Top Aero Alternatives

Gone are the times when managing numerous financial solutions and dealing with outdated, cumbersome offerings was the norm, especially while trying to prioritize customer needs. Today, you can ensure that a larger number of customers enjoy enhanced, personalized experiences, regardless of their location, with complete confidence and security. Our extensive range of consumer products has now been unified into a robust platform designed for account opening and consumer lending, simplifying the digital lending landscape significantly. Formerly known as LoansPQ®, MeridianLink Consumer emerged as the leading loan origination system in the industry, providing a comprehensive suite of loan products tailored for banks and credit unions. This platform acts as a single loan origination solution that not only consolidates all applications but also standardizes the rules and procedures, ensuring a seamless experience for credit union personnel while delivering an exceptional user experience for customers and members alike. As a result, both lenders and borrowers can navigate the lending process with greater ease and efficiency.

Automated underwriting and loan matching through AI technology has achieved a remarkable funding rate of 95%, yet the industry struggles with an average funding rate of only 55% due to a disjointed lending process. HWML addressed this challenge by providing brokers, banks, and consumers with access to a platform that connects them with over 300 lenders across various sectors, including Commercial Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, Business, and Personal loans. This innovative approach has enabled HWML to facilitate funding exceeding $600 million, with loans ranging between $100,000 and $50 million. By streamlining the lending process, HWML not only enhances efficiency but also significantly boosts the chances of securing funding for borrowers.

Many of us have felt the irritation of trying to grow a private lending business, only to be caught in a chaotic mess of inefficiency. To tackle this issue, we developed Alfred, an all-encompassing tech platform tailored to enhance your private lending operations. It simplifies everything from complex underwriting tasks to the effortless production of loan documents, while also enabling immediate distributions to investors and timely earnings reports. Our goal is to allow you to focus on what really matters: building strong relationships, speeding up deal closures, and expanding your enterprise. Although the real estate environment is often challenging, you won't miss out on potential opportunities due to these barriers. As a key player in the lending industry, we recognize this necessity, and our clients can vouch for the solid trust that Alfred builds between investors and borrowers alike. Investors value the transparency and straightforwardness that Alfred offers, and borrowers repeatedly turn to you for the quick and seamless experience you provide. In a rapidly evolving marketplace, outstanding lenders require equally remarkable technology and stringent security protocols to maintain an edge. With Alfred by your side, you can navigate the complex lending landscape with confidence and strive to reach your ambitions. Every step taken with Alfred is a move towards greater efficiency and success in your lending journey.

ReverseVision® (RV LOS) is a leader in the realm of reverse mortgage technology, providing a comprehensive platform that supports users from the initial proposal stage all the way through to post-closing tasks. This cutting-edge software is designed specifically for the increasing number of homeowners aged 55 and older, allowing them to leverage their home equity while also presenting financial institutions with secure lending prospects. The RV LOS system simplifies the complete reverse mortgage workflow by offering precise product quotes, extensive documentation, and strong processing and underwriting functionalities. With its adaptable interface, it facilitates smooth interactions among brokers, lenders, and investors, promoting effective collaboration during the entire loan process. By integrating both HECM and proprietary reverse mortgage products into your financial services, you can significantly boost liquidity for both your organization and your clients, leading to enhanced financial solutions that meet their needs. Embrace this opportunity to elevate your offerings and empower your clients today.

LenderClose’s cutting-edge platform and award-winning solutions bring together all essential data for lenders into a single, unified interface. By empowering credit unions and community banks to streamline their lending and underwriting procedures, LenderClose fosters greater speed, efficiency, and a superior experience for borrowers. Crafted by industry veterans, LenderClose combines extensive knowledge in both lending and technology to deliver its services. The organization stands at the leading edge of technology-driven innovations that transform the lending experience. With a firm commitment to service excellence, LenderClose guarantees that every client enjoys a premium experience. Their offerings not only enhance internal productivity but also strive to provide exceptional lending services. Whether handling a single loan or managing numerous transactions, meticulous care after funding is essential. For example, confirming that property taxes are up to date can lead to substantial savings for credit unions or community banks. By prioritizing quality and efficiency, LenderClose is fundamentally altering the lending landscape, ensuring that both borrowers and lenders benefit from these advancements. The company’s continued focus on improvement positions it as a leader in the evolution of financial services.

