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Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary


Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What services or products are available to order electronically?
EC Gateway supports the transmittal and translation of orders for the following products and services:

Product Service Description
Closing
 Close by Phone
Closing and Escrow Services
Commercial Closing
Courtesy Closing
Document Filing
Title
 Equity Policy
Foreclosure Search
Last Deed of Record/Deed Report
Limited Coverage Product
Ownership & Encumbrances
Secondary Market Short Form Policy
Subordination
Title Commitment/Preliminary Report (commitment only, no policy)
Title Policy - Lender/Owner
Title Policy - Lender
Title Policy - Owner
Title Report
Flood
 Basic Flood Certification
Life of Loan Certification
Valuation
 Automated Valuation Model
Credit
 Credit Report

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Question: Do you have a data format or standard that you already support today?
Yes. EC Gateway supports the Stewart Standard 2.1 XML (SS21) document structure by default.

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Question: Can you provide a sample of your data file and valid data types?
Yes. The following table includes the sample data file and valid data types:

Filename
Description
File
Data Dictionary.xls This file provides the descriptions of the elements and attributes in the standard structure of an SS21 document.
standard.xsd This file is the XML Schema for the SS21.
Sample 2.1 XML.xml This file is a sample XML document created using the standard.xsd schema.

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Question: If I send you the data file format/standard that you already support, how long does it typically take before I can order from you?
An order sent in the Stewart Standard XML 2.1 format will be processed as an Unmapped Integration. An unmapped integration typically takes ten business days upon determination that EC Gateway provides a viable integration capability and EC Gateway resources are available. This includes development, testing, deployment to a preproduction environment, user acceptance testing and deployment to a production environment.

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Question: What additional file formats do you support?
The following table details the file formats supported:

Supported Format
Description
Available translation to?
AIM For Windows (AFW) Acknowledgement (ACK) The ACK is an acknowledgement document structure created by AFW and sent to EC Gateway for delivery to the original sender of an order.
SS21
AIM For Windows (AFW) Master Extract (ME) The ME format is the proprietary AFW format for orders and product delivery.
SS21
SS21 The SCT format is a text format for orders sent to VAX AIM.
SCT
SS21 The SS10 is similar to the ME XML format. It is the first version of the Stewart Standard. This version is still supported by some versions of AFW.
Stewart Standard 1.0 (SS10)
SS21 SureClose is the proprietary XML format used by the SureClose application.
SureClose
RealEC The RealEC format is the proprietary RealEC format for orders and product delivery.
SS21
SS21
-
RealEC
EC Gateway Delivery Confirmation This is essentially a delivery confirmation. EC Gateway is capable of generating a confirmation that the order, ack, confirmation, or product was delivered to the intended recipient.
SS21
FloodGate (Flood) The Flood XML is used to order flood certification.
SS21
SS21
-
FloodGate (Flood)
Stewart Fax Notification The fax notification document is generated by EC Gateway when the fax software returns a success or failure from the fax process.
SS21
SS21 The fax template is used by EC Gateway to submit orders to service providers via fax.
Stewart Fax template
SS21 The email template is used by EC Gateway to submit orders to service providers via email.
Stewart Email template

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Question: I already have a system that produces a data file. Can I send you my file to order products and services?
Yes. EC Gateway provides a data transformation service that allows it to accept orders in your format, and deliver them to the intended recipient in a different format. The data transformation service requires an up-front analysis of the semantics and structure of both the source data file and destination data file. The analysis normally requires resources from the party sending the order and the party receiving the order. The participation of these resources is necessary to construct software specifications for the custom translation components used by EC Gateway?s data transformation service.

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Question: If I send you my file format to order products and services, how long does it typically take before I can order from you electronically?
An order sent in a format other than the SS21 format will be processed as a Mapped Integration. Depending on the complexity of the translation logic required by the translator and the complexity of the file format, a mapped integration typically takes from one to three business months upon the determination that EC Gateway provides a viable integration capability and EC Gateway resources are available. This includes business analysis to determine how the fields should be mapped from one format to another, business rules on how to deal with information pieces that are missing or unable to be mapped, development, testing, deployment to a preproduction environment, user acceptance testing and deployment to a production environment.

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Question: Can I deliver and receive files using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or web services?

Yes. EC Gateway supports the transmission of data using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and web services.

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Question: What transmission types are available for an integration (SOAP, Web Services, FTP)?

