Advertising and Marketing, Business, mortgage secondary marketing technology, Optimal Blue

Mortgage Industry Veteran Sara Holtz Joins Optimal Blue as Chief Marketing Officer

PLANO, Texas -- Optimal Blue announced today that it has appointed Sara Holtz as chief marketing officer. As a seasoned marketing and communications leader, Holtz brings more than 20 years of career experience, including a decade of driving change in the mortgage industry. As chief marketing officer, Holtz will drive unified marketing and communications strategies to advance Optimal Blue's business priorities and further extend the company's influence.

"As the only comprehensive capital markets solution in the mortgage industry, Optimal Blue helps lenders realize greater profitability and operational efficiency, which plays an essential role in making the dream of homeownership attainable for the American borrower," said Holtz. "It's an honor to join Optimal Blue - a company that's been regarded for its innovation and expertise for decades. I am energized by the opportunity to build on the company's momentum to drive meaningful transformation for Optimal Blue's valued clients and the borrowers they serve."

Holtz joins Optimal Blue from ICE Mortgage Technology, where she most recently served as vice president of demand marketing and communications. In this role, she led a dynamic team focused on generating sales opportunities and engaging industry audiences. Holtz joined ICE with the company's acquisition of Ellie Mae in 2020. During her tenure at Ellie Mae, Holtz helped advance the company's corporate communications strategies, including both internal and external brand narratives.

"Sara is a highly respected professional and her unique blend of experience makes her the perfect addition to Optimal Blue's senior leadership team," says Scott Smith, interim CEO of Optimal Blue. "She has a track record of proven leadership, and she will play an integral role as we continue to expand our position as the leader in mortgage secondary marketing technology."

Holtz was honored as a HousingWire Marketing Leader in 2023, a prestigious award that celebrates the most creative and influential minds of the housing economy.

About Optimal Blue:

Optimal Blue is a market leader in mortgage secondary marketing technology. The company facilitates transactions among mortgage market participants through its Marketplace Platform, actionable data, and technology vendor connections. The platform supports a range of functions for originators and investors to automate and optimize core processes related to product, pricing, and eligibility, hedge analytics, MSR valuation, loan trading, social media compliance, and counterparty oversight. The company's premier products are used by 68% of the top 500 mortgage lenders in the U.S.

For more information on Optimal Blue's end-to-end secondary marketing automation, visit OptimalBlue.com.

Related link: https://www2.optimalblue.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Argyle, Business, Software

Argyle brings the mortgage industry’s highest-converting VOIE platform to The Mortgage Collaborative

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. -- Argyle, a platform providing automated income and employment verifications for some of the largest lenders in the United States, has joined The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network serving the mortgage industry, as a preferred partner. As a member of TMC's Preferred Partner Network, Argyle will provide the cooperative's lender members discounted access to its exemplary customer service and award-winning income and employment verification (VOIE) services, which outperform legacy verification services for a fraction of their cost.

Argyle empowers mortgage lenders to verify income and employment, auto-retrieve paystubs and W-2s and qualify for Day 1 Certainty(r)-all at 60-80% less cost. Its coverage of the U.S. workforce, which includes 99% of the Fortune 1000, is superior to the three largest credit bureaus and delivers hit rates higher than other data providers.

Founded in 2013, TMC empowers mortgage lenders across the country with networking and professional development opportunities and by facilitating the sharing of best practices and technologies that drive market growth, efficiency and profitability. Of the more than 65 U.S. mortgage lenders that switched to Argyle in the last year, 18 are current TMC lender members. Argyle also offers native integrations with three TMC Preferred Partners: nCino, Dark Matter Technologies and FinLocker.

Argyle will make its debut as a TMC preferred partner at the cooperative's The Mane Event conference taking place March 24-26 in Louisville, Kentucky. Argyle's Chief Operating Officer Brian Geary will join LMCU Vice President of Mortgage Strategy John Harpst in presenting a case study session chronicling the credit union's time savings, reduced costs and enhanced member experience since implementing Argyle.

"Argyle's approach to lowering origination costs while enhancing the lender and borrower experience is well aligned with our mission of helping lenders better themselves and the communities they serve," said TMC President and CEO Melissa Langdale. "We're pleased to add to our Preferred Partner Network an income and employment verification platform that provides a meaningful competitive edge."