The Lending Manager is a cutting-edge solution powered by artificial intelligence, designed to optimize the processes of loan origination and servicing, thereby enhancing the lending experience for financial institutions, brokers, and lenders alike. Utilizing the robust Salesforce platform, it automates essential functions such as application intake, underwriting, risk assessment, and compliance verification. With over 175 API integrations and seamless connectivity to external services, it enables quick, secure, and well-informed lending decisions. By significantly reducing manual tasks, cutting costs, and elevating the borrower’s experience, it offers an all-encompassing solution for various lending requirements. This versatile platform not only boosts operational productivity but also fosters a more user-centric approach to loan management, making it an indispensable tool in the financial sector. Furthermore, its ability to adapt to evolving market conditions ensures that users remain competitive and responsive in a dynamic lending landscape.

Our cutting-edge digital loan origination solutions simplify the borrowing journey, aligning with the growing digital demands of consumers. By eliminating paper-based practices, reducing expenses, and boosting revenue through a unified loan management system, your operations can become notably more streamlined. This versatile and integrated loan origination platform caters to both consumer and commercial markets, guaranteeing an exceptional experience for all stakeholders. Our extensive lending ecosystem features interconnections that integrate data from underwriting, approval, and continuous monitoring into one seamless platform for the entire loan lifecycle. By automating workflows for both personal and business loans, our system greatly enhances operational efficiency while improving the overall experience for borrowers. Furthermore, these digital solutions empower you to meet the swift loan demands of today's borrowers, ensuring your competitiveness in a fast-paced market. Ultimately, adopting this innovative technology not only enhances your organizational capabilities but also cultivates deeper connections with your clientele, paving the way for future success. In a landscape where customer satisfaction is paramount, such advancements are crucial for long-term growth and retention.

We have entirely revolutionized the lending procedure to ensure a smooth experience for borrowers and lenders alike. Origence’s all-encompassing origination solutions guide you through the lending journey, starting from the initial application and extending all the way to closing, encompassing every step along the way. By prioritizing the enhancement of member interactions, we craft superior borrowing experiences with solutions specifically designed to meet the unique needs of your members. Our cutting-edge lending technology enables quicker and simpler lending processes, which in turn drives higher profitability and greater success rates. Additionally, our automated solutions enhance productivity and engagement by being tailored to your distinct requirements. Our consumer loan and new account origination system acts as a holistic solution focused on improving the experiences of both lenders and borrowers. Equipped with robust reporting features and industry-leading origination and underwriting techniques, our continually evolving suite of integrations allows our highly customizable decision engine to streamline processes for faster decision-making, guaranteeing efficiency at every stage. This profound level of customization empowers lenders to effectively achieve their objectives and adapt to market demands, thereby fostering a more responsive lending environment. Ultimately, by embracing our solutions, lenders can anticipate future challenges and better prepare for the evolving landscape of the lending industry.

Covalent is a cloud-based loan origination platform designed to streamline the process of digital onboarding for consumers, as well as for commercial and mortgage applications, encompassing automated underwriting, credit structuring, and compliance management, which includes HMDA data collection and adverse action letter handling. The system's user-friendly interface ensures that your associates can start using it almost immediately, with training taking only a few minutes. With your analyst serving as a helpful guide, you can easily adapt the loan origination automation to align with changes in your lending policies without the need for software developers. The intuitive design, along with predefined product types and customizable modules, has made C2 Covalent a favorite among lenders, allowing you to focus more on nurturing customer relationships rather than extensive training. Additionally, the platform offers flexibility in reporting, enhances customer wallet share, and significantly reduces time for your analyst, ultimately contributing to a more efficient lending process. Embracing this technology could transform your lending operations and improve overall satisfaction among your team and clients alike.

