Property investment rating system and method

• US 7,657,475 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fannie Mae
• Original Assignee: Fannie Mae
• Inventors: Hunt, Brian, Arpin, Jeffrey L., Edgar, Thomas P., Dick, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shrestha; Bijendra K
• Application Number:
  US11/026,433
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A multifamily investment management tool comprises user interface logic and an investment rating engine. The user interface logic is configured to provide a user interface accessible to a user and includes risk profile configuration interface logic configured to permit a user to define a plurality of different risk profiles for a plurality of different investments. The investment rating engine is coupled to the user interface logic and is configured to evaluate the plurality of different investments according to the plurality of different risk profiles.

Claims

1. A multifamily investment management system comprising:

machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions stored therein;

a machine including a processor that reads and executes the instructions stored in the machine-readable media, the machine and the machine-readable media in combination implementing

user interface logic that provides a user interface accessible to a user, the user interface logic including risk profile configuration logic used by the user to define a plurality of different risk profiles related to property-related investments and risk factors associated with such investments;

wherein the risk factors include (i) the historic financial performance of the property, (ii) the property condition details, (iii) the value of the property or properties serving as collateral, (iv) the credit information of the property owner, and (v) the credit information of the lender;

an investment rating engine coupled to the user interface logic, the investment rating engine being configured to evaluate the property-related investments according to the plurality of different risk profiles;

wherein the risk profiles include different categories of data, the categories of data including (i) property financials, (ii) debt coverage ratio, (iii) current loan-to-value ratio, (iv) the refinance risk, (v) the condition of the property, (vi) the property management profile, (vii) sponsor information, and (viii) customer details;

wherein the rating engine retrieves data from one or more external sources, the external sources being (i) credit information from Dun &

Bradstreet, (ii) credit information from Moody'"'"'s, and (iii) property valuation data from an assessor'"'"'s office;

the retrieved data being used to augment the analysis of the risk factors and the determination of the categories of data included in the risk profiles;

wherein the investment rating engine triggers one or more trips based on the evaluation of the specific risk profile and risk factors related to a particular investment;

wherein the plurality of different risk profiles provide different weightings to the different categories of data, and wherein the risk profiles are configurable according to the nature of the risks associated with the different ones of the plurality of investments; and

wherein the rating engine outputs a list of tasks based on the rating results to a workflow management tool.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine evaluates the investments based on a plurality of categories of data, and wherein the plurality of different risk profiles provide different scaling for the different categories of data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine evaluates the investments based on a plurality of categories of data, wherein the investment rating engine generates trips based on the plurality of categories of data, and wherein trip settings for the trips are separately configurable for the plurality of different risk profiles.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising workflow management interface logic, the workflow management interface logic receiving from the investment rating engine at least one of (i) the list of tasks, (ii) the trip details, (iii) the risk profiles, and (iv) the risk factors.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the workflow management interface logic places investments on a watch list of troubled investments based on output of the investment rating engine.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the workflow management interface logic tracks status of trips generated for investments by the investment rating engine, including whether an asset manager has reviewed the trip.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the workflow management interface logic maintains a watch list of troubled investments and action plans for investments on the watch list of troubled investments.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the workflow management interface logic assists asset managers by prioritizing asset management and loss mitigation activities by identifying those properties that are at a greater risk for default.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine generates a score for each investment, and wherein the user interface logic provides an asset manager with an option to override the score.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the score is provided to a loss forecasting engine and is used to perform loss forecasting.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the information is received from third parties.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different investments include debt-based investments, equity-based investments, and bond-based investments.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different investments are existing investments.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different investments are potential investments, and wherein the investment rating engine implements an automated underwriting engine.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine generates an overall evaluation of risk associated with the plurality of different investments.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine generates trips associated with specific issues of concern in connection with the plurality of different investments.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the investment rating engine assigns at least one investment into one of a plurality of discrete risk categories based on the evaluation.

18. A multifamily investment management system comprising:

machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions stored therein;

a machine including a processor that reads and executes the instructions stored in the machine-readable media, the machine and the machine-readable media in combination implementing

user interface logic that provides a user interface risk profile configuration interface logic used by a user to define a plurality of different risk profiles for a plurality of current multifamily property investments;

an investment rating engine coupled to the risk profile configuration interface logic, the investment rating engine evaluating the plurality of current multifamily property investments according to the plurality of different risk profiles, wherein the plurality of different risk profiles provide different weightings to the different categories of data;

wherein the risk profiles are configurable according to the nature of the risks associated with the different ones of the plurality of multifamily property investments; and

workflow management interface logic that receives output of the investment rating engine, the workflow management interface logic being used by an asset manager to manage workflow of the asset manager.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a system of automatically providing high risk indicators.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the system of automatically providing high risk indicators is used by the user to analyze elements of the high risk indicators.

21. A computer-implemented method of providing risk information regarding multifamily housing investments comprising:

receiving, by user interface logic, investment information that relates to various characteristics of the multifamily housing investments that are currently managed, the user interface logic being implemented by machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions stored therein and by a machine including a processor that reads and executes the instructions stored in the machine-readable media;

generating, by an investment rating engine, a risk level determination for the multifamily housing investments based on one of a plurality of different stored risk profiles, wherein the investment rating engine is implemented by the machine and the machine-readable media, and wherein the plurality of different risk profiles provide different weightings to the different categories of data;

wherein the risk profiles are configurable according to the nature of the risks associated with the different ones of the plurality of investments;

evaluating, by the investment rating engine the multifamily housing investments according to the plurality of risk profiles;

wherein the categories of data includes (i) property financials, (ii) debt coverage ratio, (iii) current loan-to-value ratio, (iv) the refinance risk, (v) the condition of the property, (vi) the property management profile, (vii) sponsor information, and (viii) customer details;

displaying the risk level determination; and

triggering, by the investment rating engine, a trip using the investment rating engine based on the evaluation of the specific risk profile and risk factors related to a particular investment.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing overall results of the risk level determination.