"Joining The Mortgage Collaborative feels like coming home, because collaboration with our customers and integration partners has always been at the heart of Argyle's journey," said John Hardesty, general manager of Argyle's mortgage division. "We could not have built the fastest, most cost-effective and most accurate income and employment verification platform without a profound understanding of the practical challenges lenders face every day. We look forward to the opportunity to serve and learn from the exceptional lenders within The Mortgage Collaborative community."

About Argyle:

Founded in 2018, Argyle is the leading provider of direct-source access to income and employment data. As an authorized report supplier for Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter(r) validation service, a component of Day 1 Certainty(r), Argyle empowers mortgage lenders to auto-retrieve paystubs and W-2s, understand consumers' ability to pay and reduce repurchase risk-all at 60-80% less cost. Argyle's commitment to innovation is backed by investors including Bain Capital Ventures, SignalFire, Checkr, and Rockefeller Asset Management.

For more information on Argyle's industry-leading platform, please visit https://argyle.com/.

To stay up to date on all Argyle news, sign up for our newsletter here: https://argyle.com/blog/.

About The Mortgage Collaborative:

The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC) was founded in 2013 by four notable industry leaders and is the nation's largest independent mortgage cooperative network. TMC is singularly focused on creating an environment of collaboration and innovation for small to mid-size mortgage lenders across the country to reduce cost, increase profitability, and better serve the dynamic and changing consumer base in America. For more information, visit https://www.mortgagecollaborative.com/.

Tags: @withArgyle @The Mortgage Collaborative #fintech #mortgage #mortgagelending

RELATED LINKS:

https://www.mortgagecollaborative.com/preferred-partners.html

https://web.cvent.com/event/72de6f1c-8527-4ad3-8405-582bc53f37d5/summary?session=53bc8371-c5cc-4435-afa4-6138c1219215

https://argyle.com/customers/lake-michigan-credit-union/

Related link: https://www.argyle.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, government-insured mortgage products, One-Time Close loans, Real Estate

Click n’ Close Announces One-Time Close Program to Address Home Buyer Challenges in Rural America

ADDISON, Texas -- Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender serving consumers and mortgage originators through its wholesale and correspondent channels, announced its latest mortgage product, One-Time Close (OTC) loan programs for government-insured mortgage products. This product is designed to aid homebuyers in rural America with down payment assistance, with availability in select markets.

"Given current market conditions, affordability is the number one challenge among potential homebuyers," said Click n' Close Owner and CEO Jeff Bode. "As prospective borrowers venture further out from cities and traditional suburban markets, Click n' Close stands as a resource, providing powerful financing tools for both wholesale lenders and borrowers to make homeownership possible."

Click n' Close's OTC program offers 100% loan-to-value (LTV) financing covering land, construction and closing costs, with no down payment or minimum investment required and the ability to finance the 1% USDA Guarantee Fee up to 101% LTV.

Other product features include:

* Flexible debt-to-income ratios;

* Eligibility for credit scores of 640 and above;

* No prepayment penalties;

* First-time homebuyer eligibility;

* Absence of required reserves;

* Seller/builder concessions up to 6%;

* Utilization of eligible gifts for closing costs; and

* Contingency account financing up to 10%.

To learn more about Click n' Close's wholesale team and check availability in your market, reach out to Soliman Martinez, Adam Rieke or Kerry Webb. For existing clients, contact your Click n' Close account executive to learn more.

About Click' n' Close, Inc.:

Click 'n' Close, Inc., formerly known as Mid America Mortgage, is a multi-state mortgage lender serving consumers and mortgage originators through its wholesale and correspondent channels and is also the nation's leading provider of Section 184 home loans for Native Americans. In operation since 1940, Click' n' Close has thrived by retaining its entrepreneurial spirit and leading the market in innovation, including its adoption of eClosings and eNotes.

Combining this culture of innovation with a risk management mindset enables Click' n' Close to deliver new products to market that address the challenges facing both borrowers and third-party originators (TPOs). These innovations include its USDA one-time close construction loans, proprietary down payment assistance (DPA) program and reverse mortgage division. Its direct relationships with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae and private investors afford Click' n' Close direct access to the capital markets, thus ensuring maximum liquidity for its product innovations. By servicing its loan programs in-house, Click' n' Close provides its wholesale and correspondent partners with an additional level of certainty regarding loan salability and superior borrower service over the life of the loan.