Monsoon employs sophisticated machine learning underwriting models to identify ongoing trends that facilitate the forecasting of future repayment behaviors by analyzing a comprehensive range of borrower data, encompassing credit bureau details, bank statements, demographic information, geographic data, and alternative data sources when available. The trends uncovered are unique to each lender, reflecting their individualized borrower sourcing techniques, underwriting practices, and collection approaches. This machine learning framework constantly adapts by learning from the historical data associated with each lender's portfolio and applications, merging this information with repayment records for every borrower in that portfolio. Currently, Monsoon CreditTech's cutting-edge technology is utilized by 24 lenders operating in varied portfolios across both Retail and MSME lending sectors. Within the Retail lending domain, it supports a multitude of loan products such as Consumer Durable loans, Personal loans, loans for Four or Two-Wheelers, Home loans, and Credit Cards, thereby addressing a diverse spectrum of borrower requirements and financial circumstances. This flexibility in product offerings not only enhances the lenders' ability to meet the needs of their customers but also plays a crucial role in reducing risk and improving repayment performance. As a result, Monsoon is effectively transforming the lending landscape by tailoring solutions that resonate with the unique profiles of borrowers.

MeridianLink DecisionLender, previously known as TCI DecisionLender, is a versatile and user-friendly loan origination system tailored for the automotive, powersport, solar energy, and merchant financing sectors. This platform offers seamless integration with all leading dealer portals, delivers real-time reporting capabilities, and streamlines the lending process through automation, enhancing efficiency for users. Additionally, its intuitive design makes it accessible for various stakeholders involved in financing transactions.

LendingFront offers an all-encompassing white-label platform specifically designed for the needs of small business lending. This innovative solution includes a range of integrated and standalone modules that cover every aspect of the lending process, such as application intake, workflow management, underwriting, decision-making, offer presentation, monitoring, and servicing. Moreover, our platform gives clients the ability to automate various components of the lending process based on their individual preferences, while still providing the option for complete control and manual oversight whenever required. As a comprehensive technology solution, LendingFront transforms the traditional lending paradigm, streamlining everything from the initial application to ongoing servicing. Small businesses frequently encounter obstacles when trying to secure financing, and LendingFront creates a clear distinction between small business lending and standard commercial lending practices. By leveraging our software, lenders can significantly improve efficiency in the initial stages of the process through an intuitive, digitally-enabled application and borrower portal, thereby making funding simpler and more manageable for businesses in need. Ultimately, LendingFront is committed to redefining the small business financing landscape, ensuring that these businesses have the resources they need to thrive in an ever-evolving marketplace. In doing so, LendingFront not only enhances accessibility but also fosters a more inclusive financial ecosystem for small enterprises.

Lendstream represents the pinnacle of extensive research and development efforts over many years. It encompasses every facet of loan brokerage and lending, making it a comprehensive solution. Rich in data, it offers flexible control and robust analytics capabilities. The platform is well-suited for various sectors, including SMEs, individual consumers, mortgages, P2P lending, and crowdfunding. It streamlines the loan origination process from initial leads to final funding through a role-based automated workflow system. To enhance customer service, it incorporates a built-in CRM system for effective loan monitoring and proactive customer default prevention. Additionally, it aids clients in selecting the most suitable loan options. Users can leverage both web and mobile applications to verify borrower identity and creditworthiness, notify lenders, manage bidding, and facilitate the closing process. Furthermore, multiple business entities can utilize a single integrated system that is straightforward to deploy and can be migrated from existing legacy software. The platform also supports international scaling with its built-in capabilities for multi-currency transactions and diverse language options, ensuring usability across different markets. This versatility makes Lendstream an invaluable tool for modern lending operations.

In today's fiercely competitive market, commercial lenders are on the lookout for innovative strategies to improve the efficiency of their lending operations, increase profitability, and reduce risk exposure. Precision LM emerges as a robust database solution that oversees the entire commercial loan lifecycle, starting from the initial application to the final decision. By managing each stage of the loan process—including pre-qualification, application handling, commitment oversight, closing, servicing, and accounting—Precision LM optimizes operations using a unified database system. This approach expedites the origination phase, leading to faster decision-making and reduced closing times while ensuring consistency in underwriting practices. Furthermore, the servicing aspect includes a fully integrated contact management system that helps minimize risk through diligent tracking of both portfolio and relationship exposures. Notably, it also decreases servicing costs on a per-loan basis while boosting servicing capabilities without necessitating additional staff. This comprehensive strategy not only streamlines the lending process, but it also enables lenders to operate more efficiently and profitably in a rapidly changing market environment, ultimately positioning them for sustained success.

