inquiry response tool (irt) user manual - fannie mae · © 2017 fannie mae. trademarks of fannie...

© 2017 Fannie Mae. Trademarks of Fannie Mae. 3.27.2018

Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) User Manual March 2018

© 2017 Fannie Mae. Trademarks of Fannie Mae. 3.27.2018 2 of 31

Introduction

Fannie Mae launched the Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) vendor portal in 2015. The IRT portal enhances the way the Fannie Mae Expense Reimbursement team manages customer service inquiries related to claims processing, excess fees, and Deficiency Collections. This Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Submitter User Manual has been created to assist in the submission of questions related to expense reimbursement or excess fees, such as claims in denied, curtailed, AAA Clarification, or pending status.


Table of Contents

Introduction ..........................................................................................................2

Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Overview ..............................................................4

IRT Submitter .............................................................................................................. 4

Flow Chart and Timeline ......................................................................................5

IRT Key Terms ......................................................................................................6

Inquiry Type ................................................................................................................ 6 Vendor ID Numbers .................................................................................................... 6 Inquiry Category .......................................................................................................... 6

Inquiry Status .................................................................................................... 10

Log in Screen ..................................................................................................... 11

Request My Password/Username ............................................................................. 12 Password Reset ................................................................................................................................ 13 Request Username ........................................................................................................................... 13

Inquiry Tab ......................................................................................................... 14

View Repository ........................................................................................................ 14 Assigned Users Tab .................................................................................................. 15

Active Users ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Search Inquiries ........................................................................................................ 16 User Manual and Key Terms .................................................................................... 16

Submit an Inquiry .............................................................................................. 17

Single Inquiry Submission ......................................................................................... 17 Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections Create New Inquiry ........................................................... 18

Batch Inquiry Submission.......................................................................................... 19

Respond to an Inquiry ...................................................................................... 21

Additional Information is Needed .............................................................................. 21 Analyst Response ..................................................................................................... 22

Inquiry Detail ............................................................................................................. 24 Root Cause ............................................................................................................... 24

Users Tab ........................................................................................................... 26

Add New User ........................................................................................................... 26 Change External Role ............................................................................................... 28

Manage Notifications ................................................................................................ 30 Password Reset Notification Email ........................................................................... 31


Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Overview

The IRT portal improves our ability to respond and track inquiries related to Expense Reimbursement claims, including questions related to expenses denied, curtailed, or pending, unclear guidelines around a claim submission, Promissory Note, Deficiency Collections, and IPA Access/Issue. The intent of the portal is not to assist with the claim, deficiency collections or IPA submission procedures, but to answer questions related to the decision or pending decision of a specific claim or request as needed.

IRT Submitter

IRT is the single resource for performing the following tasks:

Submitting a claim reimbursement, Promissory Note, Deficiency Collections, or Excess Fee inquiry

Tracking the progress of an inquiry

Viewing the history of previous inquiries on a loan


Flow Chart and Timeline

The IRT workflow will be managed on a seven (7) day timetable. The submitter will have seven (7) days from the time it populates into their queue to take action. If no action is taken after the 7th day, then the inquiry will move to a Completed status.


IRT Key Terms

The following key terms are used in the system:

Inquiry Type

This Inquiry Type is based on your vendor/servicer profile.

Non-Servicer – These inquiries will primarily be for REO vendors.

Servicer – These inquiries will primarily be Servicer related.

Reverse Servicer – These inquiries will be for Reverse Mortgage inquiries.

Reverse Non-Servicer – These inquiries will be Reverse Mortgage inquiries for REO vendors.

Reverse HUD Claims Packaging – These inquiries will be for inquiries related to the HUD Claims Packaging process.

MDC Firm – This is for inquiries related to Excess Fees and Costs.

Deficiency Collections – The collection pursuit of strategic defaulters for deficiency balances after foreclosure.

Home-Saver Advance – The collection pursuit of borrowers who signed a Home-Saver Advance Note as part of a workout solution to avoid foreclosure.

Promissory Note – The collection pursuit of borrowers who signed a promissory note as part of a workout solution during liquidation of the property (DIL/SS).

Vendor ID Numbers

SSID – Seller Servicer ID

Vendor ID – Vendor Number

Inquiry Category

The category is based on the type of inquiry being submitted.

Category Description

Expense Curtailed The claim was not paid in its entirety. Only part of the claim was paid.

Expense Denied The entire claim was denied.

Expense Pending The claim has been submitted, but not yet been paid, rejected/denied or curtailed.

System Issue The system used to submit claims is causing claims to be rejected/denied.

Unclear Guidelines The current expense reimbursement submission guidelines or supporting job aids are not clear on how to submit claims.

Excess Fee This category should be used only for inquiries specific to the excess attorney fees process.

PFM – Prod Framework Mgmt

Used as directed for claims submitted through the PFM Claim Type only.