EC Gateway is capable of receiving data from an integrator via HTTP Post and Form Post, and sending data to integrators (i.e., transmitting data) using a variety of methods. These transmission methods are summarized below:

Transmission Type
Data Flow
SOAP\Web Service EC Gateway receives and delivers orders and product via SOAP\Web Services.
HTTP Post (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) EC Gateway receives orders and delivers orders and product via HTTP Post.
Form Post EC Gateway receives orders and delivers orders and product via Form Post.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) EC Gateway delivers orders and product via FTP
Fax EC Gateway delivers orders via fax
Email EC Gateway delivers orders via email
ECOR
(Electronic Commerce Order Router)		 EC Gateway receives orders and delivers product via ECOR.

This diagram demonstrates the delivery methods available with EC Gateway.

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Question: Do you send me an acknowledgement when I send you an order? Do you send confirmations and product back electronically? If so, how do I receive these documents and in what format will they be sent?
EC Gateway supports the transmission and transformation of a variety of documents. A summary of the documents supported by EC Gateway follows:

Document
Description
Data Flow
Availability
Order A document containing the information necessary to order a product or service (a title order, flood cert order, etc.) The integrator sends orders to EC Gateway. EC Gateway transmits the orders to the intended recipient(s). Always Available as long as EC Gateway has been configured to receive orders from an Integrator.
Acknowledgments An ack may take two different forms. First, an ack is an immediate response received by the integrator performing an HTTP Post or Form Post to EC Gateway. Any integrator that posts data to an EC Gateway HTTP receive page will receive a positive or negative acknowledgment that the data was received.
Second, an ack is an acknowledgment that the recipient of an order or product received the order or product from EC Gateway. In this sense, the ack becomes a semantic issue between integrator and EC Gateway because the transmission and transformation of acknowledgments are handled in the same manner as an integrator confirmation.		 In the first case, the ack is sent from the EC Gateway HTTP receive page to the integrator performing the post.

In the second case, the ack is processed in the same manner as a standard confirmation.		 Always Available
EC Gateway will always send an ACK after a message is received (message being an order, confirmation, product fulfillment, or event).
EC Gateway Confirmation An EC Gateway generated document that confirms the success or failure of a delivery attempt. The delivery attempt may be an attempt to deliver an order, integrator confirmation, product, ack, or event document. EC Gateway sends the confirmation to the original sender of the document that EC Gateway delivered. Sometimes Available.
EC Gateway will provide this confirmation as long as the recipient is capable of receiving the confirmation.
Integrator Confirmation Also known as a standard confirmation. This is a confirmation document generated by the recipient of an order or product. The confirmation indicates to the original sender of the order or product that the order or product was received from the EC Gateway and processed successfully or not. The integrator sends confirmation to EC Gateway. EC Gateway transmits the confirmation to the intended recipient(s). Sometimes Available.
EC Gateway will support delivery of this confirmation as long as the integrator is capable of sending the confirmation and the recipient is capability of receiving the confirmation.
Product Fulfillment A document containing the product ordered, or the status of the service ordered. The Product Fulfillment document may or may not be required depending on the services ordered. The integrator sends product to EC Gateway. EC Gateway transmits the product to the intended recipient(s). Sometimes Available.
EC Gateway will support delivery of product as long as the integrator is capable of sending the product to EC Gateway and the recipient is capability of receiving the product.
Event A document sent to an integrator via EC Gateway for the purpose of notifying the integrator of a specific event or activity. For instance, an integrator that cancels an order can send the cancellation event to another party as notification that the event occurred. The integrator sends events to EC Gateway. EC Gateway transmits the events to the intended recipient(s). Sometimes Available.
EC Gateway will support delivery of events as long as the integrator is capable of sending the event and the recipient is capable of receiving the event.

This diagram demonstrates the delivery of an order, confirmation, and product.


This diagram demonstrates the delivery of an order and an EC Gateway confirmation.


This diagram demonstrates the delivery of an Event.

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Question: What are my options for ordering electronically? Can I key orders into the site? Is there an Integration Development Kit (IDK) I can use to setup my application to send orders and receive products? Are there standard integration scenarios? Do you support custom integrations that may not fit a standard scenario?
Orders may be sent directly to EC Gateway by your system via one of the available Transmission Types mentioned in Section 1.3 ?Transmitting Your Data?. Alternatively, Stewart OE 2.0 may be used to key orders and submit them to the appropriate service provider. For more information about Stewart OE 2.0, contact the Customer Service Center at 1-888-526-3282.

