Non-QM Pricing, Documentation, eSignature, AI Tools; Thoughts on New Starting Points for Borrowers

At the Optimal Blue Summit going on now, sessions range from AI to loan officer tools to market strategy, product unveilings built to transform pricing, trading, and profitability. Will AI help? A study published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that among 6,000 CEOs, chief financial officers, and other executives from firms who responded to various business outlook surveys in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Australia, the vast majority see little impact from AI on their operations. Speaking of which, today’s Mortgages With Millennials at 1PM ET, sponsored by Insellerate, Phil Ganz of Next Wave Mortgage discusses reducing operational friction while expanding access to homeownership, as well as down payment assistance strategy, digital systems, and how loan officers can better serve first time buyers in a margin conscious market. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by FirstClose. FirstClose Equity gets you to closings faster by empowering borrowers with vital property decisioning data. It is the only end-to-end digital HELOC & HEL solution built specifically for home equity. Hear an interview with Plantd’s Josh Dorfman on the intersection of sustainability, capital markets, housing, and pragmatic climate solutions for business and policy leaders.)

Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders

Disclosure speed is now a margin issue. Feewise is the enterprise disclosure manufacturing platform that turns mortgage compliance from bottleneck to business accelerator. Integrated into your existing technology stack and accessed from your POS or LOS, Feewise allows originators to self-serve LEs, CDs, CoCs, and full disclosure packages. Feewise provides the best possible starting point for every loan and serves all channels of business. Want to scale volume without adding staff? Ready to eliminate tolerance cures? Visit us at kiosk #17 inside the showroom floor at ICE Experience 2026, March 15-18. Contact info@feewise.com to schedule a product demonstration.

Processors, underwriters, ops leaders, this is for you. AI in mortgage can feel… risky. And honestly, it should. This is not an industry where you can afford guesswork. That is why Lender Toolkit’s approach is different: Its Responsible Mortgage AI tools are guided by mortgage pros, not tech bros. People who understand guidelines, overlays, and what happens when something is off by just a little. Guideline Agent is a simple starting point. It helps your team get clearer answers to guideline questions so you can spend less time hunting and more time moving loans forward. It is not replacing judgment. It supports it. If you are heading to ICE Experience, book a meeting with Lender Toolkit to see how their full Encompass optimization strategy combines practical automation with human expertise. Start with Guideline Agent free, then see how the bigger system can make your operation smoother.

“What if customer satisfaction could be your biggest competitive edge? Servbank shares key leadership insights in our latest Thought Piece around Customer Satisfaction as a Competitive Advantage in Subservicing. Here we share how customer satisfaction has become a powerful differentiator in mortgage subservicing, with transparency and proactive engagement playing major roles in driving loyalty and portfolio stability. Servicing is the longest‑running touchpoint between you and your customers and through strong experiences you build trust, especially when customers feel informed and supported. Modern tools like Servbank’s servicing platform, SIME helps you act early on retention opportunities and elevate engagement, turning servicing into a true growth driver. Let customer satisfaction become your competitive advantage by partnering with Servbank. Read the full Servbank Thought Piece here.”

“Strengthen your 2026 HELOC lineup with new 2nds from the BETTER Wholesale Program! Self-employed borrowers? We offer 12- & 24-month Bank Statement programs. Price sensitive clients? Better offers low rates with no lender origination fees or application fees. If you’d like to make higher comp than most programs, earn up to 3 percent in BPC. What else? Up to 90 percent CLTV, 75 percent minimum draw, and up to a 10-year IO period on HELOC. Better Wholesale offers an easy digital pricing experience featuring a pre-approval that takes as little as 3-minutes, and its speed is backed up by a real underwriting process. Better’s program is open to brokers and lenders of all sizes – work with us and get lender-direct pricing! Visit Better Wholesale or contact Patrick Kandianis directly.”

Still paying per envelope for eSignature? A recent case study shows how US Mortgage Corporation moved eSign natively into LiteSpeed (by LenderLogix) and eliminated the need for a third party signing platform. By executing an average of 722 documents per month directly through LiteSpeed instead of paying a 3 dollar per envelope fee, everyday document volume now translates into meaningful monthly savings. The team also reports saving 5 to 10 minutes per file by keeping workflows inside Encompass. For lenders evaluating their tech stack, native matters. Read the full case study here.

