FirstClose expands MeridianLink partnership to serve home equity lenders in mortgage divisions

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 26, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for home equity and mortgage lenders nationwide, announced today that it has launched an integration with MeridianLink to bring its home equity order management capabilities directly into the MeridianLink Mortgage loan origination system (LOS). The integration extends FirstClose’s existing MeridianLink partnership to help support lenders that manage home equity originations within their mortgage division.

Image caption: FirstClose logo.

“Lenders that run home equity through their mortgage division have had to stitch together the origination process with tools that were never designed for it,” said Tedd Smith, chief executive officer of FirstClose. “This integration brings the order management piece into the same system their teams are already working in, so the process is faster, more consistent and easier to scale.”

Through the integration, lenders can access FirstClose’s Order Management System directly within their MeridianLink Mortgage workflow. Purpose-built for home equity lending, the system centralizes valuation and settlement ordering, provider coordination and status tracking across the origination process, giving teams visibility into where each loan stands without switching between systems.

FirstClose customers using its order management capabilities have reported significant efficiency gains, including reductions in manual processing by approximately 85% and home equity turn times under two weeks, down from a range of 30 to 60 days. The integration is available to lenders using MeridianLink Mortgage. For more information, contact your FirstClose representative or visit firstclose.com.

About FirstClose

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, FirstClose, Inc. provides fintech solutions to home equity and mortgage lenders nationwide. The company’s mission is to increase profitability and reduce costs for mortgage lenders. FirstClose makes this possible through offering systems and relationships that enable lenders to assist their borrowers more effectively, reduce closing costs and ultimately shorten closing times. For more information, visit https://www.firstclose.com/.

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News Source: FirstClose