How We Migrated a Lender from Encompass SDK to APIs Without Downtime?
Client
Regional Mortgage Lender
Industry
Mortgage
Duration
8 Months
Platform
Encompass
Engagement
Custom Development
Client Profile
An average-sized mortgage lender in the United States ran its loan origination process through the Encompass system and had developed custom integrations based on the older version of the SDK. These connections helped link the lender’s Encompass account to its CRM system, reporting capabilities, and other platforms.
The old system was able to process up to 1,800 loans a month across the different branches of the lender (14 branches in total). The client was facing difficulties in maintaining these custom-built integrations, as the company’s informational environment evolved over the years.
The client looked for our help for migration to modern APIs. At Awesome Technologies Inc., we made the transfer as smooth as possible, without disturbing any loan processes in the way. We managed to upgrade the lender’s Encompass integration.
The Situation
100 developer hours/month on SDK integration maintenance.
22 hours per release for regression testing.
2-3 business days on integration problem analysis after platform upgrades.
Approximately $20,000/month on maintaining and supporting old integrations.
A closely-knit architecture was about bringing new features. A change in one integration would mean testing a number of other processes. Hence, the leaders of the bank decided that moving ahead with the old SDK-based environment would lead to even more technical debt and maintenance costs.
The Challenge
1. Legacy dependencies
There were many integrations which utilized different functionalities of SDK. Simple replacement of SDK calls by API calls would not solve the dependencies of those calls.
2. Business continuity
The bank could not stop any processes during the migration process. There were loan officers, processors, underwriters, and operations departments depending on the workflow every day. Delay even for a few minutes in this case would mean delay in updating loans, synchronizing CRM, reporting, and further processing.
3. Limited visibility into legacy functionality
Some of the initial integrations were created a long time back. Not all the dependencies and business rules were put into writing. Before implementing any changes, the bank had to know what the current integration did.
The Solution: A Phased SDK-to-API Migration
Assessment
API Mapping
Parallel Development
Phased Cutover
Validation and Optimization
1. Assessing the Existing SDK Environment
SDK methods and functions
Transferring loan data
Dependencies with CRM
Triggers relevant to business operations
Scheduled actions
Means of resolving errors
Requirements for authentication
Influence on upcoming systems
Then, the team categorized each integration based on its migration priority. For example, the team treated loan status synchronization and CRM updates as high priorities, while it assigned lower priority to administrative utilities. This assessment helped the organization avoid migrating unnecessary features and created a clear implementation plan.
2. Mapping SDK Functions to Modern APIs
API replacement
API replacement with business logic change
Event-driven replacement
Functions that need a completely new approach to development
Extra functions
3. Building the API Architecture Alongside the SDK
Data accuracy
Response time
Field mappings
Transaction results
Error handling
Supplier synchronizing time
4. Phased Production Migration
Stage 1: Reporting
Awesome Technologies Inc. started the migration process by transferring the reporting-related integrations with low risk. Migration allowed the team to verify the production’s API authentication, monitoring, logging, and data accuracy.
Stage 2: CRM Synchronization
In this step, we proceeded with migrating the application programming interface integrations that were utilized for client relationship management synchronization. These tools were implemented for automating the process of Encompass borrower and loan data exchange with the core CRM. The migration process included almost 12000 sync processes per month.
Stage 3: Operational Workflows
The third stage is all about migrating the APIs involved with performing the operational procedures of loan-processing functions. In this entire stage, the team observed error rates, processing time, and data changes in all interconnected platforms.
Stage 4: Critical Integrations
The last stage was about migrating the APIs that supported the critical functions of the lender. During this stage, the team maintained a rollback feature for switching to the previous software version for any failed production check in the entire cutover. Thus, in case of an issue, the specific process could be reverted to the existing software’s sdk-based workflow. Overall, the migration did not result in any production down time for the lender’s loan processing operations.
5. Automated Testing and Monitoring
Business Outcomes
The migration produced measurable improvements across the lender’s integration environment.
| Metrics | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| SDK-based components | 17 | 0 |
| Monthly maintenance efforts | ~100 | <20 hours |
| Regression testing | 22 hours/release | 7 hours/release |
| Average response time | 1.8 sec | 0.7 se |
| Monthly integration errors | ~420 | ~95 |
| Maintenance costs | ~$20K/month | ~7K/month |
| Production downtime | - | 0 hours |
Business Impact
Zero Business Disruption
Loan officers and operations could continue operating the same way during the whole migration phase.
Easier Future Upgrades
The new API-based solution made the system less dependent on legacy aspects, which in turn will make any future changes easier to implement.
Lower Maintenance Costs
The monthly maintenance cost dropped from $20,000 to $7,000, leaving more room in the budget to develop other technologies.
Better Integration Performance
The average response time decreased from 1.8 to 0.7 second.
Foundation for Future Automation
Finally, it created a stronger foundation for future automation, reporting, analytics, and integration with other mortgage technologies.
The Takeaway
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