Learn more at https://www.clicknclose.com/.

Related link: https://www.clicknclose.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Awards and Honors, Business

MMI Ranks No. 29 on Inc. Magazine’s List of the Rocky Mountain Region’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI), a leader in data intelligence and market insight tools for the mortgage and real estate industries, today announced it ranks No. 29 on Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Rocky Mountain private companies, based in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

This year marks MMI's third consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 list, having debuted in the top 1500 last year. The company has maintained a 149% growth rate over the last two years.

"While our continued financial success is gratifying, we are more proud to have played a pivotal role in guiding our customers through the uncertainties of the recent mortgage market," said MMI Founder and CEO Ben Teerlink. "Our goal is to furnish each user - from major financial institutions to individual originators - with unparalleled data intelligence and insights that drive volume and enhance their operations. Being recognized on the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list for the third consecutive year is a tremendous honor for us and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the phenomenal team we've built at MMI. We're continually expanding our offerings and capabilities, and with our recent acquisition of Bonzo and deep expertise in transaction data, our users have more insight and power than ever."

The companies on the Inc. 5000 show a remarkable growth rate across all industries in the Rocky Mountain region. Between 2020 and 2022, these 72 private companies had an average growth rate of 122.44%. By 2023, they'd also added 3,838 jobs and $1.7 billion to the region's economy.

"The honorees in our Inc. 5000 network are the Who's Who of private companies. They're energizing regional economies as they engineer the future of their industries. Learn who they are and what they do - they'll be impacting things for a while," said Eric Hagerman, Special Projects Editor at Inc. Media.

Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Rocky Mountain economy's most dynamic segment-its independent small businesses. The complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain, including company profiles, can be found at www.inc.com/RockyMountain.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

About MMI

Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI) is a market leader in data intelligence and market insight tools for the mortgage and real estate industries. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, the company's signature product, MMI, provides actionable intelligence for lenders, real estate agents, real estate brokerages, title companies and others in the real estate industry. MMI is currently used by more than 350 enterprise customers, including 20 of the top 25 lenders in the country. To learn more, visit https://mmi.io or contact sales@mmi.io.

Related link: https://mmi.io

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, Real Estate

NotaryCam Achieves Record RON Growth in 2023

HOUSTON, Texas -- NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and leading remote online notarization (RON) provider for real estate and legal transactions, announced significant growth in 2023, expanding its independent notary platform customer base by 46% and the number of loss mitigation-related RON transactions by 115%. The company also increased its medical credentialling remote notarizations by 45%, executing transactions in 160 out of 192 countries worldwide, and augmented its nationwide footprint by becoming an approved RON provider in North Carolina, Delaware and Illinois. With the passage of California's RON legislation in late 2023, NotaryCam also prepared its platform to begin supporting transactions in this state.

"We have taken massive strides this past year toward nationwide acceptance of RON and eNotary services," said NotaryCam president Brian Webster. "With a 10% increase in year-over-year total transactions - even in a down market - NotaryCam is poised to drive even more RON adoption across multiple verticals in 2024 while also continuing to champion mortgage lenders' digital transformation efforts."

NotaryCam's accomplishments contributed to maintaining its industry-leading 99.8 percent customer satisfaction rating and the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) amongst the best global tech brands.

The company's other 2023 achievements include:

* Suzanne Singer's appointment as Director of Sales and Marketing;

* President Brian Webster's selection as a 2023 Vanguard awards program recipient by HousingWire and recognition as one of 2023's Best in Finance by Inman;

* The additional integration with Asurity® Partners' cutting-edge mortgage document generation platform - Propel™; and

* Inclusion in HousingWire's annual TECH100 awards program for the fifth year.

About NotaryCam, a Stewart Company:

NotaryCam, a Stewart-owned company, is the leader in online notarization and mortgage eClosing solutions, having notarized documents worldwide for more than a million customers in all 50 states and more than 146 countries. The company's eClose360® platform delivers the "perfect" online mortgage closing in every jurisdiction and supports all eClosing scenarios with a flexible workflow for document recording and unparalleled identity verification, security and customer convenience. In addition to real estate transactions, NotaryCam provides RON services to many Fortune 500 companies as well as small and midsize businesses. The company also proudly maintains an industry-leading 99.8 percent customer satisfaction rating and the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) amongst the best global tech brands.

