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Mortgage and Finance News: (TAMPA, Fla.) Homeowners searching for an ADU builder in Tampa or St. Petersburg have a new reason to act and a full-service option in Craftline Remodeling, a licensed Florida design-build contractor (CBC1269114) that handles accessory dwelling units and garage conversions entirely in-house.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TROY, Mich.) Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), has been verified by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac (the government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs) to support the Uniform Property Data Report (UPDR) specification under Uniform Property Dataset (UPD) Version 1.0. Use of the UPDR is mandatory for mortgages with applications received on or after June 30, 2026.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAKE ZURICH, Ill.) Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (DMI), a leading mortgage subservicing company, announced today that Amber Cowan, first vice president of Default Operations, has been named a Mortgage Stars honoree by Mortgage Women Magazine. The program recognizes women making significant contributions to the mortgage industry through innovation, leadership and impact on colleagues and clients.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its June 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found that mortgage activity strengthened month over month (MoM), with purchase lock volume climbing to its highest level since early spring and pull-through rates rebounding across both purchase and refinance pipelines. Total rate-lock volume rose 10% MoM and 15% year over year (YoY).

Mortgage and Finance News: (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network for mortgage lenders, has launched the TMC Healthcare Cooperative, a self-funded medical program open to all TMC lender members and preferred partners. Developed in partnership with CCIG, a Colorado-based employee benefits firm, the program gives vendors, community banks, credit unions and independent mortgage bankers a way to fund their own health claims as a group.

Mortgage and Finance News: (CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.) LodeStar Software Solutions (LodeStar), the leading provider of mortgage closing cost and fee data, today announced the release of its Year-Over-Year Mortgage Closing Cost Report covering 2024 versus 2025. The report analyzes distinct mortgage quotes across all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.), drawn from the company's closing cost calculator platform.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAKE ZURICH, Ill.) Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (DMI), a leading mortgage subservicing company, announced today that Ann Morey has been named Head of Product. In this role, Morey will lead DMI's product management function, which includes establishing strategic product vision, driving outcome-oriented roadmaps that address stakeholder expectations, increasing internal cross-functional alignment and building agile, high-performing teams.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SEATTLE, Wash.) Friday Harbor, an AI pre-underwriting platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, has been named a recipient of PROGRESS in Lending's 2026 Connections Award alongside NewFed Mortgage Corp. (NewFed), a full-service residential mortgage lender operating in more than 20 states. The recognition honors a partnership that allowed NewFed to grow production without the hiring cycles and overhead that typically accompany scale.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TORRANCE, Calif.) DocMagic® was honored today with PROGRESS in Lending's 2026 Connections Award alongside Truliant Federal Credit Union, a North Carolina-based credit union serving more than 300,000 members. The recognition honors a yearslong partnership that culminated in the mortgage industry's first electronic home equity line of credit (eHELOC) registered with the MERS® eRegistry.

Mortgage and Finance News: (RICHMOND, Va.) Loehr Lightning Protection Co. (LLP), Virginia's leader in lightning protection system consultation and installation, is endorsing two important lightning safety initiatives. LLP, a woman-owned Virginia contracting firm founded in 1947, is supporting the National Lightning Safety Council's 26th-year anniversary of National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BRENTWOOD, Tenn.) Franklin Madison is excited to announce the addition of Matt Bishop as Chief Growth & Strategy Officer. With more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, Matt brings a proven ability to scale organizations and deliver impactful results to the executive leadership team.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAS VEGAS, Nev.) Nevada Real Estate Group, led by founder Chris Nevada, has been recognized across multiple industry honors in 2025, including placement on The Wall Street Journal's RealTrends The Thousand list, USA TODAY's America's Best Real Estate Professionals ranking, and the Top 50 Nevada Real Producers list.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the appointment of Merv Govender as chief information officer (CIO). Govender brings more than 27 years of technology leadership across the banking, gaming and healthcare industries. As CIO, he will lead Click n' Close's technology development and deployment strategy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DES MOINES, Iowa) iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, today announced its support of the newly launched CONVERGENCE® Knowledge Hub, a centralized resource designed to help lenders, nonprofit organizations, housing counselors, real estate professionals and community leaders expand access to sustainable homeownership.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) Small Business Pharmacies Aligned for Reform (SPAR) today praised Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for becoming the first attorney general in the United States to subpoena CVS's confidential contracts with drug manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and both chain and independent retail pharmacies.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LA MESA, Calif.) Three hundred seventy-eight days after the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to give further consideration to a petition seeking removal of domestic ferrets from California's restricted species list, the petition remains unresolved, says Legalize Ferrets (Legalizeferrets.org).

