Google Tag Manager (GTM) Integration Guide

Overview

The Optimus platform integrates with Google Tag Manager (GTM) to provide real-time analytics tracking throughout the borrower's loan application journey. GTM events are automatically fired at key milestones as the borrower progresses through the application, giving you full visibility into applicant behavior, drop-off points, and conversion metrics.

The platform supports three primary loan flows, each with its own set of application steps:

Purchase - Borrowers buying a new home
Refinance - Borrowers refinancing an existing mortgage
HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) - Borrowers accessing their home equity

All three flows share the same GTM event types and data payload structure, making it simple to build a unified analytics setup.

GTM Container Setup

Once your GTM Container ID (format: GTM-XXXXXXX) is provided to your account administrator, the Optimus platform automatically integrates with your GTM workspace.

Every application event is pushed directly to your GTM container's dataLayer.
Your container uses a namespaced dataLayer (e.g., {YourPrefix}DataLayer) to keep data cleanly isolated.
Your company prefix is automatically derived from the initials of your company name (e.g., "Acme Lending" becomes prefix AL).

No code installation is required on your end. The platform handles all GTM script loading, dataLayer management, and event firing automatically.

GTM Events

The platform fires six event types throughout every application lifecycle, regardless of loan type. Each event is pushed to your GTM dataLayer automatically.

Event Tag (in dataLayer)	Event Name	When It Fires
`{prefix}-pre-qualification-started`	Pre-Qualification Started	When the borrower creates a new application and the first step loads
`{prefix}-step-started`	Step Started	Each time the borrower navigates to a new step
`{prefix}-step-completed`	Step Completed	Each time the borrower successfully completes/submits a step
`{prefix}-pre-qualification-completed`	Pre-Qualification Completed	When Phase 1 (Pre-Qualification) is submitted
`{prefix}-application-started`	Application Started	When Phase 2 (Full Qualification) begins
`{prefix}-application-completed`	Application Completed	When the full application is submitted

Note: {prefix} is your company prefix (e.g., for a company named "Acme Lending", events appear as AL-step-completed).

These six events are identical across Purchase, Refinance, and HELOC flows. The step field tells you which specific step the borrower is on, and the loanPurpose field tells you which flow they are in.

Event Data Payload

Every GTM event push includes the following variables in the dataLayer. These are available for use in your GTM triggers, tags, and variables.

Variable	Type	Description	Example
`event`	string	The full event name including your company prefix	`"AL-step-completed"`
`companyName`	string	Your company name	`"Acme Lending"`
`tag`	string	The raw event type	`"step-completed"`
`step`	string	The step identifier the borrower is on	`"PropertyType"`, `"Income"`
`borrowerId`	string	Unique identifier of the primary borrower	`"b8f3e2a1-4c5d-..."`
`loanId`	string	Unique identifier of the loan application	`"a4d7c9e2-1b2c-..."`
`loanPurpose`	string (optional)	The selected loan purpose	`"Purchase"`, `"Refinance"`, `"AdditionalLoan"`
`refinancePurpose`	string (optional)	Sub-purpose for refinance or HELOC flows	`"LowerRate"`, `"HELOC"`

Sample Event - Purchase Flow

{
  event: "AL-step-completed",
  companyName: "Acme Lending",
  step: "DownPayment",
  borrowerId: "b8f3e2a1-4c5d-6e7f-8a9b-0c1d2e3f4a5b",
  loanId: "a4d7c9e2-1b2c-3d4e-5f6a-7b8c9d0e1f2a",
  loanPurpose: "Purchase"
}

Sample Event - Refinance Flow

{
  event: "AL-step-completed",
  companyName: "Acme Lending",
  step: "CurrentMortgageBalance",
  borrowerId: "b8f3e2a1-4c5d-6e7f-8a9b-0c1d2e3f4a5b",
  loanId: "c5e8f1a3-2d4b-6c7e-9f0a-1b2c3d4e5f6a",
  loanPurpose: "Refinance",
  refinancePurpose: "LowerRate"
}

Sample Event - HELOC Flow

{
  event: "AL-step-completed",
  companyName: "Acme Lending",
  step: "AdditionalLoanHelocHighBalance",
  borrowerId: "b8f3e2a1-4c5d-6e7f-8a9b-0c1d2e3f4a5b",
  loanId: "d6f9a2b4-3e5c-7d8f-0a1b-2c3d4e5f6a7b",
  loanPurpose: "AdditionalLoan",
  refinancePurpose: "HELOC"
}

Application Steps by Loan Flow

Every loan application has two phases:

Phase 1: Pre-Qualification - Collects basic information and presents initial rate options. Ends at the Rate Comparison step.
Phase 2: Qualification - Collects detailed financial, employment, and personal data. Ends at the Final Rate Comparison step and application submission.

The exact steps shown vary by loan type and may also be affected by company configuration. Below are the standard steps for each flow.