SPARK transforms the complete loan origination process into a digital format, enhancing convenience, security, and efficiency for both financial institutions and borrowers. By removing manual tasks and facilitating network sharing, our platform has enabled lenders to generate loans exceeding $8 billion in total. This innovation not only streamlines operations but also fosters a more user-friendly experience for all parties involved.

TimveroOS offers a comprehensive loan management system tailored for digital lenders, featuring an impressive range of SDK-driven capabilities and strong analytical tools. This state-of-the-art lending platform is designed for banks, seamlessly integrating all operations into a unified workflow that empowers them to develop, customize, and expand their lending ventures. Our loan administration software is backed by a powerful AI-driven analytics framework, enabling banks to enhance their risk assessment and underwriting strategies, as well as optimize product offerings and marketing initiatives rapidly. The data layer is equipped with over 90 readily available data sources, and establishing new connections can be done in mere minutes. With these advanced analytical instruments, coupled with an integrated cash flow engine and financial engineering features, lenders are empowered to make high-level business decisions 12 times more quickly while realizing a 13% annual increase in loan profitability. Furthermore, leveraging deep analytics alongside automated processes significantly boosts operational efficiency in banking institutions.

The Mortgage Office is the premier loan management platform trusted by lenders around the globe. Leveraging more than 45 years of experience, our comprehensive solution simplifies loan origination, servicing, and fund management while ensuring seamless compliance. Designed for efficiency and reliability, our platform not only enhances operational agility but also fosters sustainable growth for forward-thinking financial institutions.

LendingPad delivers an extensive range of functionalities, featuring a powerful CRM, digital loan documentation, streamlined document management, a pricing and eligibility engine, warehouse oversight, and capabilities for managing institutional investor transactions. The platform is crafted with intuitive interfaces that facilitate the rapid review of vital loan information. It supports concurrent user processing and provides real-time alerts, which allows multiple files to be updated simultaneously. By leveraging electronic loan files in conjunction with integrated document management, it significantly enhances workflow efficiency. Moreover, LendingPad offers various integration options with different vendors and lenders, effectively minimizing system redundancies. It is equipped to handle secondary market activities, funding processes, and post-closing operations, enabling unlimited user collaboration without hindrance. The platform also encompasses banking functionalities and warehouse operations while managing third-party channels, effectively overseeing comprehensive secondary processes with institutional investors. Its superior enterprise API ensures that data exchange remains both synchronous and adaptable, significantly boosting overall operational productivity. Additionally, the single sign-on functionality empowers clients, serving as a seamless extension of their existing back-office teams, which guarantees an efficient integration into their routine operations. Ultimately, LendingPad is designed to enhance the mortgage lending experience through its innovative features and user-centric approach.

Loan Producer® is a robust and user-friendly platform that optimizes the entire residential loan origination process, taking users from the initial application through to processing, underwriting, closing, funding, and even secondary marketing. The platform offers optional web applications, LPOnline® and Xcluso®, which enrich the loan application experience by fostering effective communication between loan officers and clients through mobile-friendly online portals. When Loan Producer® is utilized alongside Xcluso® and LPOnline®, it ensures a fluid and accurate exchange of information between loan originators and borrowers, greatly enhancing operational efficiency. These interconnected systems not only enable the seamless sharing of crucial information, including loan options, credit information, and progress updates, but they also significantly improve the overall customer experience for borrowers, thus creating a more efficient lending process. By facilitating smooth interactions and providing real-time updates, these applications play a vital role in streamlining the loan origination workflow, ultimately benefiting both the lender and the borrower in their collaborative journey.

TrustEngine's Borrower Intelligence Platform enables lenders to increase the volume of loan applications, cultivate customer loyalty, and boost borrower retention rates significantly. Moreover, this cutting-edge solution optimizes the lending process, resulting in enhanced efficiency that benefits both lenders and borrowers in their interactions. As a result, it not only helps financial institutions grow but also improves the overall experience for those seeking loans.

Mortgage Director functions as the cutting-edge loan origination platform at the core of Fiserv's lending ecosystem. It streamlines lending operations and strengthens the relationship between lenders and their clients. In today's fiercely competitive lending environment, it is vital for lenders to adopt technology that enhances service quality, improves efficiency, and fulfills borrower demands. By bringing together all fundamental features within a single, integrated lending space, lenders can confidently move forward, assured that they have access to all necessary resources. Mortgage Director provides users with the tools they need to shape the future of lending while delivering a completely digital mortgage experience through a unified mortgage lending framework. This seamless integration not only simplifies workflows but also enables lenders to stay nimble and adaptable in response to changing market conditions. As a result, Mortgage Director positions lenders to thrive in an evolving industry landscape.

