Tag: Optimal Blue
Optimal Blue Establishes Alliance with Cotality to Expand the Reach of Its Mortgage Origination and Pricing Data : National News
PLANO, Texas, March 27, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced a strategic alliance with Cotality™ (formerly CoreLogic®) that expands access to its mortgage origination and pricing data. Through this collaboration, Cotality will offer Optimal Blue's data to a broader audience, including hedge funds, capital markets participants, and investment firms seeking insights into the mortgage markets.
40% Jump in Rate-and-Term Refis Drives Overall Lock Growth as Purchase Activity Stalls : National News
PLANO, Texas, March 11, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its February 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showing a 7% month-over-month increase in mortgage lock volume driven primarily by a surge in refinance activity. Rate-and-term refinances saw the biggest jump, rising nearly 40% as homeowners seized the opportunity to lower their monthly payments. Cash-out refinances also edged higher, while purchase lock activity remained subdued for the second consecutive month.
January Mortgage Lock Data Shows Year-Over-Year Improvement in Refinance Volume Despite Higher Rates : National News
PLANO, Texas, Feb. 13, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its January 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report, revealing a sharp rise in year-over-year (YoY) refinance activity alongside a drop in purchase lock counts. The decline in purchase lock counts marks the lowest January count since Optimal Blue began tracking this data in 2019. Meanwhile, refinance lock volume surged even though the Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year ticked above 7% for the first time since May.
Optimal Blue Introduces Seven Major Innovations at Its Inaugural User Summit in San Diego : National News
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today unveiled a series of new products and features, alongside its major Ask Obi AI assistant announcement, at its Summit user conference in San Diego. These innovation announcements underscore the company's commitment to delivering high-impact solutions, at no additional cost, that tackle real-world challenges and help lenders maximize profitability.
Optimal Blue Announces Ask Obi, an AI Assistant to Provide Mortgage Lending Executives With Real-Time Business Insights : National News
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced Ask Obi, an AI assistant designed to provide mortgage lending executives with instant, actionable insights from their Optimal Blue products and data. Unveiled during Optimal Blue's inaugural Summit user conference in San Diego, Ask Obi gives lenders the power to view their operations holistically with data aggregation across Optimal Blue's comprehensive capital markets platform.
December Mortgage Lock Data Reveals Year-Over-Year Increases Across All Loan Types Despite Seasonal Downturn : National News
PLANO, Texas, Jan. 14, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its December 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, showcasing year-over-year (YoY) growth in mortgage activity, even as seasonal trends led to a month-over-month (MoM) decline in rate lock volumes. Overall, December mortgage lock volume was up 26% YoY, driven by an 18% increase in purchase locks, a 43% rise in cash-out refinances, and an 82% jump in rate-and-term refinances.
Mortgage Lock Activity Fell in November as Interest Rates Hit Their Highest Levels Since July : National News
PLANO, Texas, Dec. 10, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its November 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, highlighting a 25% decrease in month-over-month (MoM) lock volume as interest rates hit their highest levels since early July, creating headwinds for affordability. Purchase lock volume was down 21% MoM, while cash-out and rate-and-term refinance volumes fell 20% and 50%, respectively.
Optimal Blue Announces Tony Hawk, Housing Industry Leaders to Headline Inaugural User Conference : National News
PLANO, Texas, Dec. 5, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced the speaker lineup for its inaugural user conference, the Optimal Blue Summit 2025. Legendary skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk will headline the event. The conference will also feature sessions led by Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Business Development Michael Fratantoni, Ph.D., MBA Associate Vice President of Secondary and Capital Markets Sasha Hewlett, AMP, HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler, and representatives from Microsoft.
October Mortgage Lock Data Shows Resilience and Cracks in the Mortgage Market as Interest Rates Tick up 65 Basis Points :...
PLANO, Texas, Nov. 12, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its October 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, highlighting resilient purchase activity in the face of rising interest rates and affordability challenges. Despite a 65-basis-point (bps) increase in the Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year conforming rate, purchase lock volume grew by 12% month over month (MoM), signaling strong demand among homebuyers.
Optimal Blue Promotes Industry Experts to New Executive Roles to Accelerate Innovation and Prioritize Partnerships : National News
PLANO, Texas, Nov. 11, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced two key executive promotions that will position the company to deliver innovation faster across the company's entire capital markets platform, and to further expand the company's network of partners. Erin Wester has been promoted to chief product officer and Mike Vough has been promoted to head of corporate strategy.
