NORTH AMERICA BYTES

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) will install a mortgage management tool from Basis100, an e-commerce technology solutions provider.

The product, called HomeBASE, will be used by the bank's 450-strong residential mortgage sales force to submit application electronically to a central processing center. This allows the bank's mobile sales force to receive mortgage applications from clients and electronically submit those applications to mortgage insurers to quicken the qualification process. The system's sales tools and calculators also enable more personalized service to homebuyers.

"We have the best mobile mortgage sales force in the country who will now be supported by the best technology," said Scott Brown, vice president of Mortgages, Royal Bank of Canada. "This will only serve to increase the current high level of services our clients are telling us they are receiving from our specialists."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Hawaiian Bank will use an Internet-based cash management solution from Banklink, a division of Fiserv.

The technology, called WebLink, is a modular cash management solution that allows financial institution to deliver information and services to their corporate customers via the Web. The product utilizes standard browsers that let customers check balances, send ACH transactions, initiate internal funds transfers, request stop payments and send email messages to the bank.

"Banklink products offer our customers valuable time-saving features," said Donna Arakaki, vice president and manager of Cash Management, First Hawaiian Bank. "We get a combination of products and services from Banklink that has become our gold standard for vendor partnerships."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desjardins caisses, a Quebec-based financial institution, has selected a mobile transaction system from Wysdom Inc., a wireless software and infrastructure company.

The technology, called Mobyle Application PlatfromTM (MAP), allows users to manage information, commerce and communications on any device. Once installed this fall, the platform will allow Desjardins' clients to check account balances, and make bill payments, funds transfers and line of credit payments from their cellular phones.

"The wireless technology to be implements by Desjardins is one of the best to handle financial transactions," said Eric Lemieux, vice president of Electronic Access and Payments at the bank. "Wysdom's technology, along with its vast experience in the field of wireless financial services, will enable us to provide optimal service to our members."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JPMorgan Institutional Trust Services has unveiled a Web-based service center that provides information to bond customers.

By logging on to www.chase.com/bondholder, bond clients can get immediate answers to queries, access a frequently asked question center, and email an Internal Revenue Service customer representative for tax forms.

"The service center provides a level of convenience to users that is really only possible on the Internet," said Tyrone Po, senior vice president, Institutional Trust Services, JPMorgan. "The site also serves as a foundation for more dynamic, self-directed services that will continue to increase the differentiation of JPMorgan's on-line trust offerings in the marketplace."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GreenPoint Mortgage, a subsidiary of GreenPoint Financial Corp., has chosen Domania's proprietary software and marketing services to drive new loan applications.

By using Domania's Home Price Check Tool, GreenPoint can determine which of its customers are likely to be looking for a home, and send them a targeted email message. The end result: new loan acquisitions and increased customer retention.

"Domania has figured out a way to maximize the use of the Web for real estate-related marketing," said David Balshaw, vice president of Marketing and Business Development, GreenPoint Mortgage. "Using Domania's services, we can interact with new and current customers in a way that provides them with valuable information and provides an intelligent vehicle for delivering product messages."