Center Stage With TrainingPro

The National Leader in Mortgage Education

By The Niche Report

Introduction
Since the year 2000, at least two states every year have enacted legislation requiring mortgage training for their loan officers, mortgage brokers, and/or mortgage lenders. Only three states had adopted such requirements eight years ago, and today, more than 34 states have joined the mortgage education initiative that is sweeping the nation.

One company has successfully managed to support and lead the mortgage industry through this dramatic integration of mortgage training with licensing requirements. Setting industry standards along the way, TrainingPro not only provides the state-approved mortgage training, it has positioned itself as a resource and partner for companies large and small through an active legislative tracking program, license management software, and professional development training.

Chris Nickerson, TrainingPro’s CEO and visionary, tells us more about his nationally recognized mortgage training company and the benefits that arise from a national presence.

Tell us about the mission of TrainingPro.

Almost a decade ago, we recognized the need for an extremely underserved segment of the mortgage industry – training. Since our inception, we have continued to build upon our mission: To enrich and elevate the mortgage industry through quality training, hassle-free service and personal care.

Describe your products and services.

TrainingPro offers state-approved continuing education and pre-licensing training to mortgage professionals across the country. Our courses are delivered in live classroom, online, home study, and webinar formats, depending on state requirements. Our online platform can be accessed through www.TrainingPro.com. We are currently approved in all the states that require continuing education, pre-licensing or a combination of both, which currently totals 34 states.

Aside from training, we also have several mortgage education compliance tools. These include ComplianceKeeper, an independent system to track companys’ licensing and education data; Compliance Watch, a monthly e-newsletter informing our clients of state legislative changes; and a Tracking and Reporting System integrated into our online platform to view course progression and completion.

Who are your customers?

TrainingPro has educated nine out of the top ten mortgage lenders in the country. We also serve small to mid size mortgage companies and individual mortgage brokers. TrainingPro is a long-time online education partner of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB), and members can complete their education requirements through our co-branded online platform. We are also online education partners for 20 state mortgage associations.

Where do you see the future of online training in the mortgage industry?

As you know, online training has exploded not only in the mortgage industry but from a general education perspective. It has become a viable, effective alternative for live class training that promotes convenience. The majority of states allow for online training but with the necessary controls in place to ensure student identification, the required amount of time is spent on the course, and privacy protection. TrainingPro developed and launched the Secure Authentication for E-Learning (S.A.F.E.) program to alleviate these concerns. It is an upgraded security platform that is easily customizable to specific state requirements. With security programs like this one in place, I envision the online training industry continuing to prosper.

Name two key, unique benefits mortgage professionals receive by using TrainingPro?

We offer many benefits to our clients, however, the benefits most widely recognized by our client base are our National Cross Certification program® and our high level of customer service.

TrainingPro pioneered the National Cross Certification® program over eight years ago to provide cost-effective and time-saving strategies for mortgage professionals doing business in more than one state. The program reduces repetitive training and increases savings to students by applying completed course credit to multiple states. Particularly at a time when more and more states are committing to required training and mortgage professionals are searching for business efficiencies, being able to provide a solution that is multi-state compliant is key. As the national leader in mortgage education, we are able to leverage our accredited footprint in each of the 34 states that require training and uphold our National Cross Certification® program. More than half of our clients take advantage of our National Cross Certification® program because of its efficiency. It just makes sense. In 2007, TrainingPro saved its clients up to 265 hours of training per student through the program.

Secondly, our high level of customer service is consistently recognized and commended. I remark on this important attribute of TrainingPro particularly because of the current state of the mortgage education industry. There are many new and changing regulations regarding training. It is our priority to help guide our clients through the process and provide individualized attention to answer their questions and find efficiencies for them. Each department of our organization plays an integral role in a well-rounded service platform for our customers, from government affairs, compliance, sales, editorial and support.

What can the industry expect from TrainingPro in the next five years?

TrainingPro actively follows the legislation regarding mortgage training in all states. At least four more states have legislation pending. We will continue to expand our reach as the mortgage training requirements increase. We also look forward to more advanced online training techniques, which we expect will continue to be released over the next several years. TrainingPro was built from a flexible business model, and we will continue to support that ideal. We will continue to monitor the industry and the needs of our clients to determine the best, applicable, most efficient products and services for the mortgage industry.