Visit https://www.notarycam.com/ for additional information or to get a document notarized today.

MULTIMEDIA:

IMAGE LINK for media: https://www.notarycam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NotaryCam-2023-Infographic.jpg

Image caption: NotaryCam Achieves Record RON Growth in 2023.

Related link: https://www.notarycam.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, Optimal Blue, Originations Market Monitor, Reports and Studies

Spring Buying Season Kicks Off With an Uptick in Purchase Applications Despite Climbing Interest Rates

PLANO, Texas -- Today, Optimal Blue released its February 2024 Originations Market Monitor report, which reveals that the spring homebuying season has kicked off with a jump in monthly purchase mortgage locks. The seasonal spike in purchase locks propelled a net increase in origination activity, even as higher interest rates led to steep declines in mortgage refinances.

Key findings from the February 2024 Originations Market Monitor report, which reflects month-over-month changes in mortgage lock data, show:

* Lock activity up despite steep decline in refinances: Rate lock volumes saw a 5% increase due to a notable 8.3% increase in purchase activity. The rise in purchase activity outpaced the decrease in refinancing activity, which fell by 22.5% for rate/term refinances and 3.1% for cash-out refinances.

* Purchase market nearing its floor: Purchase lock counts, which control for changing home prices, rose 7%, a significant growth compared to the 2% increase in the same period last year during a similar uptick in interest rates. The 7% year-over-year decline in lock activity was the smallest such drop since the Fed began hiking interest rates in March 2022.

* Interest rate trend reverses: The benchmark Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) observed an end to three consecutive months of rate declines - the result of strong economic readings, which significantly lowered market expectations of a near-term rate cut. The OBMMI 30-year conforming rate index rose 36 bps to 6.89%, FHA rose 28 bps to 6.66%, VA rose 41 bps to 6.50%, and jumbo rose 37 bps to 7.35%.

* Non-conforming products see gains: Non-conforming loan products, including jumbo and non-QM loans, claimed an additional 183 basis points of market share, ending the month with 11% of the total volume. Meanwhile, conforming loans maintained a steady 57%, with slight decreases in FHA and VA loans.

* ARMs become slightly more popular: The rate increase nudged the share of ARM loans up, though they still account for only 6% of total production volume. The current economic scenario, particularly the inverted yield curve, will likely constrain further demand growth for these products.

* Credit quality and loan amounts continue upward trend: Credit quality continued to improve across all loan products, except VA loans, which held steady. The average loan amount increased from $355.6K to $359.3K, while the average home purchase price climbed from $444.9K to $454.1K.

"As the spring buying season commenced, we saw a resurgence in purchase locks, despite the rise in interest rates," said Brennan O'Connell, director of data solutions at Optimal Blue. "Although lock counts were down on a year-over-year basis, the rate of decline is decelerating and suggests we may be nearing a floor for purchase lending in the current rate environment."

View the full February 2024 Originations Market Monitor report for more detail: https://www2.optimalblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OB_OMM_FEB2024_Report.pdf

About the OMM Report:

Each month, Optimal Blue issues the Originations Market Monitor report, which provides early insight into U.S. mortgage trends. Leveraging lender rate lock data from the Optimal Blue PPE - the mortgage industry's most widely used product, pricing, and eligibility engine - the Originations Market Monitor provides a view of early-stage origination activity.

Nothing herein shall be construed as, nor is Optimal Blue providing, any legal, trading, hedging, or financial advice.

About Optimal Blue

Optimal Blue is a market leader in mortgage secondary marketing technology. The company facilitates transactions among mortgage market participants through its Marketplace Platform, actionable data, and technology vendor connections. The platform supports a range of functions for originators and investors to automate and optimize core processes related to product, pricing, and eligibility, hedge analytics, MSR valuation, loan trading, social media compliance, and counterparty oversight. The company's premier products are used by 68% of the top 500 mortgage lenders in the U.S.

For more information on Optimal Blue's end-to-end secondary marketing automation, visit https://OptimalBlue.com/.

