Tag: Finance

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry authority on homebuyer assistance program data and solutions, today released its Q3 2025 Homeownership Program Index (HPI) report. The report identifies 70 new programs launched in Q3, bringing the total number of available programs nationwide to a record 2,624. Additionally, 20 new program providers were added to DPR's database in Q3, bringing its provider total to 1,360.

TROY, Mich. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), announced today that Kaushal Shah, its chief technology officer, has been named a 2025 NewsLink Tech All-Star by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the national association representing the real estate finance industry. The MBA's NewsLink Tech All-Star awards recognize a few individuals each year who are making measurable and meaningful contributions to the mortgage industry.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced that PNC Bank, part of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., will extend its use of Dark Matter's cutting-edge mortgage solutions under a new contract to enhance PNC's mortgage and home equity lending operations.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- FirstClose™, Inc., a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced the completion of an additional round of equity funding, which was led by existing investor Lateral Investment Management, based in San Mateo, California.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- CapitalW Collective, a trailblazing non-profit dedicated to advancing women and their allies in mortgage capital markets, proudly announces FICO® (NYSE:FICO), as a Corporate Development Partner - CapitalW Collective's highest support tier. The partnership reinforces a shared mission to educate, elevate, and empower current and future leaders within mortgage.

PLANO, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Optimal Blue today announced the launch of a new data solution to deliver increased market transparency, as well as three major platform enhancements focused on pricing accuracy, trade execution and counterparty management. Released ahead of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Annual Convention and Expo, and as the company prepares for its 2026 Optimal Blue Summit, these innovations reinforce Optimal Blue's commitment to delivering solutions that position lenders to drive operational excellence and boost competitive performance.

DES MOINES, Iowa /Massachusetts Newswire: -- iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, today announced three new market intelligence dashboards that give mortgage lenders immediate, data-driven visibility into competitive benchmarking, market trends and broker performance.

BUFFALO, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- LenderLogix, a leading provider of mortgage point-of-sale and automation software for banks, credit unions, independent mortgage banks, and brokers, today announced the release of the Homebuyer Intelligence Report, a quarterly summary of insights into borrower behavior during the home-buying process based on data collected by the LenderLogix suite of tools. The latest report covers data collected during the pre-approval and borrower application process in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025.

TORRANCE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- DocMagic, Inc. announced today it has been granted two patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patent No. 12,175,785 for its system and method of "Determining Similar Loan Documents" and Patent No. 12,169,976 for its system and method of "Enabling Electronic Loan Documents."

IRVINE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Cloudvirga, a Stewart-owned provider of digital point-of-sale platforms for lenders, today announced the integration of its Horizon POS with Stewart Valuation Intelligence, LLC (SVI), a national provider of appraisal management and residential real estate valuation services.

PLANO, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Optimal Blue today released its September 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which showed a sharp increase in rate-lock activity as mortgage rates fell throughout the month to their lowest levels in nearly a year. Total lock volume rose 28% month over month (MoM), led by a surge in refinance lending as borrowers seized on the opportunity to lower monthly payments. Purchases also climbed 6% MoM, outperforming typical seasonal trends as improved affordability brought more buyers into the market.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Argyle, the leading provider of direct-source income, employment and asset verifications, today announced the launch of Doc VOI, a new paystub and W-2 based income verification report integrated with Freddie Mac's AIM Check API. Lenders are cutting costs and gaining fast, automated income verifications from uploaded paystubs and W-2s when direct payroll or banking connections are not available.

BOULDER, Colo. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, today announced the launch of Dynamic AI, a new capability that reimagines the mortgage application process by moving document collection and AI-driven data extraction to the very beginning of the process.

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry's leading technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, announced today that it has partnered with ALCOVA Mortgage to expand access to down payment assistance (DPA) programs for homebuyers. The collaboration will help ALCOVA's loan officers match borrowers with available programs more easily, addressing one of the biggest challenges in today's housing market, namely affordability.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced the expansion of the Empower® loan origination system (LOS) to include comprehensive eClosing capabilities by integrating Wolters Kluwer's eOriginal® ClosingCenter and eOriginal eAsset® Management Platform.