Currently, the IDK consists of this FAQ document and supporting material such as the Stewart Standard data dictionary and the SS21 Schema. Standard integration scenarios such as those using Stewart OE 2.0 do exist. Documentation regarding common scenarios can be provided on an as-needed basis by sending a request for information to IntegrationRequest@stewart.com.

Custom integrations are supported as long as they fall within the constraints of EC Gateway?s functional capabilities.

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Question: Are there any security requirements or minimum standards for securing data in transmission?
If you are sending sensitive information, the data must be encrypted. The recommended method for sending data in a secure manner is HTTPS. For assistance securing sensitive information, other products such as ECOR may be utilized for sending and receiving data. Data received by EC Gateway is stored encrypted in accordance with regulations established by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

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Question: Can you set up test and production accounts for integration? If so, what information do I need to provide to set up the accounts?
Test and Production accounts will be created and configured upon the approval of your integration project. Both sets of accounts will be required in the Integrator system, EC Gateway, and the receiving vendor system. You will be required to supply the delivery mechanism and account information if you intend to receive acknowledgements, confirmations, status or product. Please email IntegrationRequest@stewart.com to request more information regarding test and production accounts.

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Question: Do you have any information on uptime or scheduled maintenance windows?
Scheduled maintenance windows for EC Gateway are from 6:00AM to 11:00AM every Sunday and 12:01AM to 5:00AM every Thursday. EC Gateway is not guaranteed to be running during the scheduled maintenance windows.

In an effort to maximize uptime, EC Gateway is making an effort to ensure that every function of the Gateway operates in a redundant environment.

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Question: What error messages should I expect or plan to receive?
In the event that the system sending a message to the Gateway supplies a bad file (e.g. malformed XML, required data missing), a negative acknowledgement will be produced by the Gateway and returned to the sender. If the message reaches the destination and a problem is encountered by the integrating system receiving the message, then a negative confirmation may be produced by the destination integrator. The negative confirmation file will be translated, as necessary, for delivery to the integrating system that originally sent the message.

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Question: Is it possible to check on the status of an order, or retrieve a summary of order activity? Can I cancel an order after sending it? Can I resend an order originally sent with errors?
It is possible to check the status of an order and retrieve a summary of order activity. The implementation of status checks and order activity summaries vary based on your reporting needs and the EC Gateway services used by your integration.

Most of the fulfillment systems do not allow for electronic cancellation of the order. A call must be placed to the business unit fulfilling the order to stop work and determine any work charges due.

The system will accept an order that has been resent, but coordination with the vendor performing the work is encouraged before doing so. Depending on the changes to the order, the fulfillment system may or may not recognize the order as a modification of an earlier order and additional work charges may be incurred for new work performed.

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Question: Who is the appropriate contact within your organization if I want to integrate with Stewart?
If you need help in determining your best option, your contact will be the Director of Electronic Integrations, Darren Ross. If you have completed the integration worksheet and can supply either the Stewart Standard XML files or a sample of the file that you would like mapped, your contact will be Kimberly Johnson. Both can be reached by e-mailing IntegrationRequest@stewart.com.

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Question: How do I access support and when is support available?
Customer Service Center Support is available 7:00AM to 6:00PM Monday through Friday and On Call from 6:00PM to 7:00AM Monday through Friday. Support is On Call 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

To contact the Customer Service Center, call 1-888-526-3282.

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Glossary

Term Definition
Mapped Integration A mapped integration is an exchange of data between two or more systems (i.e., integrators) where the data sent by one integrator must be transformed, or mapped, to a different document structure and possibly translated such that the meaning or purpose (semantics) of the data is maintained between the different formats. For instance, an order using the RealEC XML document structure is sent to EC Gateway and delivered to an AIM for Windows (AFW) integrator that requires the SS21 format. The RealEC document must be processed through an XML Translator within EC Gateway to transform it into an SS21 document that can be delivered to AFW.
Unmapped Integration An unmapped integration is an exchange of data between two or more systems (i.e., integrators) where the data sent by one integrator is in a format the receiving integrator(s) is capable of interpreting and translating. For instance, a document using the SS21 format is sent by IntegratorA, and IntegratorB is capable of receiving the SS21 and understanding its structure and semantics.


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