Related link: https://www2.optimalblue.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, Porch Group Inc, Product Launches, Software

Floify introduces flexible pricing with the introduction of Lender Edition

BOULDER, Colo. -- Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS), today announced the launch of Lender Edition, a newly badged version of the popular mortgage point-of-sale that introduces a flexible per-loan pricing option for mortgage lenders.

Floify Lender Edition is the counterpart to Broker Edition, a one-stop lending platform configured for the needs of mortgage brokers that was introduced in December 2023. Lender Edition is specifically designed to address the challenges faced by mortgage lenders, such as supporting best-in-class borrower experience, while maintaining efficient production and controlling costs.

Lender Edition maintains core features popular among Floify users such as an intuitive interface for borrowers and lenders, automated document management workflows, free native eSign functionality, verification of income and employment waterfall functionality, loan progress transparency, and much more.

In the coming months, Floify will introduce new integrations with popular borrower verification report providers and an eClosing vendor, as well as enhanced functionality with existing integration partners.

"While some vendors are squeezing lenders on pricing during market hardship, Floify is committed to being a supportive partner by being flexible on pricing without compromising access to product features or quality. Lender Edition is designed to tackle the industry's biggest challenges head-on, providing unparalleled support for creating optimal borrower experiences and achieving operational excellence," said Floify President and General Manager Sofia Rossato. "We make it possible for lenders to provide a sleek and intuitive loan management portal for borrowers and manage pipelines effectively at a cost-effective price point."

Lender Edition can be quickly deployed and comes equipped with dozens of native integrations, which gives lenders rich, plug-and-play functionality that reduces operational redundancy.

Visit https://bit.ly/3OZjbt3 to learn more about Lender Edition.

About Floify:

Floify is a digital mortgage automation solution that streamlines the loan process by providing a secure application, communication, and document portal between lenders, borrowers, referral partners, and other mortgage stakeholders. Loan originators use the platform to collect and verify borrower documentation, track loan progress, communicate with borrowers and real estate agents, and close loans faster. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado and is a subsidiary of Porch Group, Inc. ("Porch Group") (NASDAQ: PRCH). For more information, visit the company's website at https://floify.com/ or on social media at Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter / X.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the Company believes that its plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions, or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Generally, statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning the Company's possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events, or results of operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements may be preceded by, followed by, or include the words "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "plans," "scheduled," "anticipates," "intends," or similar expressions.

These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Porch and its management at the time they are made, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) expansion plans and opportunities, and managing growth, to build a consumer brand; (2) the incidence, frequency, and severity of weather events, extensive wildfires, and other catastrophes; (3) economic conditions, especially those affecting the housing, insurance, and financial markets; (4) expectations regarding revenue, cost of revenue, operating expenses, and the ability to achieve and maintain future profitability; (5) existing and developing federal and state laws and regulations, including with respect to insurance, warranty, privacy, information security, data protection and taxation, and management's interpretation of and compliance with such laws and regulations; (6) the Company's reinsurance program, which includes the use of a captive reinsurer, the success of which is dependent on a number of factors outside management's control, along with reliance on reinsurance to protect us against loss; (7) uncertainties related to regulatory approval of insurance rates, policy forms, insurance products, license applications, acquisitions of businesses or strategic initiatives, including the reciprocal restructuring, and other matters within the purview of insurance regulators; (8) reliance on strategic, proprietary relationships to provide the Company with access to personal data and product information, and the ability to use such data and information to increase transaction volume and attract and retain customers; (9) the ability to develop new, or enhance existing, products, services, and features and bring them to market in a timely manner; (10) changes in capital requirements, and the ability to access capital when needed to provide statutory surplus; (11) the increased costs and initiatives required to address new legal and regulatory requirements arising from developments related to cybersecurity, privacy, and data governance and the increased costs and initiatives to protect against data breaches, cyber-attacks, virus or malware attacks, or other infiltrations or incidents affecting system integrity, availability and performance; (12) retaining and attracting skilled and experienced employees; (13) costs related to being a public company; and (14) other risks and uncertainties discussed in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, as well as those discussed in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), all of which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Nothing in this release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the forward-looking statements in this release do not reflect the potential impact of any divestitures, mergers, acquisitions, or other business combinations that have not been completed as of the date of this release. Porch does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changed circumstances, new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

TAGS @Floify #mortgage #IMB #creditunion #bank #fintech #housingfinance

Related link: https://floify.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

