With over 30 years of collective experience in government modernization across federal civilian agencies such as HUD, DHS, HHS, USDA, and the Navy, the founders of Nginering have been instrumental in spearheading intricate modernization and transformation initiatives. Their expertise has been pivotal in facilitating the transition of agencies from costly legacy mainframe systems, implementing state-of-the-art cyber analytics to safeguard vital resources, and enhancing operational capabilities through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies.
Challenge
Our client faced significant challenges from outdated legacy systems, many of which were decades old and spread across multiple platforms. These fragmented systems led to inefficient loan processing, duplicative data entry, and high operational costs, making it difficult for the agency to scale to rising demand. The lack of modern digital infrastructure also limited their ability to quickly adapt to new policy mandates, automate compliance, and deliver a seamless user experience for lenders, servicers, and homeowners. In addition, our client grappled with data quality issues, siloed information, and integration barriers between core systems and external partners, resulting in slower turnaround times and increased risk of errors. Collectively, these challenges created a pressing need for modernization, automation, and cloud-based solutions to support mission delivery at scale.
Solution
Nginering’s principal technologist, supported this agency in 2019-20 timeframe and helped kickstart a scaled agile modernization initiative. Rajiv operationalized an AWS General Support System (GSS) with an ATO in less than 4 months, and implemented, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a digital document delivery capability in 9 days. He crafted and executed a scaled agile modernization roadmap that reengineered business processes, streamlined user experience and implemented a cloud and DevSecOps architecture to automate software delivery during the beginning phases of the modernization effort.
Today, as part of a new contract, Nginering’s cross-functional development team is continuing the modernization work using Salesforce and AWS. We apply the Strangler-Fig Pattern to incrementally replace monolithic mainframe systems into cloud-native, API-driven microservices using Java / SpringBoot, and AWS Machine Learning services. Our services include:
- Translate business requirements into product backlog of epics and user stories using JIRA
- Reengineer business processes, develop solutions architecture and document in Confluence
- Design and develop Microservices and APIs applying 12-factor-app practices
- Standardize usage of MISMO specifications for lender-facing APIs
- Implement Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
- Automate all unit and integration testing using Serenity, REST Assured and Selenium
- Implement GitOps and CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI, Gradle, and Terraform
- Continuously monitor code quality and test coverage using SonarQube
Our team rapidly develops and delivers new features and capabilities at high velocity in 2-week sprints.
Results
- Delivered the first improved Case Binder capability to production within 4 months.
- Reduced manual processes by 5x by automating real-time integrations with legacy systems.
- Improved lender experience by providing instant validation and error feedback.
- Realized a 50% reduction in staff hours dedicated to weekly Case Binder assignments.
- Sustained high code quality across releases with 80% automated test coverage.
- Delivered 20+ production releases across loan origination and valuation workstreams.
- Integrated Veros Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD), scaling to 8K+ appraisals/day and over 3M total appraisals processed.
- Implemented Business-to-Government (B2G) APIs, enabling lenders to electronically transmit case binders.
- Automated document validations and origination processes, improving user productivity by 10x.
- Enabled decommissioning of legacy appraisal and case binder systems, saving HUD millions annually.
- Maintained strong software security hygiene while consistently achieving 80% code coverage.
Challenge
Our client provides low-income households with the opportunity to own and/or repair modest homes in rural areas. The agency’s two decades old mainframe system managed the loan origination activities. The agency receives around 30,000 loans and grants applications each year. Limited changes have created several challenges as the business needs of the agency’s staff and customers have evolved over time. Unlike the commercial mortgage industry that went paperless, many of the agency’s processes are manual, paper-based, and out of compliance.
Solution
Using a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) approach, Nginering supports the design and development of a low code FedRAMP authorized cloud-based Loan Origination System (LOS) intended to replace legacy systems. The modernization effort encompasses various domains including project management, product management, implementation management, business analysis, quality assurance and testing, data strategy, data mapping and service integration, solution architecture, and security. Our services on this modernization effort include:
- Lead the design of overall solutions architecture with leading digital lending transformation practices from the banking industry, and develop detailed design specifications for each major capability and feature requirement.
- Detail the integration architecture denoting the interfaces to various internal and external systems.
- Design interfaces and develop user interaction and data flow diagrams to denote how Borrowers, Loan Packagers, and Intermediaries will interact with our modern solution.
- Support the technical management of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) based execution, including Program Increment (PI) planning, Sprint Planning, Reviews, and Retrospective sessions.
- Develop user stories and tasks in JIRA to track integration-related features and work with the development team in implementing the required functionality.
Results
- Digital Loan Origination Modernization: Developed an integrated digital Mortgage Loan Origination solution leveraging Salesforce Financial Services Cloud as the customer-facing Point of Sale (POS), Encompass Web as the Loan Origination System (LOS), and MuleSoft Anypoint as the API integration platform.
- Streamlined User Experience: Simplified the borrower experience by automating integrations with Treasury DoNotPay.gov, Pay.gov, and internal USDA systems (servicing, eligibility, GIS, and document management).
- Operational API Ecosystem: Implemented and operationalized dozens of reusable APIs, enabling modernization of downstream systems and supporting broader enterprise transformation.
- LOS SaaS Integration: Successfully integrated LOS SaaS into the client’s IT environment, supporting Single Sign-On and ensuring FISMA compliance.
- Transparency & Governance: Improved visibility into operational performance and governance of the loan origination process, enhancing accountability and management oversight.
- Data Quality & Efficiency: Reduced manual data entry for both the public and USDA employees, improving data quality, eliminating redundancies, and accelerating processing times.
- Customer & Regulatory Alignment: Enhanced the customer experience while ensuring compliance with OCC, FRB, and CFPB regulatory requirements.
- Enterprise Security Capability: Designed and implemented a new enterprise capability that enabled secure, user-level authorization from cloud-based applications to internal APIs, using OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code Flow paired with MuleSoft API manager policy.