president and COO, Susan Graham, further elaborated on the company's magnified focus on innovation. "For us, success is building innovative ideas into tools that you can use to make your business stronger," she explained. "As times change in the mortgage industry, we're proactively progressing our products to help you make the changes needed to remain profitable and competitive."

In addition to enhancements that have been implemented since last year's conference, Graham also illustrated key developments being introduced over the next year, such as the release of the next generation of FICS' residential servicing software, Mortgage Servicer. Rewritten to the .NET Framework, Mortgage Servicer users are eager to experience the rich Windows^® Presentation Foundation user interface, as well as multi-tiered shareable services in the platform.

"SACU previewed the new Mortgage Servicer, which will be released later this year. All the key tasks are grouped in one place, and the workflow is very intuitive," said Mark Cox, technical services manager, SACU (San Antonio Federal Credit Union). "Based on what I saw, this tool has the potential to make our staff's job easier."

"Year after year, we strive to provide FICS customers with a conference experience that goes beyond simply showcasing the latest products or services available. Rather, we focus on utilizing the event as an avenue to directly interact with our customers," continued Graham. "It is from these valuable conversations that we are able to gather additional insight to not only fuel our ongoing success, but also provide our customers with the knowledge and tools to do the same for their businesses."

The 2015 Users' Conference will be held on April 8-10 in Dallas.

About FICS

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc. (FICS), specializes in providing flexible, comprehensive residential and commercial software solutions to the mortgage industry. FICS' software systems are designed to operate on Microsoft^® Windows^® platforms using Microsoft^® .NET Framework that include a rich Windows^® Presentation Foundation user interface and multi-tiered shareable services. The company also provides innovative document management and web-based capabilities in its full suite of products. Additional information about FICS is available at www.FICS.com.