Purchase Flow

Loan Purpose: Purchase

Phase 1: Pre-Qualification

#	Step Key	Step Name	Description
1	`LoanPurpose`	Loan Purpose	Borrower selects "Purchase"
2	`FirstTimeHomeBuyer`	First-Time Homebuyer	Whether the borrower has owned a home in the last 3 years
3	`VaEligibility`	VA Eligibility	VA loan eligibility (conditional)
4	`PurchaseProcessType`	Buying Stage	Where the borrower is in the buying process
5	`PropertyType`	Property Type	Single family, condo, townhouse, multi-unit, co-op, manufactured home
6	`PropertyUsageDetails`	Property Usage	Primary residence, second home, or investment property
7	`PurchaseLocation`	Property Location	ZIP code of the property
8	`PropertyAddress`	Property Address	Full property address (if contract is signed)
9	`PurchasePrice`	Purchase Price	Agreed purchase price
10	`Budget`	Home Budget	Target budget (if still searching)
11	`CurrentCreditProfile`	Credit Profile	Self-reported credit score range
12	`DownPayment`	Down Payment	Down payment percentage
13	`WorkingWithRealtor`	Working with Realtor	Whether they have a real estate agent
14	`RealtorInLoop`	Keep Realtor in Loop	Option to loop in their realtor (conditional)
15	`RealtorInfo`	Realtor Info	Realtor contact details (conditional)
16	`PersonalInfo`	Personal Information	Borrower name, email, phone verification
17	`AdditionalQuestions`	Additional Questions	Custom company-specific questions (conditional)
18	`RateComparison`	Rate Comparison	View and select from available loan rate options

Note: Steps 7-10 vary depending on the buying stage. Borrowers with a signed contract see PropertyAddress and PurchasePrice; those still searching see PurchaseLocation and Budget. Realtor steps appear based on borrower answers. VA Eligibility appears conditionally.

Phase 2: Qualification

#	Step Key	Step Name	Description
19	`FullPersonalInfo`	Full Personal Info	SSN, DOB, citizenship, marital status
20	`CreditProfile`	Credit Report	Soft credit pull and report review
21	`PropertyInformation`	Property Information	Detailed property data
22	`TitleHolder`	Title Holder	Title holder details
23	`ResidenceInfo`	Residence History	Current and prior addresses (2-year history)
24	`Income`	Income	Employment and income details
25	`Assets`	Assets	Bank accounts, investments, retirement
26	`Reo`	Real Estate Owned	Other properties owned
27	`DownPaymentSource`	Down Payment Source	Source of down payment funds
28	`DeclarationsGeneral`	Declarations	General URLA declarations
29	`PropertyAndLoan`	Property and Loan Declarations	Property and loan declarations
30	`YourFinances`	Financial Declarations	Financial history declarations
31	`MilitaryServices`	Military Service	Military service information
32	`HomeownershipEducationAndHousingCounseling`	Education and Counseling	Homeownership education
33	`LanguagePreferences`	Language Preferences	Preferred communication language
34	`DemographicInformation`	Demographics	HMDA demographic data
35	`Review`	Review	Final review of all information
36	`FinalRateComparison`	Final Rate Selection	Final loan option selection and submission

Refinance Flow

Loan Purpose: Refinance

The Refinance flow has two variants:

Standard Refinance (lower rate, shorten term)
Cash-Out Refinance (take cash out, pay off credit cards, home improvement)

Phase 1: Pre-Qualification

#	Step Key	Step Name	Description
1	`LoanPurpose`	Loan Purpose	Borrower selects "Refinance"
2	`VaEligibility`	VA Eligibility	VA loan eligibility (conditional)
3	`PropertyType`	Property Type	Type of property being refinanced
4	`PropertyUsageDetails`	Property Usage	How the property is used
5	`PropertyAddress`	Property Address	Full property address
6	`PropertyValue`	Property Value	Estimated current property value
7	`CurrentMortgageBalance`	Mortgage Balance	Current outstanding mortgage balance
8	`PurposeOfRefinance`	Purpose of Refinance	Why they are refinancing
9	`CashOutAmount`	Cash-Out Amount	Desired cash-out amount (cash-out refinance only)
10	`CurrentCreditProfile`	Credit Profile	Self-reported credit score range
11	`PersonalInfo`	Personal Information	Borrower name, email, phone verification
12	`AdditionalQuestions`	Additional Questions	Custom company-specific questions (conditional)
13	`RateComparison`	Rate Comparison	View and select from available rate options

Note: Step 9 (Cash-Out Amount) only appears for cash-out refinance purposes.

Phase 2: Qualification

The Qualification phase for Refinance is the same as Purchase (steps 19-36 listed above), except DownPaymentSource does not apply.