SEATTLE, Wash. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Friday Harbor, an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, today announced that its AI Originator Assistant can now evaluate loan files against not only baseline program guidelines, but also the lender and investor overlays that ultimately shape salability and risk. By embedding these requirements directly into the workflow of frontline originators, the platform gives lenders greater control over credit quality and secondary market execution.

HOUSTON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization (RON) and identity verification / authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, today announced that its eClose360® platform is fully compatible with the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization's (MISMO) newly published SMART Doc® V3 standard for electronic home equity lines of credit (eHELOCs).

DES MOINES, Iowa /Massachusetts Newswire: -- iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, today announced the availability of its 2025-2027 U.S. Mortgage Origination Forecast. The firm projects total originations will climb to $2.27 trillion in 2026, a 13% increase over 2025, as slowing economic growth and easing interest rates fuel a rebound in refinance activity alongside modest purchase gains.

ADDISON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the appointment of Ian Kimball as president. In this role, Kimball will oversee strategic growth initiatives, operational execution and market expansion, reporting to founder and CEO Jeff Bode.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Argyle, the leading provider of direct-source income, employment and asset verifications, today announced its vice president of customer success Shelby Bohannon has been honored as one of Mortgage Banker magazine's 2025 Powerful Women of Mortgage Banking. The annual recognition series spotlights women who are making an impact in the mortgage industry and are fostering the next generation of women leaders in the profession.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), wrapped up its 2025 fall conference, "Cheers in Boston: Where Everyone Knows Your Name," held September 14-17 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. The event drew hundreds of lenders, vendors, and industry leaders to connect, exchange ideas, and refocus on progress as the industry moves into its next phase of growth.

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry's leading technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, today announced that Brad Cardwell, vice president of sales and business development, has been appointed to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Associate Advisory Council (MAAC).

IRVINE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Cloudvirga, a Stewart-owned provider of digital point-of-sale platforms for lenders, today announced a new integration between its Horizon POS platform and the ICE PPE from Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE). Built on ICE's latest API framework for mortgage technology, the integration allows loan officers to request loan pricing, validate product eligibility and request rate locks from ICE PPE directly within Horizon's Loan Center.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced the integration of the Empower® loan origination system (LOS) with Polly's advanced product, pricing and eligibility (PPE) engine, expanding choice for banks, credit unions and mortgage lenders.

BOULDER, Colo. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, today announced that its head of marketing Courtney Dodd has been appointed to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Associate Advisory Council (MAAC).

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Secured Signing, a leader in Digital Signatures and Remote Online Notarization (RON) technology, announced the launch of Realify, a new feature designed to protect businesses and their clients from the rising threat of deepfake fraud during remote online notarizations and video signing sessions.

BUFFALO, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- LenderLogix, a leading provider of mortgage point-of-sale (POS) and automation software for banks, credit unions, independent mortgage banks and brokers, today announced that Peak Residential Lending (Peak) has adopted LenderLogix's LiteSpeed(tm) integration with Argyle to deliver verification of assets (VOA) directly at the point of sale (POS). LiteSpeed is the first POS to offer VOA through Argyle's verification platform.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced a renewed multi-year partnership with Navy Federal Credit Union. The agreement reinforces the credit union's strategic focus on digital transformation and elevating the member lending experience.

CLEVELAND, Ohio /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Top mortgage industry webcast The Big Picture, broadcast live every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, announced its October guest lineup featuring five prominent leaders in mortgage growth strategies, banking and housing market outlooks, affordable lending solutions, housing trends and policy insights, and the future of real estate.

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Depth, a leading provider of consultative B2B marketing, public relations and reputation management services for technology companies serving the residential mortgage finance, fintech and regtech industries, today announced its addition of mortgage industry veterans Elizabeth Schroeder, vice president of client services, and Amy Jerina, client services manager, along with former business journalist Amber Perry, who also joins as a client services manager.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- FirstClose™, Inc., a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced a certified integration with Optimal Blue that connects FirstClose's point-of-sale (POS) platform to Optimal Blue's product, pricing and eligibility (PPE) engine. The integration builds on FirstClose's ability to reduce home equity closing times from 45 days to 10 or fewer.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Stavvy, a leading digital mortgage platform, today announced that PHH Mortgage Corporation, a subsidiary of Onity Group Inc. (NYSE: ONTY), has selected its technology solution to enable fully digital execution of loan modification transactions. The partnership leverages Stavvy's comprehensive suite of tools, including eSign, remote online notarization (RON), and in-person electronic notarization (IPEN), all integrated within a centralized, secure hub.

