Roostify teams with Level Access for ADA website compliance

Mortgage lenders — along with financial institutions of all kinds — find themselves increasingly vulnerable to lawsuits over their websites not being in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Roostify, a mortgage fintech provider, is looking to ease that burden for its customers through a partnership with Level Access, a company that provides software, consulting and training, so lending technology is available to people with disabilities.

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Domino's Pizza regarding a claim that the chain's website violated the ADA. Legal observers expect to see an increase in legal filings as a result. Even before this decision, mortgage lenders and depositories were targeted with similar lawsuits.

Through Oct. 7 — the day of the Supreme Court announcement — 1,906 website accessibility lawsuits were filed this year, according to a blog post by the Seyfarth Shaw law firm. Based on activity in the first half of the year, it projects 2,408 cases filed by year-end, versus 2,258 in 2018.

Level Access' universally designed interfaces ensure everyone can participate in the lending process through digital mortgage websites and mobile applications, Roostify said in a press release. The interfaces also support compliance with key accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

"The expertise that Level Access brings to the digital space is unparalleled," Eric Drattell, the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Roostify, said in the press release.

"Having a fully accessible platform is a necessity. Access to mortgage lending tools must be available to everyone and that is why we selected the best provider possible: to ensure our platform meets — and exceeds — accessibility standards."

In February, Ellie Mae — which has an integration with Roostify — included ADA-compliance templates in the Encompass upgrade it rolled out that month.

"Access to technology is a profound enabling force in the lives of people with disabilities and the elderly," Tim Springer, CEO of Level Access, said in the release. "Roostify is an industry leader with a proactive approach to digital lending that places them in a class we call the 'vanguards of inclusion' — we are honored to be affiliated with them."