Optimal Blue Announces Three Major Product Releases, Continuing Streak of Aggressive Product Innovation and No-Cost Feature Additions : National News
PLANO, Texas, Oct. 28, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced three major product releases: the expansion of its AI assistant suite, the introduction of Scenario Optimizer, and the free availability of Investor Pricing Insight to investor clients. These product updates build on the company's commitment to rapidly delivering high-impact solutions that tackle real-world challenges while helping clients maximize profitability.
Optimal Blue Launches New Generative AI Assistant Capabilities
PLANO, Texas, July 23, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced the delivery of generative AI capabilities centered on helping lenders maximize profitability on every loan transaction. Through direct engagement with its thousands of clients, the company has begun delivering generative AI capabilities built for secondary-market-specific use cases and purposefully designed to solve the real-world challenges that mortgage lenders face.
Falling Home Prices and Purchase Mortgage Locks Reveal a Stagnant Late-Spring Housing Market
PLANO, Texas, July 10, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its June 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which revealed a stagnant late-spring housing market as home prices dropped for the first time in 2024 and purchase lock counts fell 8% over the previous year. All mortgage lock figures in this news release have been controlled for fewer market days in June.
Optimal Blue Launches Competitive Data License to Help Lenders Optimize Margins With Competitive Loan Pricing Data
PLANO, Texas, June 25, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue announced the release of Competitive Data License, a collection of key national mortgage pricing data that enables lenders to price products competitively, operate more profitably, and react swiftly to changing market conditions. Competitive Data License draws upon direct-source loan data from the Optimal Blue PPE, which is used to price and lock over 35% of loans in the United States.
Mortgage Interest Rate Sensitivity Triggers 25% Spike in May Rate-and-Term Refinance Activity
PLANO, Texas, June 13, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its May 2024 Market Advantage mortgage data report, which revealed a 25.6% month-over-month (MoM) spike in rate-and-term mortgage refinances. The spike was a response to a modest drop in the Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year conforming rate, which ended the month at 7.02%.
Optimal Blue Names Joe Tyrrell Chief Executive Officer
PLANO, Texas, June 10, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced the appointment of Joe Tyrrell as CEO. Tyrrell succeeds interim CEO Scott Smith of Optimal Blue's parent company, Constellation Software Inc. Tyrrell brings over 25 years of experience in the mortgage, finance, and technology industries to Optimal Blue.
Optimal Blue Announces ‘Optimize Your Advantage’ to Showcase How Its Capital Markets Platform Puts Lenders in Control of Their Margins
PLANO, Texas, May 16, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue announced the launch of its Optimize Your Advantage campaign in advance of the MBA Secondary and Capital Markets Conference. This comprehensive brand initiative highlights the value and innovation the company delivers to clients. Through Optimal Blue's position as the housing industry's only end-to-end capital markets platform, lenders and other market participants have greater control of their profit margins, giving them distinct advantages, regardless of market conditions.
Mortgage Purchase Lock Counts See First YoY Gain Since Fed Rate Hikes Began Two Years Ago
PLANO, Texas, May 13, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today released its April 2024 Originations Market Monitor report, which reveals the first year-over-year increase in purchase mortgage lock counts since the Federal Reserve initiated rate hikes in March 2022.
Optimal Blue Director of Data Solutions Brennan O’Connell Named a 2024 HousingWire Rising Star
PLANO, Texas, April 24, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced that Brennan O'Connell, director of data solutions, has been honored with the 2024 HousingWire Rising Stars award. The award program celebrates emerging leaders in real estate and mortgage who have demonstrated rapid career growth and an ability to lead, achieving remarkable milestones before the age of 40.
Optimal Blue Announces Promotion of Rick Allen to Chief Operating Officer
PLANO, Texas, April 9, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Optimal Blue today announced that it has elevated Rick Allen to chief operating officer (COO). Most recently serving as Optimal Blue's chief administrative officer, Allen brings more than 35 years of experience in the housing industry to his senior leadership role. Throughout his tenure at Optimal Blue, Allen has played an integral role in the enhancement and delivery of products to add exceptional value to the company's clients.