PFM – QC Document Request

Used as directed for claims submitted through the PFM Claim Type only.

Manual Claim Request (Internal Use Only)

This is for claim reimbursement expense that cannot be processed via traditional claim processing channels (request requires business pre-approval).

Red Flag Referrals (Internal Use Only)

This is to be used by internal vendor primary users to escalate red flag related items.

Fee Rebuttal/Escalation (MDC Firm Use Only)

The fee was denied, curtailed, or the user is requesting an additional Fannie Mae review.

Cost Rebuttal/Escalation (MDC Firm Use Only)

The cost was denied, curtailed, or the user is requesting an additional Fannie Mae review.

IPA Access/Issue (MDC Firm Use Only)

The system used to submit IPA requests is not working properly or a user is having trouble accessing the system.

AAA Clarification (MDC Firm Use Only)

This option is requesting additional information or clarification with regards to the AAA Matrix.

General Inquiry (MDC Firm Use Only)

This option is for general IPA inquiries.

Document Request (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

Request for any additional documents relative to the claim, excluding eviction chronology and marketable title letter.

Eviction Chronology (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

Detailed timeline of events that took place during the eviction process from the eviction firm.

HUD Claim Return (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

Use if a claim is returned or rejected.

Marketable Title Incorrect/Issue (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

To be used if it is determined that dates relative to the marketable dates submitted are incorrect.

Missing Initial/Missing Supplemental (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

To be used if there is a claim that is due, but it has not yet been received.

Other (Reverse HUD Claims Packaging Use Only)

Use when inquiries are not covered by other inquiry categories.



General Inquiry (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

General inquiry (not specific to just data)

Data Request (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

General request for data only/adhoc.

NPI Request (SSN) (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

Missing SSN/requesting non-public information for collection purposes.

MI Data (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections Use Only)

Issues concerning promissory notes/deficiency collections, and MI companies.

Note Request Validation (Promissory Note Use Only)

Missing Promissory note/research requested.

Settlement Approval (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

The request for a settlement which is below collection vendor’s threshold.

Legal (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections Use Only)

Legal defense issues and/or approval to seek legal pursuit against borrower(s).

Reporting (Promissory Note Use Only)

Items related to remittance or collection activity reporting as well as missing prom notes report.

Settlement Campaign Approval (Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only) Use Only)

Approval for collection campaigns that cover a large bandwidth of accounts at reduced settlement amounts.

BPO Request (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

The request for PDF copies of BPO/appraisals.

Referral Request (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

The request from collection vendor to refer an account for collection pursuit. Reason for the request is necessary.



IRS Form 1099C (Deficiency Collections/Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

Reporting and/or issues related specifically to IRS form 1099c.

Document Executions (Assignments) (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

The request from a vendor to have a document executed by Fannie Mae and/or Servicer.

Reporting (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

Items related to remittance, DVD, Vendor Assign List, or other misc. reports generated by collection vendor or Fannie Mae.

Incomplete Boarding Data (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

Issues and/or requests related specifically to the Vendor Assign List report that is generated by Fannie Mae and sent to collection vendor.

Servicer Contacts/Data/Document Requests (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

The request for information from servicer(s) where Fannie Mae’s involvement is required.

QAR Request/Follow-up (Deficiency Collections Use Only)

Any correspondence that is specifically related to the QC process known as QAR, Quality Assurance Review.

Deboarding Issue (Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

Items related specifically to the mass closing of accounts within the H.S.A portfolio

Reporting (Home-Saver Advance Use Only)

Items related to remittance, collection activity, Dashboards, or other misc. reports generated by collection vendor or Fannie Mae.


Inquiry Status

Status Definition

Draft Submitter can save work in progress before they submit the inquiry.

New System assigned, but not yet reviewed.

In Progress Fannie Mae review started.

Pending IRT submission returned to submitter for additional information.

Cancelled IRT submission returned to submitter, but additional information was not received within 7 days.

Completed Fannie Mae review completed and sent to submitter for review.

Re-Opened The submitter Re-Opened the Completed inquiry.

Re-Opened In Progress Fannie Mae review of the Re-Opened inquiry is in progress.

Re-Opened Pending The inquiry was sent to the submitter, pending additional information.

Final Review The submitter Re-Opened the Completed inquiry for a second time. This will be the last opportunity for a rebuttal.

Final Review In Progress Fannie Mae final review of the Re-Opened inquiry is in progress.

Final Pending The inquiry was sent to the submitter, pending additional information. This will be in a Final Review stage.

Research New The inquiry was assigned to the Research Analyst, not yet reviewed.

Research In Progress Research review started.

Research Pending IRT submission returned to submitter by the research team for additional information.

Closed 48 hour hold of the Completed inquiry expires or Submitter accepts response from the Research Analyst.


