Melville, N.Y. (Jan. 2, 2001) -- Vertical Lend has agreed with Tax and Accounting Software Corporation, a leading tax preparation software company, to develop a software module that will enable tax preparers to offer loan products.

The Vertical Lend/TAASC software module will enable a tax professional to submit applications for approval directly accessing Vertical Lend's back office on behalf of their customers. The module will be offered through TAASC as a value-added product specifically marketed to those tax professionals most interested in offering lending solutions to their customers.

"We are eager to introduce the Vertical Lend program to the more than 20,000 users of TAASC software products," said Timothy Redmond, executive vice president for TAASC. "Tax professionals are well suited to offer loan products to their customer base because of their established customer relationships and access to information." Vertical Lend offers financial professionals an entire suite of lending solutions such as residential mortgages, small business loans and auto loans, as well as educational tools, calculators, product information and loan pricing. Vertical Lend's goal is to enhance a financial advisor's special relationship with consumers in order to provide higher quality advice, better loan execution and exceptional customer service, according to Steven Connolly, a CPA and the director of business development for the program. "CPAs not only have a special relationship with their clients, they already have the tax returns and most of the supporting documents needed to process the loan," Connolly said.