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) has once again been honored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta's top employee benefits and compensation companies. The 2025 recognition marks the firm's seventh consecutive year on the list and coincides with its new certification under the U.S. Small Business Administration's Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program.

DENVER, Colo. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the launch of ACES Intelligence, the industry's first and only AI-powered features for quality control (QC). ACES Intelligence helps ACES customers improve quality, speed and efficiency by enhancing loan reviews, selection and compliance.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Velocity Credit Union, a trusted financial partner for over 75 years, today announced the launch of its refreshed brand, including a new logo, a modernized website, and updated branch locations. The updated look and feel reflects Velocity's ongoing commitment to innovation, accessibility, and delivering an exceptional, member-first experience both in person and online.

BOULDER, Colo. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, today announced that Genisys Credit Union has selected its platform to streamline mortgage lending workflows and deliver an improved member experience. The partnership reflects Genisys' focus on flexible technology solutions and Floify's commitment to supporting credit unions with scalable tools.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Argyle, the leading verification platform for direct-source income and employment data, today announced a strategic investment round with new participation from Mastercard alongside continued support from current investors Bain Capital Ventures, Checkr, Rockefeller Asset Management and SignalFire. The investment reflects growing market demand for modern, consumer-permissioned verifications.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced the expansion of its sales organization with the addition of four accomplished industry sales professionals. These new team members bring deep industry experience and proven track records that will support the company's continued growth in home equity lending.

RESTON, Va. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Ardley, the leading provider of borrower-level mortgage intelligence, today announced the launch of Ardley OneLink, a first-of-its-kind universal entry point to the Ardley Intelligence Platform. OneLink enables lenders and servicers to instantly deliver Ardley-enabled custom loan offers to any qualified potential borrower.

HOUSTON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization (RON) and identity verification/authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, today announced it has partnered with mortgage subservicing leader Dovenmuehle Mortgage Inc. and Texas-based law firm RUTH RUHL, P.C. to offer remote online notarization (RON) services for loan modification agreements.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network for mortgage lenders, has added FICO, global analytics software leader, as an educational partner. This partnership gives members additional insights into credit data, market trends and risk modeling. Unlike TMC's traditional partners, FICO will not sell products or services, focusing instead on empowering TMC's lender network with actionable intelligence on credit behavior and market dynamics.

SEATTLE, Wash. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Friday Harbor, an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, has joined the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) as an affiliate member. Friday Harbor will serve as an expert adviser to CHLA's lender members on the use of artificial intelligence in housing finance.

TORRANCE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- DocMagic, Inc. today announced the launch of DocMagic® One, a new platform for lenders that eliminates the inefficiencies of juggling multiple systems by bringing every critical loan manufacturing step into a single, intuitive platform. Document preparation, compliance checks, collaboration between borrowers, title agents and settlement agents, and closing coordination all happen in one place. Role-based permissions and organizational hierarchies keep tasks moving without bottlenecks.

PLANO, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Optimal Blue today released its August 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found a sharp split between purchase and refinance trends as seasonal factors and falling rates reshaped origination activity. Total lock volume dipped about 2% month over month (MoM) as a roughly 10% drop in purchase locks outweighed the strongest month for rate-and-term refinances this year, which surged nearly 70%.

DANVILLE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- A new mortgage income fund has been launched with a target of $50 million in capital commitments to address California's unique housing and lending gap. Central Mortgage Income Fund (Central) has been founded by Bay Area property veterans Dan and Ben Dianda to invest in short-term, real estate-backed loans across California.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced today the promotion of Andria Lightfoot to vice president of client success. In her new role, Lightfoot will join the sales and revenue organization and be responsible for implementation and customer success strategy.

SEATTLE, Wash. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Friday Harbor, an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, today announced its new integration with the Encompass® loan origination system (LOS) from ICE Mortgage Technology, part of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), a leading global provider of data, technology and market infrastructure. Built using ICE's latest Developer Connect API framework for mortgage technology, the integration enables seamless use of Friday Harbor within the Encompass environment.