Lendsqr stands as a leader in the lending sector, offering an all-encompassing loan management platform that revolutionizes how financial organizations operate. By optimizing each step of the lending journey, Lendsqr enables banks, fintech firms, and other lenders to expedite their product launches, improve scalability, and deliver exceptional experiences for their clients. Esteemed by leading financial institutions in emerging markets, Lendsqr is significantly contributing to bridging the credit gap in developing regions, thus improving financial access for countless individuals. With the tools provided by Lendsqr, lenders not only gain the ability to manage loans proficiently but also transform their entire lending processes to achieve greater efficiency and impact. This forward-thinking strategy positions Lendsqr as an essential force in promoting financial inclusion and supporting overall economic development. Furthermore, the impact of Lendsqr extends beyond just financial institutions, as it ultimately benefits communities by fostering entrepreneurial opportunities and empowering individuals.

Revolutionize your retail loan origination process by implementing a flexible and responsive consumer lending application that aligns with our digital transformation strategy. This initiative will significantly improve the digital experience and provide features like automated underwriting, instant decision-making, and efficient exception management. Create a smooth and straightforward loan disbursement process for various financial products, including credit cards and personal loans, eliminating any manual involvement. Leverage digital collaboration tools for more complex loans, such as HELOCs and home equity loans, to facilitate faster turnaround times. Utilize a real-time dashboard to effectively track processes, pipelines, and overall productivity levels. By automating every component of consumer loan origination—from loan applications and underwriting to decision-making, closing, and booking—you will transition to a fully paperless environment. This advanced lending platform promises straight-through processing, resulting in quicker loan approvals and disbursements from financial institutions, which will ultimately boost customer satisfaction and enhance operational efficiency. Additionally, embracing this cutting-edge approach will help you optimize your lending operations, ensuring you remain competitive in the rapidly changing financial landscape while meeting customer expectations effectively.

Neofin is a lending enterprise built on Shopify that operates as a low-code SaaS platform designed to streamline the lending process. With its innovative technology, you can establish virtually any type of lending operation in a mere 15 minutes. Additionally, you can configure credit products within an hour and start issuing loans on the same day. The platform comprehensively supports every phase of the borrower's experience, encompassing loan origination, servicing, and management systems. Our offerings consist of: - A POS front-end and BNPL widget - A dedicated Loan Management System - A customizable Borrower Area Site Builder - Tools for debt collection - Digital onboarding and KYC processes - Integrated CRM and marketing solutions - An advanced decision engine for credit scoring This robust suite of modules ensures that all aspects of lending are efficiently managed.

Our clients benefit from sophisticated workflow and business rule technologies that significantly improve the quality and efficiency of their loan fulfillment processes. The platform we provide enables the automated management of due diligence and quality control tasks associated with loans. By harnessing ADMS' artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) functionalities, we proficiently handle business rule engines. Our comprehensive loan evaluations cover the entire lifecycle, starting from the pre-funding stage and continuing through to the service transfer phase. The Trelix™ Connect system integrates AI and predefined business rules to optimize workflows and automate diverse aspects of loan fulfillment, including both pre- and post-closing quality control and service transfer tasks. Over time, we have cultivated a strong business that delivers state-of-the-art technology and innovative solutions for clients involved in mortgage servicing and origination, as well as those engaged in the buying and selling of single-family residential properties. Our diverse array of products and services is meticulously crafted to meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring tailored and effective solutions. This dedication to customization has not only satisfied our clients but also solidified our reputation as a reliable partner in the industry, fostering long-term relationships built on trust and excellence.