Log in Screen

1. After receiving your user name and initial password via email, type or click the following link

http://fanniemae.decisionreadysolutions.com to access the Inquiry Response Tool (IRT).

2. Type your User Name and Password and click Submit.

Note: You may be asked to change your password after your initial log-in. Please follow the password requirements below to setup your new password.

http://fanniemae.decisionreadysolutions.com/


Request My Password/Username

This feature provides an automated link to request a password reset and/or to retrieve the username. The link is located on the login screen.

1. Click the Forgot My Password/Username to retrieve the data.

2. Select the option for the data that needs to be retrieved.


Password Reset

Enter your Username, Email Address, and click Submit to reset the password.

Note: The system will send an email to the email address on file with a new temporary password.

Request Username

Enter your Email Address on file and click Submit to request username.

Note: The system will send an email to the email address on file with the Username.


Inquiry Tab

The Dashboard screen is your home screen after you log-in. This screen allows submitters to view, search, submit, and respond to inquiries.

Below are the actions that can be performed in this screen:

A. Dashboard (Home Screen)

B. View Repository

C. Users Tab

D. Search Inquiries

E. User Manual and Key Terms

F. Logout

G. Search Filters - These filters will allow narrow your search of current or previous inquiries depending

on the criteria selected.

H. Search Inquiries in your queue - The search function will return results from your queue that

matches the selected criteria.

I. Remaining Active Days - This section shows how many days remain for the submitter to Accept or

Re-Open the inquiry. Action is required on behalf of the submitter. If no action is taken, then the

inquiry will move to a closed or cancelled status.

J. View Inquiries - Inquiries will display here based on the search criteria entered. These inquiries are

items that are still “active” and are pending further action.

View Repository

The screen below will allow you to search the entire inquiry system history by selecting the criteria:

A. Received From and To Date

B. Closed From and To Date


C. Last Activity Date

D. Status

E. Inquiry Type

F. Inquiry Category

G. Vendor Type

H. Assigned User

Assigned Users Tab

This tab will allow you to view Active and Disabled Users, Add New Users, edit user information, and manage notifications. This tab can only be viewed by a primary user role.

Note: Please go to the Add New User section at the back of this guide for instructions on how to add a user.

Active Users

The Active Users screen allows the Vendor Primary user to view current active users. This screen will let you view who is online and it will also let you take certain actions.

1. Reset – This icon will allow you to reset a user’s password.

2. Edit – This icon allows you to Edit User information, including manage notifications.

3. History – This icon will allow you to view a history of login attempts.


Search Inquiries

This function allows you to search previous inquiries using the options below:

Inquiry ID

REO ID

Loan Number

User Manual and Key Terms

This feature will allow the user to access the IRT User Manual and Key Terms.

1. Click the icon to access this information.

2. Click the Resources tab and then on the IRT – User Manual link to open the manual.

3. Click the Terms tab to view the Key Terms.


Submit an Inquiry

The vendor inquiry workstation will provide the ability to submit a single or a batch set of inquiries.

Single Inquiry Submission

Hover over the Inquiry tab and select Create New Inquiry option to submit an inquiry.

The submitter will be required to enter specific information with regards to the inquiry, denoted with an asterisk (*). The Create New Inquiry screen will vary depending on the Inquiry Type associated with the user’s profile. See the Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections Create New Inquiry screen.

Note: Reference the IRT Key Terms section for definitions on Inquiry Type and Inquiry Category.


Promissory Note/Deficiency Collections Create New Inquiry


Batch Inquiry Submission

Inquiries uploaded in a batch will be treated and addressed as individual inquiries once uploaded in the tool. Each batch may only contain one Inquiry Category per upload. Multiple batches may be necessary if submitting inquiries that require more than one Inquiry Category.

For example, if you have 100 inquiries and 50 of them are Expense Curtailed and 50 are Expense Denied, then you will have to submit two batches; one for each category.

1. Hover over the Inquiry tab and select Create Inquiry Batch to submit a batch inquiry.

You will be taken to the Create Inquiry Batch screen.

2. Click the Download Template link and either save or open the template file from the popup window.


The spreadsheet opens in Microsoft Excel.

3. Enter as much detail as possible, in addition to the required fields.

Note: The template upload must be in .CSV format.

4. Click the Upload Batch File button, once the file has been attached.

A message will appear under the Upload Batch File button letting you know if the upload was successful. The message will also include the Batch number associated with the upload. The inquiries will appear on your Dashboard in the Inquiry tab.


Respond to an Inquiry

The submitter will have a few options when the analyst responds to the inquiry, including: providing additional information, accept the analyst response, re-open the inquiry, save, or cancel the inquiry submission.

Additional Information is Needed

If the analyst responded to the inquiry and is requesting additional information, then the inquiry will appear on the submitter dashboard and it will be in one of the Pending status codes. The submitter will have seven (7) days to respond to the inquiry.

