Tag: AP
News: Avatar Construction Watertown MA Celebrates the Grand Opening of Grand Central Suites in Manchester, NH
Mortgage and Finance News: (WATERTOWN, Mass. and MANCHESTER, N.H.) Avatar Construction, the Watertown, Massachusetts based design-build firm known for its integrated approach to commercial and multi-family development, today announced the successful completion and grand opening of Grand Central Suites, a 77-unit luxury apartment community at 21 Central Street in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire.
News: Optimal Blue report: Non-QM bucks September slowdown as mortgage rates surge
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its September 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) lending continued to expand even as rising rates weighed on broader mortgage activity. Total rate-lock volume declined 2% month over month (MoM), 21% over the past three months and 26% year over year (YoY). Non-QM lock volume bucked the broader decline, rising 8% MoM as non-QM loans accounted for 12% of September production.
News: Friday Harbor launches Safe Harbor QC with insurance-backed warranty from an A+ rated global insurer
Mortgage and Finance News: (CHICAGO, Ill.) Friday Harbor, an AI pre-underwriting platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, today announced Safe Harbor QC, a new pre-closing quality control solution that combines a comprehensive loan review with a warranty backed by a global insurer rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best with the agency's highest financial size category (XV).
News: Optimal Blue acquires Usherpa to provide originators with tools to win more business by connecting eligibility, pricing and borrower engagement
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced it has acquired Usherpa, a marketing automation and borrower relationship engagement platform purpose-built for mortgage professionals. The acquisition expands Optimal Blue's ability to help lenders win more business by bringing borrower engagement capabilities closer to the product, pricing and eligibility solutions that over 200,000 originators use to identify and convert loan opportunities.
News: Optimal Blue Streamlines Best Efforts Lock Execution for Lenders
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced that its direct lock functionality now integrates with Fannie Mae's Pricing & Execution - Whole Loan® (PE - Whole Loan) platform. The integration allows lenders using Optimal Blue's product, pricing and eligibility (PPE) engine to execute best efforts locks with Fannie Mae through real-time, system-to-system connectivity without leaving Optimal Blue.
News: LenderLogix and Jerry Help Mortgage Borrowers Secure Home Insurance with One Click
Mortgage and Finance News: (BUFFALO, N.Y.) LenderLogix and Jerry today announced an integration that helps mortgage borrowers proactively secure homeowners insurance once they've submitted their mortgage application. Within LenderLogix's LiteSpeed point-of-sale platform, borrowers can seamlessly shop for homeowners insurance directly from their borrower dashboard.
News: FirstClose collaborates with Cotality to deliver a streamlined home equity lending platform designed for a 7-day close
Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for home equity and mortgage lenders nationwide, today announced a strategic alliance with Cotality™, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider that supports 80% of real estate transactions in North America.
News: Home equity lenders report an average per-loan impact of $753.04 from execution improvements
Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for home equity and mortgage lenders nationwide, today released the results of an independent study by MarketWise Advisors, LLC, examining the value of improvements in operational readiness and execution for home equity lenders. Participating lenders reported an average financial and operational impact of $753.04 per loan, a 7.99x return, across the core and extended capabilities MarketWise modeled.
News: Down Payment Resource adds three new team members to support lenders, HFAs and community programs
Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry's leading affordability intelligence platform, today announced three additions to its team: Melissa Roy as a partner solutions engineer, April Espinosa as a down payment assistance programs specialist and Jeff Smith as a housing finance agency (HFA) relationship manager.
News: Analysis: Neighborhood income data understates mortgage access gaps
Mortgage and Finance News: (DES MOINES, Iowa) New analysis from iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, finds that mortgage access gaps for low-income households are substantially wider than neighborhood-level data suggests. The analysis draws on the last five years of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data.
News: Service 1st marks 100 years in business, extends beyond mortgage lending
Mortgage and Finance News: (HAMMONTON, N.J.) Service First Information Solutions LLC (Service 1st), a leading provider of credit reporting and verification solutions for the mortgage and other industries, is celebrating 100 years in business. Over the past century, Service 1st has expanded well beyond its roots in mortgage credit reporting.
News: FocusOne Strengthens Digital Mortgage Capabilities with LenderLogix LiteSpeed
Mortgage and Finance News: (BUFFALO, N.Y.) LenderLogix, a provider of mortgage point-of-sale and automation software, today announced that FocusOne, a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), has implemented its LiteSpeed point-of-sale platform as part of its continued investment in technology designed to help credit union partners deliver a modern, streamlined mortgage experience to their members.
News: June Point Lending launches DSCR loans in California
Mortgage and Finance News: (NEW YORK, N.Y.) June Point Lending Inc. (June Point Lending), a tech-forward wholesale non-QM lender, announced today it is offering debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) loans in California, its 19th state for DSCR lending and one of the country's largest broker markets.
News: Floify names mortgage technology leader Bryan Traeger as general manager
Mortgage and Finance News: (BOULDER, Colo.) Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, has selected Bryan Traeger as its new general manager. Traeger will lead Floify's next phase of growth with a focus on expanding the company's use of AI and push the boundaries of the borrower and lender experience. Traeger officially assumes the GM role on October 12 and will be at MBA Annual in Chicago, October 12-14, booth 600.
News: Dark Matter Technologies and Mezzo bring one-to-many verification orchestration to lenders
Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter), an innovative leader in home lending technology, today announced an integration with Mezzo, creator of the mortgage industry's first one-to-many operating architecture for third-party services. Available through Dark Matter's Exchange℠ Partner Marketplace, the integration gives lenders using the Empower® Loan Origination Solution a single gateway and workflow across multiple verification providers.