ACUMA, Business

iEmergent brings actionable mortgage market intelligence to credit unions as ACUMA affiliate member

DES MOINES, Iowa -- iEmergent, a forecasting and advisory services firm for the financial services, mortgage and real estate industries, announced it has joined the American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA) as an affiliate member. Since its founding nearly a quarter century ago, iEmergent has worked with credit unions and other lenders to identify missed mortgage opportunities and close gaps in market coverage. As an ACUMA affiliate, iEmergent will leverage its deep experience and award-winning technology to help the trade association's nearly 400 credit union members build and execute data-driven mortgage growth, recruitment and referral partner strategies.

Mortgage MarketSmart, iEmergent's cutting-edge market intelligence and forecasting platform, reveals mortgage opportunity down to the neighborhood level by projecting loan production metrics on maps that can be overlaid with robust external data sets like historical lending metrics, demographic and income data, real estate agent and listing intelligence, community points of interest, census tract-level opportunity forecasts and more. Mortgage MarketSmart gives credit unions everything they need to quantify and act on market growth opportunities, including diverse lending and recruiting strategies that support financial institutions' fair lending and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) obligations.

"We bring mortgage opportunities to life for credit unions, showing them exactly where their members are and where their gaps in coverage lie, and then we work hand in hand to build effective strategies for closing those gaps," said iEmergent CEO Laird Nossuli. "We look forward to helping ACUMA members-all credit unions that have made a conscious investment in mortgage lending-capture more markets and, in so doing, better serve the home financing needs of members."

ACUMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering credit unions and credit union service organizations (CUSOs) to provide premier real estate and home loan services for their members. Its membership encompasses a diverse group including federal and state-chartered credit unions, CUSOs, mortgage insurance firms, secondary market investors, investment banking entities and technology providers specializing in mortgage lending solutions.

"It's our goal to provide credit unions with access to the best education and resources within the housing finance industry. This is supported by iEmergent's ability to identify and close market gaps in mortgage lending," stated ACUMA President Peter J. Benjamin. "We're excited to welcome iEmergent and present this valuable resource to our members."

About iEmergent

Founded in 2000, iEmergent provides mortgage lending forecasts and analytics to the lending, housing and real estate industries. The company offers an extensive variety of forecast and market intelligence products, including Mortgage MarketSmart, a visualization tool that helps lenders quantify how mortgage markets will change. For more information, visit https://www.iemergent.com/.

TAGS: @iemergent @ACUMA #creditunions #housingfinance #housingequity #housingeconomy #mortgage

RELATED LINKS:

https://acuma.org/

https://www.iemergent.com/mortgage-marketsmart

Related link: https://www.iemergent.com

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, Pulse of the Network

Lending execs share top concerns, priorities in The Mortgage Collaborative’s 2024 Pulse of the Network survey findings

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's largest independent cooperative network serving the mortgage industry, announced the completion of its "Pulse of the Network" survey for 2024. The full report features lenders' top five critical issues for the year, top 10 goals and anticipated strategies for success.

Select findings from this year's report are as follows:

Top Concerns

When asked to rank-order the most critically important issues facing mortgage lenders today, respondents identified business development as their top concern. And while 36.7% of respondents have their sights set on expansion, three in five respondents said they were more worried about attaining or retaining profitability than growing market share.

Top Priorities

Unsurprisingly, respondents identified growing volume as their top objective for 2024. To that end, they're looking at recruiting processes (21% are working with recruiters) and diversifying referral relationships to ensure their companies are set to take advantage of every opportunity. And while implementing new technology ranked relatively low among mortgage business objectives for 2024, respondents flagged customer relationship management (CRM) platforms as the one part of the tech stack they'll prioritize evaluating this year.

"Based on this year's survey results, lenders' priority for 2024 seems to be getting better but not necessarily bigger," said TMC President and CEO Melissa Langdale. "The compounding effects of rising interest rates, low inventory and affordability challenges have battle-tested lenders over the last year, and with some measure of relief on the horizon in the form of expected lower interest rates, lenders are planning to use this breathing room to improve operations, maximize existing opportunities for new business and shore up reserves that may have been depleted in the pursuit of survival in 2023."

To inquire about the full findings from this year's survey, contact mlangdale@mtgcoop.com.