ADDISON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the launch of its SmartBuy 5/1 ARM Down Payment Assistance (DPA) product, designed specifically to help home builders address affordability concerns and support new home sales.

ATLANTA, Ga. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry's leading technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, today announced that founder and CEO Rob Chrane has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard. The prestigious award recognizes C-level executives whose leadership reshapes the housing economy and drives meaningful progress in mortgage and real estate.

TORRANCE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- DocMagic, Inc. today announced that CEO and Co-Founder Pat Theodora has been named a recipient of the 2025 HousingWire Vanguard Award. This recognition honors C-level professionals and business leaders who are making a significant impact on the housing economy through bold vision, enduring leadership and forward-thinking innovation.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Informative Research (IR), a leading technology provider of data-driven credit and verification solutions for the lending industry, today announced that Chief Experience Officer Matt Orlando has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard.

BUFFALO, N.Y. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- LenderLogix, a leading provider of mortgage point-of-sale and automation software for banks, credit unions, independent mortgage banks and brokers, today announced its founder and CEO Patrick O'Brien has been recognized as a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard. The award honors C-suite professionals and business leaders whose vision and leadership are driving the housing industry forward across lending, servicing, investments, and real estate.

ADDISON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced that its Chief Operations Officer, Kara Lamphere, has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard. The award recognizes C-suite professionals and business leaders whose vision and leadership are driving the housing industry forward across lending, servicing, investments and real estate.

AUSTIN, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- FirstClose™, Inc., a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced today that co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Tedd Smith has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard.

TROY, Mich. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), announced today that Chief Operations Officer Andrew Bough has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard, a prestigious recognition honoring C-level executives whose leadership is advancing the housing and mortgage finance industry.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, announced today that Chief Product Officer Stephanie Durflinger has been named a 2025 HousingWire Vanguard. This prestigious recognition honors C-level executives whose leadership drives meaningful innovation and growth in the housing and mortgage finance industry.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Lutheran Home, part of Lutheran Life Communities, has begun construction on a new state-of-the-art DaVita Dialysis Den on its Arlington Heights campus. The new six-chair facility, built in partnership with DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), will bring life-sustaining kidney care directly to Lutheran Home residents and, later, to the surrounding community.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's leading independent cooperative network for mortgage lenders, announced today that its Mortgage Tech Day will take place September 14 at the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston as part of its Fall conference, "CHEERS! Where Everyone Knows Your Name."

CLEVELAND, Ohio /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Top mortgage industry webcast The Big Picture, broadcast live every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, announced its September guest lineup featuring four expert voices centered on best practices in loan administration, regulatory trends shaping the mortgage industry, the role of mortgage tech in secondary markets and innovation within the appraisal space.

HOUSTON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization (RON) and identity verification/authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, today announced the continued expansion of its fraud prevention use cases within the credit card industry.

DENVER, Colo. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the release of its quarterly ACES Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report covering the first quarter (Q1) of 2025. The latest report analyzes post-closing quality control data derived from ACES Quality Management & Control® software.

IRVINE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Cloudvirga, a Stewart-owned provider of digital point-of-sale platforms for lenders, today announced the general availability of an admin portal for its Tropos borrower platform, giving lenders greater control over how it works for their business and borrowers. With the new functionality, lenders can adjust organizational settings, manage their brand experience across the business structure, customize loan applications and adapt operational workflows-all without developer assistance.

HOUSTON, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and leading remote online notarization (RON) provider for real estate and legal transactions, its certification to perform RON services in the state of Vermont. This development follows Vermont's enactment of legislation supporting remote notarizations, allowing notaries with a Special Endorsement to perform digital notarizations in the state.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Informative Research (IR), a leading technology provider of data-driven credit and verification solutions for the lending industry, announced it has been named a 2025 Lending Tech Titan by PROGRESS in Lending, honoring the company's pioneering work in delivering automation, efficiency and cost savings to mortgage lenders across the U.S.

PLANO, Texas /Massachusetts Newswire: -- Optimal Blue today announced it will host its 2026 Optimal Blue Summit from February 23-25 at the Talking Stick Resort and Conference Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Building on the success of its inaugural event, the 2026 Summit will bring together the company's clients and integration partners, along with thought leaders and experts from across the mortgage industry, for three days of insights, connection and strategy.