News Topic: Business

Mortgage and Finance News: (RICHMOND, Va.) Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. announces the successful sale of certain assets of Atlantic States Lubricants Corp. ("ASL") to Moove, formerly known as PetroChoice. Atlantic States Lubricants, based in Farmingdale, New York, is an authorized distributor of Mobil-branded lubricants and related products.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAKE ZURICH, Ill.) Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc., a leader in mortgage subservicing, announced today that it received a Tier 1 Rating from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This rating was awarded for Dovenmuehle's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) servicing performance under HUD's Tier Ranking System II (TRS II).

Mortgage and Finance News: (IRVINE, Calif.) Informative Research, a premier technology provider delivering data-driven credit and verification solutions to the lending community, announced that Ryan Kaufman, IT Manager of Integrations, has been named to the National Mortgage Professional (NMP) 40 Under 40 list. This honor recognizes exceptional professionals who are influencing the future of the mortgage industry.

Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter), an innovative leader in mortgage technology backed by time-tested loan origination software and leadership, today announced that Stephanie Durflinger, its chief product officer, has been named a HousingWire Tech Trendsetter, and Bethany Williams-Woodward, its data solutions product manager, has been named to National Mortgage Professional Magazine's 40 Under 40 list.

Mortgage and Finance News: (RICHMOND, Va., and BALTIMORE, Md.) Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. announces that it has advised Jolley Associates, LLC and S.B. Collins, Inc. (collectively, "SBC") on the sale of its convenience retail, wholesale dealer, and residential heating oil (d/b/a as Clarence Brown) businesses to Stewart's Shops Corp.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender serving consumers and mortgage originators through its wholesale and correspondent channels, today announced Jeff Raich has joined the organization as a national sales director in correspondent lending.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BUENA VISTA, Colo.) Financial Advisor Jonathan Mintle of the financial services firm Edward Jones in Buena Vista, Colorado has received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, or CFP®, certification, granted by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board).

Mortgage and Finance News: (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), the de facto leader in innovative mortgage capital markets technology, has announced a 15.12% decrease in mortgage lock volume compared to the previous month. The data, reflecting current market dynamics, is available in MCT's latest report, which offers in-depth analysis and insights for industry professionals and stakeholders.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) ProNotary, a pioneering force in the remote online notarization (RON) industry, today announced its expansion into Montana, Iowa, and Missouri. This milestone marks a significant step in ProNotary's mission to provide seamless and secure notarization solutions across the United States, enabling notaries and businesses in these states to connect with clients anywhere in the world.

Mortgage and Finance News: (NOVI, Mich.) Vice Capital Markets, a leading mortgage hedge advisory firm for independent lenders, banks and credit unions, announced today the addition of its 50th investor to its all-inclusive whole loan trading platform Vice Execution Portal™ (ViceEx™). This addition enhances the platform's ability to deliver unmatched market access and execution flexibility for clients selling mandatory, including all agency executions.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its November 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, highlighting a 25% decrease in month-over-month (MoM) lock volume as interest rates hit their highest levels since early July, creating headwinds for affordability.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced the speaker lineup for its inaugural user conference, the Optimal Blue Summit 2025. Legendary skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk will headline the event. The conference will also feature sessions led by Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Business Development Michael Fratantoni, Ph.D., MBA Associate Vice President of Secondary and Capital Markets Sasha Hewlett, AMP, HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler, and representatives from Microsoft.

Mortgage and Finance News: (MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.) Secured Signing, a leading provider of digital signing and Remote Online Notarization (RON) solutions, is excited to unveil a series of powerful enhancements to its platform. These updates solidify its leadership in the digital notarization industry by optimizing workflow efficiency, increasing transparency, and enhancing user control.

Mortgage and Finance News: (KOKOMO, Ind.) CFD Companies, home to a fully independent Broker/Dealer and RIA, announced that they continued to enjoy growth in the second and third quarters of 2024. Multiple financial professionals moved their affiliations from competitors to the CFD Companies during the last two quarters, bringing over an additional $300 million in assets under advisement (AUA) to the CFD Companies.

Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology backed by time-tested loan origination software and leadership, announced today that Shore United Bank (Shore United), a community bank founded in 1876, has selected the Empower® LOS and select AIVA® AI virtual assistants from Dark Matter to streamline its mortgage lending operations and offer additional support for integrations.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI) today announced it ranked No. 418 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, an annual ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America, now in its 30th year. MMI grew 260 % from 2020 through 2023.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DENVER, Colo.) ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced the release of its quarterly ACES Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report covering the second quarter (Q2) of 2024. The latest report analyzes post-closing quality control data derived from ACES Quality Management & Control® software. ACES has altered the timing of this report to better reflect Fannie Mae's accelerated timeline for post-closing quality control reviews.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) has been honored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta's top employee benefits and compensation companies of 2024. This is the sixth consecutive year SBA has made the Chronicle's annual list, which highlights metro Atlanta's largest employers of benefits consultants. The accolade underscores SBA's steady growth and success in delivering expert consulting and benefits delivery services to public and private-sector employers across North America.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BOALSBURG, Pa.) AFL Global, a global leader in telecommunications and fiber optic solutions, has achieved a significant sustainability milestone by leveraging EnergyCAP, a leading energy and sustainability software platform. By implementing EnergyCAP, AFL Global has automated the management of nearly two-hundred utility accounts, which has enabled $304,000 in anticipated annual energy and utility cost savings and substantial environmental gains.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) Mortgage Capital Trading, Inc. (MCT®), the de facto leader in innovative mortgage capital markets technology, reported a 2.5% increase in mortgage lock volume compared to the previous month. Mortgage market professionals and industry enthusiasts are invited to download MCT's comprehensive report to gain deeper insights into the current market dynamics.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Mortgage Machine™ (MMS), the loan origination system of record for digital mortgage pioneer Click n' Close (formerly known as Mid America Mortgage), has achieved SOC 2® compliance.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DENVER, Colo.) ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced the addition of 10 credit unions to its growing customer base. These organizations leverage ACES Quality Management & Control Software® to improve quality and mitigate risk across multiple internal areas, including mortgage lending, consumer lending, deposit accounts and more.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its October 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, highlighting resilient purchase activity in the face of rising interest rates and affordability challenges. Despite a 65-basis-point (bps) increase in the Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year conforming rate, purchase lock volume grew by 12% month over month (MoM), signaling strong demand among homebuyers.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced two key executive promotions that will position the company to deliver innovation faster across the company's entire capital markets platform, and to further expand the company's network of partners. Erin Wester has been promoted to chief product officer and Mike Vough has been promoted to head of corporate strategy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry's leading technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, is highlighting homebuyer assistance programs to support Veterans, service members and their surviving spouses in conjunction with Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month, both observed in November. While service members are eligible for any of the 2,400-plus U.S. homebuyer assistance programs, DPR found there are 49 programs offering up to $117,000 in assistance specifically developed to help our military community members build, buy or make accessibility-related home renovations.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) The Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA®), the leading authority in professional real estate staging, is excited to announce RESA Connect 2025, taking place at the Americas Mart in Atlanta on January 14, 2025. This special one-day event offers a full day of high-impact educational sessions open to all ticket holders, followed by an exclusive evening celebration honoring the 2024 Home Staging Industry Awards winners, the Top 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate Staging, and select industry influencers.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BOSTON, Mass.) The value of home staging in today's real estate market will be emphasized by founders of The Staging Collective at NAR NXT 24 this week in Boston. Melinda Christman, Olive & Opal Interiors, St. Louis, Missouri; Patrick Furlow, Step By Stage Interiors, Lakeland, Florida; and Liz Pensiero, Liz Pensiero Staging, Stamford, Connecticut, join 15,000+ attendees for the nation's largest event focused on building business for real estate agents and brokers.

Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced that Sean Dugan, the company's chief revenue officer, will succeed Rich Gagliano as CEO effective April 2025. Gagliano, who launched Dark Matter in 2023 following over a decade of leadership at its predecessor, Black Knight Origination Technologies, will step into the role of executive chairman.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.) All Injuries Law Firm is excited to announce that attorney Bryan Greenberg has been honored with the Second Annual Hon. Robert L. Dietz Emerging Professional Award presented by the Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims (OJCC). This esteemed recognition was awarded during the OJCC Academy held in Orlando on October 18, 2024.

Mortgage and Finance News: (CHICAGO, Ill.) The annual American Academy Matrimonial Lawyers, AAML, meeting is set to take place in Chicago, IL on November 6-9, 2024. Ronique Bastine Robinson, founder of Bastine Law Group based in Stafford, Texas, will moderate a panel discussion with both sports agents, consultants, and family law attorneys.