Tag: Texas Business

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: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the appointment of Amy Azorandia as chief compliance officer. In this role, Azorandia will lead the company's compliance strategy, governance framework and risk management infrastructure as Click n' Close continues to scale its national platform and expand its lending programs.

Mortgage and Finance News: (CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) BoomTax reports that, as the IRS targets retirement of the Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system at the end of 2026 and continues developing a process for corrections to original FIRE submissions, payroll, accounting, and enterprise filing teams face an unresolved 2027 transition question.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas and BURLINGTON, Ontario) HostPapa, Inc., a leading global web hosting and cloud service provider, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Tailor Made Servers ("TMS"), a Dallas, Texas-based dedicated server hosting provider that has been serving businesses and resellers since 2003.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its March 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, reflecting resilient mortgage activity as purchase demand strengthened despite higher rates. Total rate-lock volume rose 13% month over month (MoM) and 26% year over year (YoY). Purchase activity led the month, with purchase lock volume up 38% from February and 20% from March 2025. Cash-out refinance volume increased 9% MoM and 21% YoY, while rate-and-term refinance volume declined 34% from February but remained more than 66% higher YoY.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the appointment of Delores Lopez as chief operating officer, effective April 6. In this role, Lopez will lead operations, drive scalable growth initiatives and implement operational strategy across the organization, reporting to Ian Kimball, president.

Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) The Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project (GHIRP) will host its 5-Year Anniversary Spring Festival Fundraiser on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Dan Electro's in Houston. The event will bring together community members and advocates to celebrate five years of impact while raising urgently needed funds to defend immigrants across the Galveston-Houston area.

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 Kitsap Credit Union has selected FirstClose to support its home equity lending operations with a bundled, end-to-end digital tool.

Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) Hann Builders and Collaborative Design Group Architecture and Interiors will open the doors of the Ivanhoe Modern Home, located in Houston's Afton Oaks neighborhood, on March 28 as part of the 2026 Houston Modern Home Tour, a self-guided showcase of five of the city's most compelling contemporary residences.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) The Texas Bankers Association (TBA), the nation's largest state-based banking trade organization, today announced its endorsement of Ascribe, a leading national provider of valuation, evaluation, property inspection, and REO (real estate owned) services. Approved by the TBA Services Company, Inc. (TBASCO) Board of Directors, the endorsement gives Texas banks access to high-quality valuation services, competitive pricing, and fully insured support for both commercial and residential properties.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced key results of an independent analysis by consulting advisory firm MarketWise Advisors LLC quantifying the operational and financial efficiencies of its end-to-end capital markets platform and the significant value it generates per loan. The study found that mortgage lenders using Optimal Blue technology are more efficient and competitive. Optimal Blue mortgage lenders report an average net financial benefit of $1,006 per loan, reflecting measurable gains in execution quality, error reduction, automation and operational efficiency

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 the rebrand of its point-of-sale (POS) experience as XpressEquity, along with a refreshed Encompass® by ICE Mortgage Technology® integration that delivers a streamlined, end-to-end digital workflow for home equity originations.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its February 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing a meaningful improvement in lock activity as lower mortgage rates helped bring purchase borrowers back into the market. Total rate-lock volume rose 9% month over month (MoM) and was nearly 40% higher year over year (YoY).

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced it will host its 2027 Optimal Blue Summit February 1-3 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. The annual event convenes Optimal Blue clients, integration partners and capital markets leaders from across the mortgage industry for three days of insight, collaboration and forward-looking strategy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced Virtual Economist, the first on-demand forecasting tool for mortgage capital markets leaders powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), as the centerpiece of nine platform advancements unveiled at the company's 2026 Summit. Together, the innovations further unify the capital markets profitability experience by connecting forecasting, pricing, hedging, competitive benchmarking and workflow execution within a single, end-to-end platform.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced that mortgage industry veteran Rachel Fatino has joined the company as director of correspondent operations. In this role, Fatino will lead pipeline strategy, operational performance and partner engagement initiatives to support continued growth across the correspondent channel.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, Inc., a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced a strategic partnership with TruStage to embed TruStage's dynamic document engine within the FirstClose platform.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its January 2026 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing a strong start to the year as falling rates drove a sharp increase in refinance activity. Total rate-lock volume rose 16% month over month (MoM) and finished January 36% higher year over year (YoY), led by a surge in rate-and-term refinances, which climbed 50% from December and more than 400% compared with January 2025.

Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and leading remote online notarization (RON) provider for real estate and legal transactions, announced a standout year in 2025, having reached more than 2 million successful notarizations to date, including more than 238,000 notarizations completed this year. The company also doubled both its credit card transaction volume and the number of servicers using loss mitigation-related RON transactions through its real estate vertical, exemplifying growing industry adoption of digital solutions.

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 2025 results showing faster closings and measurable efficiency gains as lenders used its technology to meet rising home equity demand in a high-interest-rate environment. The company reduced closing timelines, expanded key integrations and strengthened its operating foundation to support scalable growth in 2026.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its December 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing that mortgage rate-lock activity ended the year on a firm footing, bucking typical holiday-driven seasonality. Total lock volume rose 2% month over month (MoM) from November and finished 30% higher year over year (YoY), driven primarily by rate-and-term refinances, which climbed 13% from November and more than 170% compared with December 2024.

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 a new partnership with Stewart Lender Services, a division of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC), that enhances FirstClose's Order Management System (OMS) with expanded home equity fulfillment capabilities.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its November 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which found that total mortgage rate-lock activity declined with normal late fall seasonality, yet still marked the strongest November in four years. Total lock volume fell 25% month over month (MoM) from October but remained up 17% year over year (YoY), buoyed by historically strong refinance demand and mortgage rates holding near 6%.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced the promotion of Lanny Rogers III, CPA, to chief financial officer (CFO) and Jeremy Moreno to chief revenue officer (CRO). Their combined experience and long track records of leadership position the company to advance its next stage of growth and client success with a dedicated financial strategy function and strengthened revenue oversight.

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 the appointment of Alex Sirpis as vice president of sales. In this role, Sirpis will lead the company's sales organization, refine the go-to-market strategy and drive revenue growth as FirstClose continues expanding its presence with mortgage and home equity lenders across the country.

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 the appointment of Adam Nicholson as director of professional services. Nicholson will lead the company's implementation operations, including project delivery, process optimization and cross-functional coordination to enhance the customer experience.

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 Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU) has implemented FirstClose's Equity Order Management to automate settlement workflows for its home equity lending operations.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) Velocity Credit Union (Velocity) has announced the launch of a new Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) program designed to give members greater financial flexibility and control over their everyday spending. A financial institution with over $1 billion in assets and serving over 80,000 members, Velocity is introducing this program to further its commitment to offering comprehensive financial services to its members for every stage of their life.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its October 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing that rate-lock activity remained strong despite seasonal cooling and continued to outpace last year's levels. Total lock volume fell 4.2% month over month (MoM) from September's peak but was still up 18% year over year (YoY) as borrowers responded to improving affordability and narrower rate spreads.