Texas Business
Optimal Blue to host 2027 Summit February 1-3 in Scottsdale
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….
Industry-first AI/ML-powered forecasting tool headlines extensive lineup of mortgage capital markets innovations unveiled at 2026 Optimal Blue Summit
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….
Click n’ Close Names Rachel Fatino Director of Correspondent Operations
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….
FirstClose and TruStage form partnership to accelerate dynamic credit union lending documentation
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….
Optimal Blue report: Sub-6% rates spark refinance surge early in 2026
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….
NotaryCam surpasses 2 million lifetime notarizations, doubles credit card transaction volume in 2025
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….
Real-World Police Experience Drives 4,000+ Elite Protection and Security Dog Placements Worldwide
ARGYLE, Texas, — Scott’s K9 has reached a significant milestone with over 4,000 dogs trained and placed globally. These protection dogs for sale range from police and government contract placements to private protection dogs. This is an achievement founder, Steve Scott, attributes to a differentiator most protection dog companies lack: authentic police K9 experience applied to family protection….
FirstClose Caps Transformational 2025 With Faster Closings, Platform Expansion and Strong Market Momentum
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….
Optimal Blue report: December lock volume closes 2025 on a firm footing
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….
Nyle Maxwell Collision Center Brings on Collision Industry Veteran, Tammie Harper, as Collision Center Director
AUSTIN, Texas — Nyle Maxwell Collision Center, Austin’s highly respected automotive collision repair center located at 13581 Research Blvd., Austin, Texas 78750, has appointed Austin native and collision industry veteran, Tammie Harper, as the company’s Collision Center Director, Brent Rayfield, General Manager at Nyle Maxwell Supercenter, has announced….