ATLOS is an all-encompassing Loan Application Software designed to assist lenders in collecting, organizing, and overseeing loan data, while also facilitating the completion and electronic signing of various forms, along with a host of additional features. By implementing ATLOS, lenders can eliminate the need for physical documents, which enhances operational efficiency, lowers costs, and mitigates risks associated with the lending process. This software allows for the secure and centralized storage of borrowers' loan documents in an online repository, significantly reducing paper consumption. Institutions such as banks and mortgage firms gain advantages from ATLOS by improving their efficiency and diminishing their risk exposure in the loan application journey. Moreover, ATLOS provides an economical and intuitive lending solution that can be customized to address specific organizational requirements. Users can easily modify web forms to gather any type of loan information for their individual ATLOS database, with the stored data being utilized to auto-fill PDF forms, impose rules, and more, thereby making the entire lending process smoother and more efficient. This versatility not only helps lenders in managing their operations effectively but also ensures they remain aligned with the rapidly changing trends within the industry, ultimately fostering a more sustainable lending environment.

Lender represents a groundbreaking mortgage platform designed to streamline and enhance the loan origination process for brokers, lenders, and borrowers. By integrating sophisticated automation, real-time pricing, and AI-enhanced features, Lender provides a holistic approach that unifies Loan Origination Systems (LOS), Point of Sale (POS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools into a seamless experience. The platform automates numerous tasks, effectively eliminating manual data entry, which leads to increased operational efficiency, reduced errors, and a quicker loan processing timeframe. Through its partnership with Loan Sifter, Lender ensures that brokers have immediate access to competitive loan pricing, enabling borrowers to obtain the best rates without unnecessary delays. With a strong focus on compliance, user satisfaction, and growth opportunities, Lender enables mortgage professionals to manage significant workloads effortlessly, deliver exceptional service, and successfully scale their operations. Additionally, this innovative platform not only reshapes workflows but also establishes a new benchmark within the mortgage sector, inspiring others to follow suit.

Our innovative digital solutions aim to enhance the mortgage experience at every phase of the journey. These tools are tailored for a diverse range of users, including investors, lenders, settlement service providers, and borrowers alike. A standout feature is our streamlined digital platform, which offers a seamless, efficient, compliant, and entirely paperless environment for eClosings. This approach not only boosts data integrity and document accuracy but also enables loans to be finalized more quickly with reduced errors and omissions. Users can conveniently eSign or eNotarize documents from virtually anywhere, ensuring greater control and accountability throughout the mortgage loan process. Maintaining continuous compliance can significantly influence tolerance levels, calculation reconciliations, and mitigate potential RESPA and TRID issues. The era of digital mortgages has arrived—empower your borrowers by utilizing their smartphones to keep them actively engaged throughout the loan process, thereby enhancing their overall experience. This engagement not only improves satisfaction but also fosters a more efficient workflow for all parties involved.

FundMore.ai provides an automated underwriting solution that utilizes machine learning technology to improve the loan pre-funding process. Our cutting-edge platform allows for tailored automation, enhancing the borrower experience through valuable analytics, reducing risks with AI-powered techniques, and speeding up the account opening timeline. The traditionally labor-intensive task of underwriting loans can often lead to unproductive files, resulting in significant hours wasted that could otherwise be saved through automation. By adopting FundMore.ai, organizations can eliminate outdated spreadsheet methods, reduce reliance on niche expertise, and foster an efficient underwriting process that scales with growth while maintaining a focus on risk management. Our system facilitates a quick and clear underwriting experience that is advantageous for both lenders and borrowers. In addition, you can utilize predictive modeling and pattern recognition to bolster your company's risk management strategies, allowing for precise risk assessments and timely justifications for your decisions. Ultimately, our solution empowers you to elevate your underwriting practices into a more streamlined and impactful operation that drives success.

Enhance your business's ability to adapt and innovate for future challenges by implementing loan origination solutions that leverage our low-code digital automation platform. Utilize flexible lending solutions tailored to meet the needs of various loan categories, including retail, SME, commercial, and SBA loans. Furthermore, ensure regulatory compliance and improve your lending processes by removing operational obstacles and aligning your front and back office operations. Download the eBook to identify five signs that indicate your loan origination process might be experiencing delays. You'll also uncover effective strategies to tackle the obstacles hindering your lending efficiency and transform your operations. This encompasses support for diverse loan types, thorough portfolio monitoring and analysis, smart underwriting and risk evaluation, effective management of leads and customer relationships, seamless loan closing, rapid loan origination and renewal, and comprehensive visibility into your operations. By embracing these solutions, you can considerably elevate your lending success and foster a more streamlined workflow. Emphasizing innovation and adaptability will ultimately empower your organization to thrive in a competitive environment.