Tag: Texas Business
News: Optimal Blue Releases May Data Findings, Announces Expansion of Monthly Report for More Comprehensive Lender Profitability Insights
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released the May 2025 edition of its now-expanded Market Advantage mortgage data report, which features newly added borrower profile and capital market datasets for a more comprehensive picture of early-stage mortgage activity and loan profitability. The enhancements come at a critical time for mortgage lenders navigating heightened interest rates, tighter margins, increased volatility and deepening affordability challenges.
News: Optimal Blue Launches New Lead Generation Tool for Originators
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced a new product that helps originators efficiently track and identify refinance opportunities so they can reengage borrowers with eligible refinance options at the right time. Available to Optimal Blue PPE users, Capture for Originators dramatically reduces the manual effort loan officers currently spend evaluating refinance potential by automatically analyzing entire portfolios each month and putting recapture opportunities directly into originators' hands.
News: Click n’ Close Appoints Mortgage Wholesale Veteran Tony Catanese as Regional Sales Manager to Lead East Coast Expansion
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender and innovator in third-party origination (TPO), announced Thursday that Tony Catanese has joined the company as regional sales manager. In this role, Catanese will lead the company's wholesale and non-delegated expansion across the East Coast, focusing on building and developing a high-performing sales team.
News: ProNotary Expands Remote Online Notarization Services to Five New States
Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) ProNotary today announced the expansion of its Remote Online Notarization (RON) platform into five new states: Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. This milestone allows ProNotary to offer its streamlined, secure digital notarization services to more professionals across the country.
News: Optimal Blue Releases Executive-Level AI Insights Tool, Ask Obi, to Clients
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced that Ask Obi, an AI-powered assistant designed to help mortgage lending executives extract real-time insights from across Optimal Blue's capital markets platform, is now generally available to all PPE clients. Introduced at the company's inaugural user conference in February and refined through beta testing with select clients, Ask Obi provides executives with fast answers to complex profitability questions at no additional cost.
News: Lock Volume Rises 3.2% in April, Driven by Uptick in FHA Loans, Despite Economic Volatility
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its April 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report showing total loan lock volume rose 3.2% month-over-month (MoM) as the spring homebuying season progressed, with purchase locks up 7.5% despite ongoing economic pressures.
News: Optimal Blue Brings AI-Powered Originator Assistant to Market, Helping Originators Present Best Possible Loan Options to Borrowers
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced the general availability of Originator Assistant, a powerful addition to the Optimal Blue PPE. Leveraging generative AI, Originator Assistant eliminates human bias in the loan structuring process and helps originators identify all options for a borrower, providing more ways to help consumers realize the American dream of homeownership.
News: Click n’ Close Expands Correspondent Lending Sales Team with Mortgage Industry Veteran Kim Schenck
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender, announced today that Kim Schenck has joined its Correspondent Lending Sales team as Correspondent Manager. In her new role, Schenck will lead the expansion of the company's proprietary down payment assistance (DPA) program, which plays a key role in helping more borrowers achieve homeownership.
News: Cooler Interest Rates Heat Up Refinances and Spark Early Signs of Purchase Demand
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its March 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing a 24% surge in rate lock volume as early spring buyers returned to the market and homeowners jumped at the chance to refinance into lower rates. While still down 2% on a year-over-year (YoY) basis, purchase volumes were up 21% month-over-month (MoM). Rate-and-term and cash-out refinances jumped 52% and 20% MoM, respectively, together representing 25% of all lock activity.
News: Optimal Blue’s Shawn Chandwani Named to HousingWire’s 2025 Rising Star List
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced that Senior Software Engineering Manager Shawn Chandwani, 34, has been named among HousingWire's Rising Stars. The annual list celebrates young professionals who shoulder significant leadership responsibilities and contribute to the broader industry and business landscape, establishing themselves as influential figures and leaders for tomorrow.
News: Janet Pitney of Click n’ Close Honored with 2025 HousingWire Rising Stars Award
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced that Project Manager Janet Pitney has been honored with a place among the 2025 HousingWire Rising Stars. The award honors young real estate and mortgage professionals making impressive career moves while driving growth for their companies and the industry. Pitney is recognized for her outstanding leadership and innovation in technology and operations.
News: Optimal Blue Establishes Alliance with Cotality to Expand the Reach of Its Mortgage Origination and Pricing Data
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced a strategic alliance with Cotality™ (formerly CoreLogic®) that expands access to its mortgage origination and pricing data. Through this collaboration, Cotality will offer Optimal Blue's data to a broader audience, including hedge funds, capital markets participants, and investment firms seeking insights into the mortgage markets.
News: 40% Jump in Rate-and-Term Refis Drives Overall Lock Growth as Purchase Activity Stalls
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its February 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing a 7% month-over-month increase in mortgage lock volume driven primarily by a surge in refinance activity. Rate-and-term refinances saw the biggest jump, rising nearly 40% as homeowners seized the opportunity to lower their monthly payments. Cash-out refinances also edged higher, while purchase lock activity remained subdued for the second consecutive month.
News: The Mortgage Collaborative 3.16.25 Mortgage Tech Day Presents Five Startups to Compete in Dallas Pitch Event
Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) The future of mortgage technology is set to take the spotlight in Dallas as The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network serving the mortgage industry, and the TMC Emerging Technology Fund LP present the seventh Mortgage Tech Day (MTD).