MIAC Analytics continues to lead the non-QM pricing solutions with a fully integrated rate sheet, bulk market and securitization execution expertise and proven experience. Originators can compare their pricing against the competitors and know at what levels they can transact at in the bulk market. To price accurately requires complex non-QM prepayment and credit models informed with real price executions in both rate sheet and bulk markets. And bulk market participants can compare bulk market executions against securitization executions with MIAC Analytics BondAgent™ waterfall and structuring software tools. Learn how to lead in the non-QM market with the industry non-QM analytical and pricing solutions leader, MIAC Analytics.

“Join Us TODAY: FlexIQ Bank Statement Essentials, 11AM–12PM CST. Today’s the day to sharpen your non-QM expertise! From 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST, join PHH Mortgage for our FlexIQ Bank Statement Essentials webinar and gain actionable insight into one of today’s most powerful alternative income solutions. FlexIQ is our comprehensive non-agency suite offering Full Doc, Alternative Doc, and DSCR options designed to help you serve self-employed borrowers and investors with confidence. During this session, we’ll take a deep dive into Bank Statement documentation requirements, qualification guidelines, and calculator strategies to help you structure deals more efficiently and accurately. You’ll also have the opportunity to engage directly with PHH Mortgage Non-Agency experts, ask live questions, and walk away with practical knowledge you can apply immediately. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your product knowledge and elevate your non-QM production! Register now.”

Now, more to discover with Docutech! Move faster with a dynamic, data-driven document generation platform built for modern mortgage origination. Docutech helps simplify document complexity while keeping loans on track from disclosure through post-closing. Docutech’s origination solutions integrate seamlessly with leading LOS platforms to generate accurate, compliant, and customizable documents. Automated rules and real-time data validation reduce errors, eliminate rework, and keep loans moving forward with confidence. Whether you’re scaling eClosings, supporting hybrid workflows, or still managing paper, Docutech meets you where you are. Flexible delivery options and built-in compliance controls help streamline operations without disrupting your process, or your pipeline. The result? Faster turn times. Fewer exceptions. A smoother borrower experience from application to close. With Docutech, originators can spend less time fixing documents and more time closing loans. Discover how Docutech helps you originate smarter and close with certainty.

The Chrisman Marketplace is a centralized hub for vendors and service providers across the mortgage industry to be viewed by lenders in a very cost-effective manner. We’re adding new providers daily, so check back often to see what’s new. To reserve your place or learn more, contact us at info@chrismancommentary.com.

LOs: Be Aware of Consumer’s Upstream Starting Point

I received a note from Ethan Vieaux, VP of Customer Success at Finlocker. “If you have not played with NotebookLM yet, it is Google’s AI research tool. You give it sources and it becomes an expert on those sources. Zillow is now feeding it its home-buying content library. Guides on preapproval, affordability, the buying process. All of it flows into an AI tool consumers are increasingly using for early research.

On the surface, it reads like a consumer education win. And honestly, in isolation, maybe it is. But I keep coming back to distribution, because that is what matters. Consumers are changing where they start. They are not typing “what does preapproval mean” into a search bar and clicking a blog post the way they used to. They are opening an AI tool and asking questions. The first conversation is happening inside that environment, and the answers they get in that first session shape everything that follows. What they believe is possible. What they think the process looks like. Who they trust.” Thank you, Ethan!

Capital Markets

U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities opened the week with strong gains, and we find mortgage rates at their lowest levels since 2022, as renewed trade tensions and weakness in assets dampened risk appetite and fueled demand for safety. Investor buying accelerated after President Trump lifted the global tariff rate to 15 percent from 10 percent and warned of further action against countries seeking to renegotiate trade agreements, a move that coincided with reports that the European Union is delaying approval of a recent trade deal. The fresh layer of uncertainty has increased volatility in technology and financial stocks, and asset managers face pressure over exposure to data center and software-related debt. A defensive tone has driven a bid for duration as investors seek protection from rising policy and earnings risks.

Today’s economic calendar kicked off with Philadelphia Fed non-manufacturing indices for February. Later today brings Redbook same store sales, December house prices from Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Case-Shiller, February consumer confidence, Richmond Fed manufacturing and services, the previously delayed December wholesale inventories, Dallas Fed Texas Services, and remarks from no fewer than five Fed speakers. Treasury will auction $69 billion 2-year and a buyback in 20- to 30-year coupons for up to $2 billion. The 2-year auction is the first of $183 billion in front-end notes from Treasury this week with little expected disruption given yields remain range bound and investor conviction is low amid political and policy uncertainty. Financial conditions remain notably easy, as reflected in liquidity gauges. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices roughly unchanged from Monday’s close, the 2-year yielding 3.45, and the 10-year yielding 4.03 after closing yesterday at 4.03 percent.