News: Capital Automotive Group Announces Acquisition of Larry Cloninger Dealerships, Continuing a Legacy Built Over Generations
Mortgage and Finance News: (RALEIGH, N.C.) Capital Automotive Group today announced the acquisition of six Larry Cloninger dealerships and an independent collision center in North and South Carolina, marking a significant expansion for the family-owned automotive group and, more importantly, the continuation of a legacy built on relationships, community, and more than four decades of friendship between the Cloninger and Michael families.
News: Franklin Madison Introduces Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance, Expanding Access to Financial Protection
Mortgage and Finance News: (BRENTWOOD, Tenn.) Franklin Madison today announced the availability of Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance (GI Life), a new approach to life insurance that removes traditional barriers to coverage through guaranteed acceptance, simplified enrollment, and no waiting periods.
News: Technology Credit Union selects Floify to enhance its digital mortgage lending experience
Mortgage and Finance News: (BOULDER, Colo.) Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, today announced that Technology Credit Union (Tech CU) has chosen Floify to modernize its first mortgage and home equity lending experience.
News: EDEAL Surpasses US$3 Million in Loan Originations and Expands Financial Services Offering Through Partnership with Sardona Capital
Mortgage and Finance News: (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA) EDEAL, an emerging financial services company serving individuals and small businesses in Latin America, today announced significant growth in its lending operations in Colombia, alongside a new strategic relationship with Sardona Capital S.A., a securities firm regulated and supervised by the Superintendence of the Securities Market of the Republic of Panama.
News: Atlantic Bay helps Roc Solid Foundation pack 16,000 Ready Bags for families facing childhood cancer
Mortgage and Finance News: (VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group LLC (Atlantic Bay) joined nearly 1,800 volunteers at Norfolk Scope Arena on September 18 for Roc Solid Foundation's inaugural Ready Bag Rally. In less than two hours, volunteers packed 16,000 Ready Bags to support families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis. The rally was Roc Solid's first Ready Bag packing event of this scale.
News: Strategic Benefits Advisors holds steady as Atlanta’s benefits consultant market shrinks 17%
Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) has been recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta's largest employee benefits and compensation companies of 2026. This is the eighth consecutive year SBA has made the Chronicle's annual list highlighting benefits consultants and brokers. Even as the number of benefits consultants and brokers in Atlanta fell 17% in 2026, according to the Chronicle, SBA held its position.
News: Friday Harbor adds AI-pre-underwriting support for investor and DSCR loans
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 expanded support for investor loans, including debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) loans.
News: ACES Quality Management launches ACES Population Testing
Mortgage and Finance News: (DENVER, Colo.) ACES Quality Management®, the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced today the launch of ACES Population Testing™, which evaluates a financial institution's loan origination pipelines and servicing portfolios against its defined policies and identifies the records that warrant a reviewer's attention.
News: FirstClose introduces Lender Portal to manage home equity borrower leads in one workspace
Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for home equity and mortgage lenders nationwide, announced today the launch of Lender Portal, a new workspace that lets loan officers manage borrower leads in one place, from initial contact through submission.
News: Tim Cox rejoins Informative Research to lead the company’s business process automation efforts
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 Tim Cox has rejoined the IR leadership team as executive vice president of business process automation. In this role, Tim will apply his industry expertise to support the company and help its clients work more efficiently and intelligently.
News: Analysis: iEmergent’s 2025 U.S. mortgage forecasts closely track HMDA actuals
Mortgage and Finance News: (DES MOINES, Iowa) iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, today released a new analysis validating its 2025 forecasts against actual Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. The analysis, which uses final 2025 HMDA data released by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council on June 23, 2026, spans every geographic level from national down to individual census tracts.
News: Argyle extends its mortgage verification experience to the wholesale channel with the launch of a broker-branded borrower experience
Mortgage and Finance News: (NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.) Argyle, the leading consumer-permissioned verification platform, today announced the launch of a new solution that enables wholesale mortgage lenders to extend income, employment, and asset verification across their broker networks with a broker-branded borrower experience. The solution is available through Argyle's Verification API as well as through Encompass® TPO Connect from ICE Mortgage Technology®.
News: Atlantic Bay builds on Southern growth with expansion into Louisiana
Mortgage and Finance News: (BATON ROUGE, La. and VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group LLC (Atlantic Bay) today announced the opening of its first Louisiana branch in Baton Rouge, extending its' presence across the South and giving Louisiana homebuyers access to a wide range of mortgage options, local expertise, and the technology and resources of an established lender.
News: EnergyCAP Adds Insights to its Energy Management Platform as Customers Report 3x More Value Than They Pay
Mortgage and Finance News: (ORLANDO, Fla.) EnergyCAP®, the leading utility and energy management platform for public and private sector organizations, announced Insights, a new capability to their energy and utility management platform, that brings reporting, alerting and prioritization together so energy teams can focus on what's most important. The announcement came at Catalyst Converge, the company's 20th annual conference where energy, facilities, finance and sustainability teams are gathered for three days of learning, collaboration, and product innovation.
News: Vesta Customers Gain Access to Mezzo’s One-to-Many Operating Architecture
Mortgage and Finance News: (RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif.) Mezzo, creator of the mortgage industry's first one-to-many operating architecture for third-party services, today announced an integration with Vesta, the AI-native loan origination system (LOS) and agent platform built to automate and accelerate mortgage operations. Mezzo launches with a single gateway across verification providers.