Finance

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Informative Research (IR), a leading technology provider of data-driven credit and verification solutions for the lending industry, today announced that Corey Hampton, Vice President of Product Management, has been named among the 2026 Women of Tech by Mortgage Women Magazine (MWM). The award honors influential women who are driving innovation, advancing technology and shaping the future of the mortgage industry.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- ACES Quality Management® (ACES), a 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 Q4 2025 and the full calendar year (CY) 2025. The report analyzes post-closing quality control data derived from the ACES Quality Management & Control® software.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- FirstClose, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced today that Andria Lightfoot, vice president of client success, has been named a 2026 Mortgage Women Magazine (MWM) Women of Tech Award winner, recognizing her leadership, innovation and impact advancing mortgage technology and supporting women in the industry.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced that it has been named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The awards program was created in 2017 and is a project of Arizent and Best Companies Group.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Service First Information Solutions, LLC (Service 1st), a leading provider of credit reporting and verification solutions for the mortgage industry, announced today the appointment of Lucas Jones as Senior Vice President of Operations. In this role, Jones will lead operational strategy and execution, with a focus on driving efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and supporting the company's next phase of growth.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- OptiFunder today announced the launch of OptiExchange, a partner network designed to connect mortgage lenders with a curated ecosystem of technology providers, warehouse and capital partners, and service solutions across mortgage lending.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- The Hercules Portfolio of Andromeda Software Inc. ("Andromeda"), an operating group of Constellation Software Inc. (TSX: CSU), announced that it has acquired Peocit Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ("Peocit"). Founded in 2002, Peocit is a provider of core banking and lending software solutions and services with multi-lingual functionality, serving more than 4,000 cooperative societies, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and other financial institutions across India.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Friday Harbor, an AI pre-underwriting platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, is the first mortgage technology provider to receive an AI governance compliance attestation from mortgage banking and financial services law firm Brody Gapp LLP.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, announced strategic engagement of Christy Soukhamneut and Launch Point Advisory Group to support the expansion of its Whole Loan Trading division. The move is part of a broader initiative to grow Click n' Close's secondary market presence and offer whole loan trading opportunities across its government and specialty loan programs.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- NewFed Mortgage Corp., a full-service residential mortgage lender operating across more than 20 states, today announced the companywide rollout of Friday Harbor's AI pre-underwriting platform following a successful pilot program that demonstrated measurable gains in fulfillment productivity and underwriting throughput. Since implementing Friday Harbor, NewFed processors handle 36% more files per month while underwriters review 35% more loans.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network for mortgage lenders, announced the formation of the Mortgage AI Council, a standing committee under TMC's lender member board of directors. The council will give community banks, credit unions and independent mortgage bankers the governance frameworks, peer intelligence and collective voice needed to adopt artificial intelligence responsibly as the technology reshapes how lenders originate loans, assess risk and serve borrowers.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- OptiFunder®, the mortgage industry leader in warehouse management automation, announced a new integration with LendingPad, the award-winning, cloud-native loan origination system. The integration brings LendingPad and Genesis by OptiFunder together, creating a direct connection between loan origination and warehouse funding operations.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Watkins Insurance Group, a leading independent insurance agency in Texas, has announced the addition of Patrick McFadden as a Private Client Insurance Advisor. McFadden brings 30 years of insurance experience and holds the LUTC and FSCP professional designations. His hire reflects the agency's continued commitment to serving the Austin metro market and specifically the growing segment of individuals and families whose lifestyles and assets require a more tailored approach to coverage strategy and personal service.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- OptiFunder, the mortgage industry pioneer in warehouse management automation, has partnered with Vesta, the AI-native loan origination system and agent platform, to connect loan origination and warehouse funding workflows. The integration links origination, funding, and sale to the capital markets, eliminating fragmented systems and manual handoffs that have historically slowed execution and increased risk.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- 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.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- 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.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- DocMagic, Inc. (DocMagic®) announced today that it has received two new certifications from MISMO®, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization. MISMO's eVault System Certification covers SmartSAFE®, DocMagic's core eVault for managing eNote workflows and MERS® eRegistry activity, and SmartSAFE XL™, an API-first eVault designed for enterprise environments that require flexible deployments and support for a broader range of digital assets.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Vice Capital Markets, a leading mortgage hedge advisory firm for independent lenders, banks and credit unions, today announced the public release of the Vice Capital Par Note Rate, a proprietary daily mortgage rate benchmark designed to provide a distinct, market-based view of mortgage pricing. Available via an online tracker, the benchmark provides lenders, analysts and other market participants with daily data, long-term trend analysis and custom charting dating back to 2008.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- ACES Quality Management® (ACES), a leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced today that Romina Cusenza, vice president of marketing, has been named a 2026 Trailblazers in Sales, Marketing and PR award winner by Progress in Lending. The award recognizes mortgage industry professionals who have made a meaningful positive impact on their company and the broader industry through sales, marketing and public relations initiatives.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- 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.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- DealCycl, Inc. today announced the general availability of DealCycl Company, the cap table management and corporate governance platform for private companies. DealCycl Company is available immediately across four pricing tiers - Free, Starter, Growth, and Scale - with no waitlist, no sales calls, and no per-stakeholder pricing.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Secured Signing, a global leader in Digital Signature and Remote Online Notarization (RON) technology, recently sat down with industry innovators Tall Poppy Real Estate to discuss the successful, large-scale integration of the Secured Signing API into their core proprietary platform. By embedding high-security digital signatures directly into its internal workflows, Tall Poppy is effectively redefining the benchmarks for transparency, efficiency, and trust within the international real estate market.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, has released its analysis of 2025 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data in Mortgage MarketSmart. Presented by iEmergent CEO Laird Nossuli, the findings point to a market that is regaining momentum after a prolonged downturn.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Down Payment Resource (DPR), the housing industry authority on homeownership program data and solutions, today released its Q1 2026 Homeownership Program Index (HPI) report, identifying 2,679 programs nationwide. This represents a 2% increase from the previous quarter (2,619 programs), reflecting continued expansion of resources designed to improve affordability and access to homeownership.

eNewsChannels NEWS: -- Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), today announced the official launch of Class Valuation Underwriting Engine (CVUE), an underwriting and appraisal assurance program designed to reduce lender risk, lower operational costs and accelerate loan closings.