Methodology

Two thousand mortgage lending executives from TMC's lender member network of independent mortgage bankers (IMBs), banks and credit unions across the United States were invited to participate in the survey. Of those who responded, 49% were independent mortgage bankers (IMBs), 44% were banks and the remaining 7% were credit unions. All respondents were key decision-makers, more than half of them holding C-suite positions or their equivalent (CEO, COO, CLO, President, or Head of Operations). All responses were collected between December 15, 2023, and January 15, 2024.

About The Mortgage Collaborative:

The Mortgage Collaborative was founded in 2013 by four notable industry leaders and is the nation's largest independent mortgage cooperative network. TMC is singularly focused on creating an environment of collaboration and innovation for small to mid-size mortgage lenders across the country to reduce cost, increase profitability, and better serve the dynamic and changing consumer base in America.

For more information, visit http://www.mortgagecollaborative.com/

Related link: https://www.mortgagecollaborative.com

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022

Business, Software

Informative Research Announces Mortgage Lenders Using Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter Can Now Validate Income and Employment with AccountChek

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. -- Informative Research, a leading technology platform that delivers data-driven solutions to the lending community, announced that lenders using Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter® (DU®) can now leverage a 12-month asset verification report to validate income and employment in addition to assets with a single asset report. By using direct deposit banking data to evaluate income and employment, lenders can streamline processes and improve the borrower experience.

"AccountChek has long been a trusted source of data to validate a consumer's assets, rent payments and cash flow, and now with the ability for lenders to leverage bank account data for the purpose of validating a consumer's income and employment in DU, we offer even greater value to our customers," said Informative Research Head of AccountChek Brian Francis. "By allowing DU users to leverage one report to satisfy multiple verification needs, Fannie Mae has provided lenders with a tremendous lift in terms of productivity and expense management [1]. Additionally, lenders do not have to order a special report to participate in this program, as AccountChek already provides the needed transaction data to DU in the existing asset report."

Once borrowers have authorized access to their financial information via AccountChek, the system retrieves the relevant information - including income deposits, expenses, and account balances - and generates a comprehensive report summarizing the data. This data is shared with the lender's point-of-sale platform and/or loan origination system, and in the AccountChek dashboard. AccountChek's direct integration with DU ensures the necessary data flows into DU as part of the loan submission to analyze income and employment eligibility along with assets.

In addition to improving operational efficiency and lowering costs, using a single source of data for assets, income and employment verification may also help lenders:

* Streamline large deposit verification by reducing documentation requirements.

* Enhance the borrower experience by reducing the documents borrowers have to provide, which could increase the chances of securing borrowers' business.

* Achieve Day 1 Certainty® through relief from representation and warranties when income, employment, and/or asset information is validated, which may increase loan quality and reduce repurchase risk.

"With DU, lenders can now get even more benefits from using a single 12-month asset report," said Peter Skarnulis, Fannie Mae Vice President, Business Account Management Solutions. "We continue to look for ways to help lenders streamline their validation processes and improve the borrower experience, and this latest enhancement helps them do just that."

In addition, lenders may increase the number of borrowers that receive an Approve/Eligible recommendation in DU by assessing eligibility through rent payment identification and a cash flow assessment.

"We're constantly looking for ways to innovate in the underwriting space," said Mark Fisher, Fannie Mae Vice President for Credit Risk Solutions. "Now, with a 12-month asset report, DU offers even more value than before, benefiting both lenders and borrowers."

Fannie Mae has established clear guidelines and resources to facilitate the onboarding of lenders into the program, ensuring a seamless transition to streamlined verification processes.

To get started, visit Fannie Mae's webpage, and submit the request form to begin the activation process: http://www.fanniemae.com/singlesource.

About Informative Research

Informative Research, a Stewart company, is a leading technology platform that delivers data-driven solutions to the lending community. The solutions provider currently serves mortgage companies, banks, and lenders throughout the United States. The company is recognized for streamlining the loan process with its straightforward service model, progressive solutions, and cutting-edge technology. To learn more, visit https://www.informativeresearch.com/.

CITATIONS:

[1] In a survey of pilot lenders, 50% saw some level of cost savings over their existing third-party report costs. Customer results may vary.

Related link: https://www.informativeresearch.com/

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