HELOC Flow

Loan Purpose: AdditionalLoan | Refinance Purpose: HELOC

Phase 1: Pre-Qualification

#	Step Key	Step Name	Description
1	`LoanPurpose`	Loan Purpose	Borrower selects "HELOC/HELoan"
2	`AdditionalLoanSecondMortgageType`	Loan Type Selection	Borrower selects "HELOC" as the type
3	`PropertyType`	Property Type	Type of property
4	`PropertyUsageDetails`	Property Usage	How the property is used
5	`PropertyAddress`	Property Address	Full property address
6	`AdditionalLoanHelocExistingMortgage`	Existing Mortgage	Current mortgage balance(s) on the property
7	`AdditionalLoanHelocHighBalance`	Home Equity Amount	Total available home equity amount
8	`AdditionalLoanHomeEquityCreditPurpose`	Purpose	Why they are seeking home equity financing
9	`CurrentCreditProfile`	Credit Profile	Self-reported credit score range
10	`PersonalInfo`	Personal Information	Borrower name, email, phone verification
11	`RateComparison`	Rate Comparison	View and select from available HELOC rate options

Phase 2: Qualification

The Qualification phase for HELOC follows the same structure as other flows (see steps 19-36 in the Purchase section above).

Event Sequence Example

Below is the typical sequence of GTM events for a borrower completing a full application (the pattern is the same for all flows):

1.  {prefix}-pre-qualification-started     (application created)
2.  {prefix}-step-started                  (first step loads)
3.  {prefix}-step-completed                (first step submitted)
    ... (step-started / step-completed pairs for each step) ...
4.  {prefix}-step-completed                (RateComparison submitted)
5.  {prefix}-pre-qualification-completed   (Phase 1 complete)
6.  {prefix}-application-started           (Phase 2 begins)
7.  {prefix}-step-started                  (FullPersonalInfo loads)
    ... (step-started / step-completed pairs for each step) ...
8.  {prefix}-step-completed                (FinalRateComparison submitted)
9.  {prefix}-application-completed         (Full application submitted)

Using the Data in GTM

1. Create DataLayer Variables in your GTM container for each field:

event (built-in)
companyName (Data Layer Variable)
tag (Data Layer Variable)
step (Data Layer Variable)
borrowerId (Data Layer Variable)
loanId (Data Layer Variable)
loanPurpose (Data Layer Variable)
refinancePurpose (Data Layer Variable)

2. Create Triggers based on event names:

Trigger for {yourPrefix}-application-completed to fire conversion tags
Trigger for {yourPrefix}-pre-qualification-completed to fire lead generation tags
Trigger for {yourPrefix}-step-completed to track funnel progression

3. Common Tag Configurations:

Google Analytics 4: Map events to GA4 custom events with step, loanPurpose, borrowerId, and loanId as event parameters
Facebook/Meta Pixel: Fire Lead on pre-qualification-completed, fire CompleteRegistration on application-completed
Google Ads Conversion: Fire conversion tag on application-completed

Segmenting by Loan Type

Use the loanPurpose variable to segment analytics by loan type:

loanPurpose Value	Flow
`Purchase`	Home purchase
`Refinance`	Mortgage refinance
`AdditionalLoan`	HELOC or second mortgage

For HELOC specifically, you can also check refinancePurpose = "HELOC".

Funnel Analysis

The step variable combined with step-started and step-completed events enables detailed funnel analysis:

Drop-off analysis: Compare step-started counts vs. step-completed counts per step to identify where borrowers abandon the process
Time-to-complete: Use timestamps between step-started and step-completed for the same loanId to measure step duration
Conversion rate: Track the ratio of pre-qualification-started to application-completed for end-to-end conversion, segmented by loanPurpose
Flow comparison: Compare funnel performance across Purchase, Refinance, and HELOC flows using the loanPurpose field

Setup Requirements

To start receiving GTM events:

Provide your GTM Container ID (format: GTM-XXXXXXX) to your account administrator
The administrator will configure it in your company settings
Events will begin flowing to your container immediately for all new application sessions

No additional code or script installation is required on your part. The platform handles all GTM script loading and event management automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to install any GTM code on my website?
A: No. The platform automatically loads your GTM container and manages the dataLayer. You only need to configure tags and triggers within your GTM workspace.

Q: Can I track which specific step borrowers drop off on?
A: Yes. Every step transition fires both step-completed (for the step being left) and step-started (for the next step). By comparing counts, you can pinpoint exact drop-off steps.

Q: Are events fired for returning borrowers who resume an application?
A: Yes. When a borrower returns to a saved application, a step-started event fires for the step they resume on.

Q: How do I distinguish between HELOC and other loan types in my analytics?
A: Use the loanPurpose field ("AdditionalLoan" for HELOC) and/or the refinancePurpose field ("HELOC") in your GTM triggers or GA4 event parameters.

Q: Is any personally identifiable information (PII) included in the events?
A: No. The dataLayer only contains opaque identifiers (borrowerId, loanId) and application metadata. No names, emails, SSNs, or other PII is included in events.

For questions about this integration or to request your GTM Container ID be configured, please contact your account representative.