AP
Arcasa introduces nationwide Energy-Smart DPA Program to Down Payment Resource platform
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah and ATLANTA, Ga. — Arcasa, a provider of solar-integrated mortgage solutions, and Down Payment Resource, the housing industry’s leading technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, today announced that Arcasa’s Energy-Smart DPA program is now listed nationwide in Down Payment Resource’s DPA Directory. Energy-Smart DPA combines a market-rate home loan with energy-efficient upgrades, giving homebuyers a single, streamlined path to both homeownership and long-term utility savings….
ACES Quality Management strengthens executive team with key promotions in compliance leadership
DENVER, Colo. — ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the promotion of two internal compliance leaders: Amanda Phillips to general counsel and executive vice president of compliance, and Savannah Prout to associate vice president of compliance….
Refis, Product Shifts and Strong Agency Participation Define June Market Advantage Report
PLANO, Texas — Optimal Blue today released its June 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report showing total lock volume rose 1.95% month-over-month (MoM), driven by increased refinance activity. Refinance share climbed from 16% to 18% of all locks as rate-and-term refinances jumped 17.4% MoM and 18.4% year-over-year (YoY). Cash-out refinances rose 8.1% from May and nearly 28% YoY….
Plait Debuts First Real‑Time AI Nutrition Coach for WHOOP® Users
PANAMA CITY, Panama — Plait, the web platform that converts wearable metrics into precision nutrition (10,000+ meal plans generated to date), today introduced its AI Nutrition Coach, the first solution designed to adapt meal plans in real time to WHOOP® data. Core workout, strain and sleep metrics are pulled directly from WHOOP’s API, while WHOOP webhooks push fresh recovery scores the moment they’re available-triggering immediate adjustments so users always know what to eat next….
New Book Explores Public Support for the Replacement of the Current Income Tax System
SEATTLE, Wash. — It’s been 250 years since the first tax revolution. Media Arts Institute, a Seattle-based media company, has just released a new book, “Tax Revolution 2.0, Let’s Get Rid of the Income Tax” (ISBN: 979-8288643385; paper) by media consultant and researcher Rich Germaine….
CCHR Warns Troubled Teen Camps Must Be Banned as Deaths Spur Closures
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Despite dozens of closures of abusive “troubled teen” programs in behavioral and psychiatric centers, including wilderness camps in recent years, a leading mental health industry watchdog warns that children’s lives remain at risk unless stronger laws ban the worst offenders and the secretive youth transport practices that feed them. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) says that while public outrage and media exposure have forced some notorious facilities to close, the underlying problems that enable these abusive programs still persist….
Black Chamber of Arizona Kicks Off Third Impact AZ 2025 Cohort With $100K in Scholarships
PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Black Chamber of Arizona, in partnership with the Millionaire Mastermind Academy, will kick off the third cohort of its signature Impact AZ 2025 business accelerator with a full-day launch event Tuesday, July 8, at the Better Business Bureau Innovation & Event Hub Center in Phoenix….
New Book ‘Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat’ Chronicles a Lifetime of Maritime Mishaps and Family Memories
VICTORIA, B.C. — Tony Cond, a retired Royal Canadian Navy Marine Systems Engineer and lifelong sailor, shares a collection of personal stories in his new book, “Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat” (ISBN: 978-1779622808), released June 2025 through Tellwell Publishing. The book captures decades of misadventures, quiet triumphs, and family traditions centered around a classic 1947 wooden boat named Rufus….
Paul Stanley Sign Museum to Open in Los Angeles, Celebrating Whimsical Advertising History
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The world of vintage advertising is getting a new home. Opening in 2026, the Paul Stanley Sign Museum, a nonprofit organization, in Los Angeles will pay tribute to the visionary work of Paul Stanley & Company, the San Francisco-based design firm behind some of the most imaginative and visually striking point-of-sale advertising displays ever created….
The Big Picture July conversations engage experts in mortgage market analytics, housing finance public policy, home ownership growth strategies and capital markets
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Top mortgage industry webcast The Big Picture, broadcast live every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, has unveiled its July guest lineup featuring five impressive leaders who will explore the power of analytics, interpret public policy signals, unpack the barriers to home ownership and deliver pragmatic capital markets perspective. Co-hosted by mortgage business consultant and executive coach Rich Swerbinsky and capital markets authority Rob Chrisman, author of the widely read Chrisman Commentary newsletter, the webcast delivers timely, thought-provoking conversations with mortgage professionals, innovators and thought leaders….