Consultant Zone

The “rise and rise” of the Chief Data Officer

Any holder of mortgage portfolios will realise that correct and accurate data is one of their most valuable corporate assets.

Compliance and regulatory initiatives continue to impose heavy burdens on financial firms, especially those with poor information management infrastructures. Many organizations would also agree that they lack the focus, skills, competency and possibly leadership to manage this strategic asset as effectively and efficiently as they would like. This in turn has led to the increasingly important appointment of a Chief Data Officer (CDO) within many financial services organisations.

Complete and accurate information is mandatory for effective financial reporting, risk management, product pricing and similar core business functions. The major challenge for a CDO is to ensure that the data used is of the highest quality and accuracy.

Whether a company is acquiring or originating mortgage assets, checks need to be in place to eliminate information discrepancies and validate existing information. The importance of an effective CDO cannot be underestimated as information discrepancies and uncertainties also put executive management and board members at risk, who are often asked to certify the accuracy of filings and other representations being made on behalf of the company.

Rockstead has extensive experience in independent data audits and by validating critical data points, this in turn gives more accurate management information to the business, resulting in more meaningful compliance and regulatory positions.

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