Big Money for Mortgagetech

News that US fintech MeridianLink had agreed to be acquired by funds advised by affiliates of Centerbridge Partners for $2 billion may be further indication that sentiments toward investment in fintech are changing toward the positive.

MeridianLink powers digital lending and account opening for financial institutions, and provides data verification solutions for consumer reporting agencies. With more than 2,000 customers, MeridianLink powered more than 15 million auto loan applications, more than seven million unsecured loan applications, and more than one million home loan applications in 2024.

The company's acquisition announcement arrived at the same time that it issued a quarterly earnings report that reflected strong revenue growth, cash generation, and adjusted EBITDA, as well as strength in its core lending software business.

What this means for other mortgagetech companies remains to be seen. The prospect of lower short-term interest rates as early as September has put a bid in both smaller, regional banks as well as in homebuilders. Of course, even more interesting is whether investor interest in mortgagetech could have spillover into other areas of fintech—from consumer and small business lending to wealth management—that might disproportionately benefit from lower borrowing costs.

Speaking of funding for mortgagetech, be sure to read Finovate Senior Analyst Julie Muhn's latest on the new $24 million investment secured by homeownership membership company Mesa.

I'm David Penn with this week's edition of the Finovate Weekly Newsletter!

Weekly News

1Kosmos raises $57 million in Series B funding for identity-first security.

Minerva brings more control, visibility to sanctions screening.

AI Squared unveils Sparx, unifying sales, finance, and operations data.

Hoosier Hills Credit Union teams up with Teslar Software.

Stripe taps EBANX to facilitate Pix payments in Brazil.

A Look at the Top Trends of FinovateFall 2025

What trends are driving innovation among some of fintech's most dynamic companies? Check out the latest column from Finovate's Julie Muhn as she previews the top trends and themes from the companies slated to demo their latest solutions live on the FinovateFall stage next month

As always, the lineup blends first-time startups with established players, with all demos running on a single track. That concentrated view makes it easy to spot the patterns shaping bank roadmaps for the next 12 to 18 months.

FinovateFall comes to the Marriott Marquis Times Square, September 8 through 10. Get your ticket. Book your room. And we'll see you in New York City next month!

The Latest Trends at FinovateFall 2025 May Not Be the Ones You Think

Pause Button: Missing the Monsoons

There is no more common lament among local Tucsonans these days (and, trust me, in August, the only folks here are the locals) than the lack of rain. And if that seems like a pretty pointless complaint for a city situated in the Sonoran desert, have a little sympathy: if there's any time for a Tucsonan to expect (read: pray for) rain, the so-called monsoon season between July and the end of August, is it.

Those of us who remember living in the city decades ago recall monsoon rainstorms that arrived like clockwork during that late summer stretch. Around 3pm in the afternoon there would be a decidedly-sharp drop in temperature, the clouds would roll in, and the sky would rain its brains out for a few minutes or several hours. Afterwards, the police and firefighters would roll out to save ignorant drivers who attempted to drive through flooded sidestreets and underpasses and had become become stuck. I was on a hike this weekend with my brother-in-law, a retired Tucson police officer, who told me about rescuing a stranded couple by helicopter back in the 1990s.

No such misadventures these days, for better and worse. Analysts of both weather and climate agree that climate change is likely playing a role in monsoon season unpredictability. To wit: while rain this monsoon season has been lacking, last year's monsoon season was slightly above average in terms of rainfall. And what we've missed in actual rainfall so far this season, we've more than made up for in pyrotechnics, with sunsets punctuated by bursts of rainless thunder and lightning.

Reading is Fundamental. The FinovateFall 2025 Book Signings are Divine

This year, Finovate is happy to host three book signings at our fall conference, FinovateFall 2025, taking place on September 8 through 10 in New York. Here are the authors we will be featuring, along with information about their on-stage presentations.

Ben Feller, Partner, maslansky + partners, author of Big Problems, Little Problems.

A partner at maslansky + partners, Feller is a strategic adviser who specializes in helping companies find their winning language and distill it with clarity and distinction. A journalist for more than 20 years, Feller served as Chief White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, covering both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidential administrations.

At FinovateFall next month, be sure to join Feller for his Out of the Box Keynote: Front Seat, First Question—A White House Perspective. (Sep 10, 3:15 pm).

Theodora Lau, Founder, Unconventional Ventures, author of Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: Navigating the Realities of AI in Financial Services.

Lau is founder of Unconventional Ventures, as well as a public speaker and advisor. She is co-author of The Metaverse Economy (2023) and Beyond Good (2021), and the host of One Vision, a podcast on fintech and innovation.

At FinovateFall, Lau will participate in our Power Panel: Strategies for successful AI adoption & real-life use cases. Why achieving success will go beyond the tech (Sep 10, 11:20 am).

Jason Mikula, Publisher, Fintech Business Weekly, author of Banking as a Service: Opportunities, Challenges, and Risks of New Banking Business Models.

An independent fintech and banking advisor, consultant, and investor, Mikula is the publisher of Fintech Business Weekly, a newsletter that analyzes the technology, regulatory, and business model trends driving the financial services ecosystem.

At FinovateFall, don't miss Mikula's Keynote Address: Capturing the opportunity of small business lending—how can financial institutions successfully engage this market (Sep 10, 10:50am). Also listen to his insights as part of our Power Panel: From Competition to Collaboration & Co-Creation—Why now more than ever banks need to build strategic partnerships (Sep 10, 2:50 pm).

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

Photo by Alexandr Borecky

Photo by Raychel Sanner on Unsplash