Amherst Funding Group Partners with Optimal Blue to Deliver Real Time Loan.

Partnership Allows Lenders to Lock a Loan in Real Time

CHICAGO -- At MBA's 93rd Annual Conference and Expo, Optimal Blue, developer of a comprehensive, Web-based platform that couples decisioning technology with content management for the mortgage industry, announced a joint venture with Austin, Texas-based Amherst Funding Group, L.P. (AFG). The partnership is the first of its kind, allowing loan originators to lock loans directly with an investor through a lender's third-party platform to save time, improve efficiency and ensure accuracy.

This pioneering joint venture comes at a critical time in the industry with many lenders searching for ways to expedite the loan process. In order to increase market share and to be competitive, lenders need to be able to deploy, modify, maintain and deliver new loan products to the market quickly and efficiently. However, lenders need technology that does not require technical expertise and is also efficient, accurate and user friendly. Optimal Blue and AFG have delivered this technology by offering a solution whereby Lenders can deploy new products quickly while allowing their secondary department and originators to search, find, manage and lock a loan in one step with lenders, who can in turn simultaneously lock the loan with AFG. This saves time, reduces market risk exposure and allows originators to concentrate on their core business, which is completing and closing more loans.

"What Optimal Blue and AFG are doing in the market is completely unique - and new, as no other provider currently offers this service," said Bruce Brunner, CEO of AFG. "Together, Optimal Blue and AFG enable AFG's approved loan originators an opportunity to lock loans with the lender and investor at the same time. AFG can now leverage Optimal Blue's extensive customer base for distribution of our products. And from a technology standpoint, Optimal Blue's efficiencies are staggering. Creating a single pass through locking functionality is just another way for Optimal Blue to bring additional value to our correspondent clients and their originators."

Once the loan is locked with the lender, instead of logging out of Optimal Blue's product and pricing engine (PPE), the lender can lock the loan directly with AFG without the risk of the market changing and diminishing their return potential. The process seamlessly connects the lenders with AFG, enabling them to more effectively source their mortgage products, then price and lock them in real time, ensuring reduced market risk and greater accuracy.

"This is truly a great partnership of alignment," said Larry Huff, co-founder and co-CEO of Optimal Blue. "Unlike the majority of mortgage investors who are not technologically driven, AFG recognizes that leveraging technology enables their firm to compete better, smarter and more quickly. This technology not only allows clients to reap tremendous efficiencies and benefits, but also positions AFG to dramatically increase market share."

Optimal Blue's technology provides the unique ability to aggregate complex and disparate details for thousands of differently structured mortgage products and represent them in a single consistent manner to the end user. Optimal Blue features advanced search algorithms, allowing for more efficient loan searches and accurate responses. In addition, Optimal Blue's advanced configuration tools give non-technical personnel the ability to easily manage complex mortgage and pricing data without having to be technically trained. Optimal Blue's extensive automation of decision path generation greatly simplifies the deployment and maintenance of complex loan data.

About Amherst Funding Group, L.P.

Amherst Funding Group, L.P. (AFG) is an Alt-A correspondent conduit focused on buying, trading and servicing newly originated closed residential mortgage loans and servicing. Formed in 2004, AFG is headquartered is in Austin, Texas. AFG is a Fannie Mae Seller/Servicer and a HUD/FHA Investing Mortgagee, which is licensed or otherwise eligible to purchase mortgage loans in 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.amherstfunding.com.

About Optimal Blue

Founded in 2002, Optimal Blue is a Web-based provider of product eligibility and pricing engine (PPE) technology. Based in Plano, Texas, Optimal Blue has developed a comprehensive suite of products designed to give lenders the ability to automate the management and distribution of their products and pricing, enabling originators to then source, manage, price and lock loans in a way that is efficient, accurate and easy to use. Without having to be technology experts, Optimal Blue's solutions allow clients to leverage superior technology and content for a competitive advantage. For more information, please visit www.optimalblue.com.