Mortgage and Finance News

Mortgage and Finance News: (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network for mortgage lenders, announced the formation of the Mortgage AI Council, a standing committee under TMC's lender member board of directors. The council will give community banks, credit unions and independent mortgage bankers the governance frameworks, peer intelligence and collective voice needed to adopt artificial intelligence responsibly as the technology reshapes how lenders originate loans, assess risk and serve borrowers.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ST. LOUIS, Mo.) OptiFunder®, the mortgage industry leader in warehouse management automation, announced a new integration with LendingPad, the award-winning, cloud-native loan origination system. The integration brings LendingPad and Genesis by OptiFunder together, creating a direct connection between loan origination and warehouse funding operations.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ST. LOUIS, Mo.) OptiFunder, the mortgage industry pioneer in warehouse management automation, has partnered with Vesta, the AI-native loan origination system and agent platform, to connect loan origination and warehouse funding workflows. The integration links origination, funding, and sale to the capital markets, eliminating fragmented systems and manual handoffs that have historically slowed execution and increased risk.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its April 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found that mortgage lock activity pulled back after a strong first quarter. Total rate-lock volume declined 9% month over month (MoM) but remained 11% higher year over year (YoY). Purchase lock volume declined just under 2% from March but increased more than 9% from April 2025, continuing to lead production as refinance activity cooled.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced SmartDocs, a new disclosure intelligence capability available through its XpressEquity point-of-sale platform. SmartDocs functions as the intelligence layer that determines when disclosure obligations begin and initiates the appropriate workflow based on lender-configured rules, helping standardize timing and delivery across programs and jurisdictions.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) Watkins Insurance Group, a leading independent insurance agency in Texas, has announced the addition of Patrick McFadden as a Private Client Insurance Advisor. McFadden brings 30 years of insurance experience and holds the LUTC and FSCP professional designations. His hire reflects the agency's continued commitment to serving the Austin metro market and specifically the growing segment of individuals and families whose lifestyles and assets require a more tailored approach to coverage strategy and personal service.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LA MESA, Calif.) LegalizeFerrets.org says a new phase has emerged in California's long-running ferret controversy after the California Fish and Game Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife filed demurrers in response to a lawsuit involving Petition 2025-003 - a citizen petition seeking reconsideration of California's classification of domestic ferrets as restricted animals.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUGUSTA, Ga.) Pillar To Post® Home Inspectors has named Jeremiah Adell Jr., owner of Pillar To Post of Greater Augusta, its 2025 Rookie of the Year, an award presented recently in 2026 to recognize outstanding overall performance based on sales, market growth and contribution to the brand.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J.) Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting our oceans from needless industrialization, along with other concerned parties, filed suit against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to compel the agency to act on a 2025 petition intended to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW).

Mortgage and Finance News: (DENVER, Colo.) ACES Quality Management® (ACES), a leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced today that Romina Cusenza, vice president of marketing, has been named a 2026 Trailblazers in Sales, Marketing and PR award winner by Progress in Lending. The award recognizes mortgage industry professionals who have made a meaningful positive impact on their company and the broader industry through sales, marketing and public relations initiatives.