There are also a few different actions that the submitter can take with regards to a Pending inquiry:

Save – This action will save the inquiry if no action will be taken at that time. The inquiry will remain on your dashboard.

Submit – This action will send the inquiry back to the analyst.

Cancel – This action will cancel the inquiry and no action can be taken once this has been selected.

1. Click the Inquiry ID to open an inquiry from the Dashboard.

Once the inquiry is opened, the submitter will be able to add comments in the Vendor Comment section.

2. Type the additional information requested by the analyst if needed.

3. Click the Save Comment. If the Save Comment button is not selected prior to sending the inquiry

back to Fannie Mae, then the comments will be lost.

4. Decision the Pending inquiry with one of the three available options.

Note: The current character limit is set at 1000.


Comments provided by the analyst will be listed under the External type in the Inquiry Comment History section of the page.

Analyst Response

When the analyst provides a response to an inquiry, it will appear on the submitter dashboard in a Completed status. The submitter will have seven (7) days to respond to the inquiry. Comments provided by the analyst will be listed under the External type in the Inquiry Comment History section of the page.

There are also a few different actions that the submitter can take with regards to a Completed inquiry:

Accept – This action will close the case and no further action is needed.

Re-Open – This action will send the inquiry back to the analyst. If the submitter decides to Re-Open an inquiry, then the comments will have to be entered and saved before selecting the Re-Open button. Skipping the steps below will send the inquiry to the analyst with no comments.

1. Click the Inquiry ID to open the inquiry from the Dashboard.

Once the inquiry is opened, the submitter will be able to add comments in the Vendor Comment section.

2. Click the Re-Open button.

3. Type comments in response to the analyst response if needed and click Save Comment.


4. Decision the Pending inquiry with the Submit button.


Inquiry Detail

This tab is located at the top of the Inquiry Details screen. The Inquiry Activity provides an audit trail in regards to inquiry case assignments and case status movement. It tracks the Username, Role, Date and Time of change, and the description of change.

Root Cause

Submitters will have visibility to the Root Cause once the inquiry has been decisioned. The Root Cause field displays the reason, based on Fannie Mae’s assessment, for which inquiry was originally submitted. The Root Cause field will be visible for vendor Primary Users on the Inquiry Details Screen.

In addition to the Inquiry Details Screen, Secondary Users can view the Root Cause data within the Excel spreadsheet generated from the Repository Screen.

1. Select the desired search criteria and click Filter.


2. Click the Export to Excel icon once the desired criteria is displayed.

The results will be displayed on an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will initially be in a .CSV format.


Users Tab

Multiple Primary Users are available for vendors with multiple departments within the organization submitting inquiries, related to claims or excess fees and costs processing. The Primary User will create as many secondary users beneath their profile as needed per vendor/department. The Primary User manages their user profiles and controls who is submitting claim inquiries depending on staffing and resource level changes with their organization.

Add New User

To add a user, move your mouse over the Users tab and select Add New User.

You will be taken to the Create New User screen. Before clicking the Create button, fill out the required fields, which include the following:

Role – This will display available roles (Primary/Secondary).

Vendor – Vendor/Servicer name.

Select Inquiry Type – The available options will be based on the Vendor/Servicer profile

User Name – Currently, there are no specific User Name requirements.


Change External Role

Vendor Primary will have the functionality to update and/or change (within existing user profile) the following IRT roles from Vendor Primary to Vendor Secondary and Vendor Secondary to Vendor Primary. To change external role, move your mouse over the Users tab and select Add New User.

1. Select the role from the drop down tab.

2. Select the vendor name, if applicable.

3. Select the Inquiry type, if applicable.

4. Enter the name of the First and Last name of the user, Username, and Email address.

5. Click Update to finalize the changes

Note: Vendor Primary will have the functionality to update and/or change (within existing user profile) the

following IRT roles from Vendor Primary to Vendor Secondary and Vendor Secondary to Vendor Primary.


Manage Notifications

All vendors will receive email notifications from a DRS email address when inquiries submitted by the user are updated in the application.

Note: All users will be opted-in to receive notifications. The instructions below will help you manage the email notifications from the Vendor Primary role.

1. Click Active Users in the Users tab.

2. Click the Edit icon.

3. Click the Manage Notification Preferences link to update your notification preferences.


4. Click Submit to save the updates.

Users will receive notification emails similar to the one below.

Password Reset Notification Email

After 180 days of inactivity, users will receive an automated email notification regarding password reset. If

no action is taken, the user’s account will be deactivated.

The first notification will be sent out 14 days prior to account deactivation. A reminder email will be sent

out 7 days prior to account deactivation. The email provides a link to assist with password resets, as well

as contact information for additional assistance.

inquiry response tool (irt) user manual - fannie mae · © 2017 fannie mae. trademarks of fannie...

Documents