MeridianLink's most loyal customers were credit unions. By its own count, it served 63 of the top 100. Its cloud software let a member apply for a car loan or a credit card, pulled a credit report, and let the lender decide in minutes. The Costa Mesa company had been around since 1998. When it went public in July 2021, it was owned by the buyout firm Thoma Bravo.

A Quiet Lender's Toolkit

MeridianLink began in Southern California in 1998, as lenders first moved loan applications onto the web. It built software to take an application, check a borrower's credit, and route the file for a decision. Over time it added mortgage tools, account opening, and data analytics. The bet was steady and unglamorous: smaller lenders would rent their technology rather than build it. By its IPO it had about 1,900 customers, including credit-reporting agencies.

Down on Day One

MeridianLink priced an upsized IPO at $26 a share on July 27, 2021, the top of its range, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under MLNK. The stock fell about 5 percent on its first day. It drifted lower for years as lending slowed. In August 2025 the company agreed to sell itself to Centerbridge Partners for $20 a share in cash, below the IPO price. The deal closed on October 24, 2025.

Cover: Noon, plate two from The Four Times of the Day, William Hogarth. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for noon, when the sun crosses the meridian.