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAKE ZURICH, Ill.) Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (DMI), a leading mortgage subservicing company, announced today that it is improving onboarding with its new Diagnostic Process. This approach helps DMI subservicing clients identify and evaluate organizational complexity, resource constraints and team readiness earlier in servicing transfer workflows. Early preparation using the Diagnostic Process improves servicing transfer outcomes and increases onboarding efficiency.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) Seventeen-year-old Mergers and Acquisitions firm ProNova Partners has announced it has been retained to develop major strategic partnership and acquisition relationships for a breakthrough at-home vision-testing technology built on optical science exclusively licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SEATTLE, Wash.) Friday Harbor, an AI pre-underwriting platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, today announced new capabilities for condominium and manufactured home loans that enable lenders to evaluate property-specific eligibility requirements before files reach underwriting.

Mortgage and Finance News: (GARDEN GROVE, Calif.) Informative Research (IR), a leading technology provider of data-driven credit and verification solutions for the lending industry, today announced it has been named a recipient of the MortgagePoint Excellence Award for Top Technology Providers. The recognition highlights IR's innovative, unified platform.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TORRANCE, Calif.) DocMagic® announced today it has again been named a recipient of the MortgagePoint Tech Excellence Award. The annual award recognizes the most innovative technology providers in the mortgage industry. According to MortgagePoint, the Tech Excellence Award "highlights companies that deliver cutting-edge solutions, improve operational efficiency and enhance the mortgage process through technology."

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced today that Tedd Smith, chief executive officer, has been named to the 2026 National Mortgage Professional Legends of Lending. The honor recognizes mortgage professionals who have made enduring contributions to the industry through innovation, leadership and long-term impact.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) Velocity Credit Union is proud to celebrate the opening of its new Southwest Austin branch, a modern, expanded facility designed to better serve its growing membership across Central Texas. Located at 3419 Davis Lane, Austin, TX 78745, the full-service branch opened in late May and offers enhanced convenience, expanded services, and a welcoming space for members and the community.

Mortgage and Finance News: (CHICO, Calif.) With West Coast architectural fees climbing to historic highs, standard residential design services are rapidly becoming cost-prohibitive for middle-class homebuilders. In a direct bid to dismantle this financial bottleneck, California-based manufacturer Sierra Log and Timber today announced the rollout of a flat-rate $950 custom 3D architectural drafting program.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TECUMSEH, Mich.) The parent company of DiggyPOD, Everbrook Holdings, announced the acquisition of Long Overdue Books, a Chicago-area publishing company known for guiding authors from first draft to finished book. The deal closed on May 15, 2026, and brings Long Overdue Books into the Everbrook family alongside DiggyPOD. DiggyPOD is a Tecumseh, Michigan-based book printer that became Everbrook's first portfolio company in June 2025.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SEATTLE, Wash.) Friday Harbor, an AI pre-underwriting platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, today announced its integration with MeridianLink®. The integration equips origination teams using MeridianLink® Mortgage to build clean, complete and compliant loan files up front that move through underwriting with fewer touches.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its May 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found that mortgage activity continued to cool as higher rates weighed on both purchase and refinance demand. Total rate-lock volume declined 9% month over month (MoM) but remained 7% higher year over year (YoY). Purchase activity continued to dominate production, accounting for just over 81% of total lock volume, while refinance share fell to 19%, its lowest level since June 2025.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TROY, Mich. and NAPLES, Fla.) Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company, today announced a partnership with Makena, a next-generation property data platform designed to help enterprises collect accurate, structured and actionable property data at scale. Through the partnership, Class Valuation appraisers will gain access to InstaPlan(r), Makena's mobile data collection and floor plan application, as they prepare for the wide-scale UAD 3.6 mandate on November 2, 2026.

Mortgage and Finance News: (MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) Secured Signing, a leading provider of secure digital signature, online notarization, video signing and identity verification solutions, announces a powerful new integration with Actionstep, the cloud-based practice management platform trusted by modern law firms.

Mortgage and Finance News: (GARDEN GROVE, Calif.) Informative Research (IR), a leading technology provider of data-driven credit and verification solutions for the lending industry, today announced that Craig Leabig, Senior Vice President of Marketing, has been named a 2026 Marketing Leader by HousingWire. The award recognizes influential marketing executives who have transformed brands and driven measurable business results across the housing economy.