News: ProNotary to Exhibit at American Bar Association Tech Show 2025, Showcasing Cutting-Edge Remote Online Notarization Technology
Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) ProNotary, a leader in remote online notarization (RON) technology, is pleased to announce its participation in the ABA Tech Show 2025, taking place April 2-5, 2025, in Chicago. The event, a premier legal technology conference, will bring together industry leaders, law firms, and tech innovators to explore the latest advancements in legal tech.
News: January Mortgage Lock Data Shows Year-Over-Year Improvement in Refinance Volume Despite Higher Rates
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its January 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, revealing a sharp rise in year-over-year (YoY) refinance activity alongside a drop in purchase lock counts. The decline in purchase lock counts marks the lowest January count since Optimal Blue began tracking this data in 2019. Meanwhile, refinance lock volume surged even though the Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year ticked above 7% for the first time since May.
News: ProNotary launches comprehensive training program to help businesses seamlessly integrate remote notarization into their operations
Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) ProNotary, a leading provider of remote online notarization (RON) technology, has launched a new comprehensive training program designed to help businesses seamlessly integrate remote notarization into their operations. This initiative aims to streamline onboarding, reduce knowledge loss due to turnover, and make RON adoption more accessible than ever.
News: Click n’ Close’s SmartBuy™ Shared Appreciation Mortgage Program expands to Freddie Mac 30-year conventional loans
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced its SmartBuy™ Shared Appreciation Mortgage (SAM) program now features a 30-year, fixed-rate conventional option approved by Freddie Mac.
News: Mortgage Machine Awarded Its First HousingWire Tech100 Recognition
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Mortgage Machine™ Services (Mortgage Machine), an industry leader in digital origination technology to residential mortgage lenders, announced that it has been selected by HousingWire magazine for its annual TECH100 award, marking Mortgage Machine's first-ever inclusion on the premier list of mortgage and real estate technology providers. The magazine chose Mortgage Machine for its high efficiency, dedication to security and outstanding client growth outcomes.
News: NotaryCam honored on HousingWire’s annual Tech100 list of premier technology providers for the 7th time
Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization (RON) and identity verification/authentication technology for real estate and legal transactions, today announced its inclusion in the prestigious Tech100 awards program. Now in its 13th year, HousingWire Magazine's Tech100 program honors the most innovative and impactful organizations in the mortgage and real estate industries.
News: NotaryCam Drives Digital Transformation with Record Growth in 2024
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 milestone year in 2024, having completed more than 154,000 RON transactions. The company also experienced a 26% increase in loss mitigation-related RON transactions through its real estate vertical, reflecting its ability to address lenders' needs for efficient borrower support.
News: Concerned Shareholders of WOW issues the following letter to shareholders of WOW and WOW Management regarding the Unsolicited Non-Binding Proposal
Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) Concerned Shareholders of WOW today issued the following letter to the management of WOW. To the Management and Board of Directors of WideOpenWest, Inc. (WOW), We, as concerned stakeholders and shareholders are writing to formally request an update regarding the unsolicited non-binding preliminary proposal submitted on May 3, 2024
News: December Mortgage Lock Data Reveals Year-Over-Year Increases Across All Loan Types Despite Seasonal Downturn
Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today released its December 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showcasing year-over-year (YoY) growth in mortgage activity, even as seasonal trends led to a month-over-month (MoM) decline in rate lock volumes. Overall, December mortgage lock volume was up 26% YoY, driven by an 18% increase in purchase locks, a 43% rise in cash-out refinances, and an 82% jump in rate-and-term refinances.
News: ProNotary Invites Businesses to Partner for Wildfire Disaster Relief with Remote Online Notarization Solutions
Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) In the wake of devastating wildfires, ProNotary, a leading remote online notarization (RON) software provider, is stepping up to empower businesses with the tools needed to integrate RON into their operations. By partnering with ProNotary, organizations can help communities impacted by these natural disasters access essential services like notarizing insurance claims, property agreements, and legal documents - all from a secure, remote platform.
News: Mortgage Machine Services Fully Integrates AI-Powered Pricing Engine into Proprietary LOS
Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Mortgage Machine Services (Mortgage Machine), an industry leader in digital origination technology to residential mortgage lenders, announced that it now offers an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered pricing engine. The pricing engine ingests and updates pricing for a lender's investors and aggregators automatically.
News: Healthcare Insurance Policies Fuel Crisis: The Silent Killer of Home Care Agencies
Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) A troubling reality in the healthcare industry has come to light: health care insurance companies are being allowed to prioritize profits over people, causing a devastating ripple effect that results in nearly 50% of home care agencies closing their doors within five years, says Ace Compliance Consulting. As the baby boomers retire, this systemic failure threatens the very fabric of our healthcare ecosystem and leaves vulnerable populations without essential care.
News: Click n’ Close welcomes Jeff Raich to its National Sales bench
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.
News: Empowering Businesses and Notaries to Expand Their Reach with Cutting-Edge RON Technology
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.
News: Mortgage Lock Activity Fell in November as Interest Rates Hit Their Highest Levels Since July
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.
News: Optimal Blue Announces Tony Hawk, Housing Industry Leaders to Headline Inaugural User Conference
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.