Market Advantage - Mortgage Trends and Expert Insights - Optimal Blue

Welcome to the Market Advantage! Hosts Olivia DeLancey, Brennan O’Connell, and Mike Vough break down October’s mortgage market data, highlighting production trends, rate environment shifts, and secondary market insights. Special Announcement: Market Advantage is merging with Optimal Insights! This move will allow us to deliver timely mortgage data and analysis to the public even faster. Stay tuned...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage. Hosts Olivia DeLancey, Brennan O'Connell, and Mike Vough kick off the show with a review of September’s mortgage data, highlighting a strong rate rally and notable trends in purchase and refinance activity. The team then welcomes Andria Lightfoot, VP of client success at FirstClose, for a timely discussion on home equity lending. Andria shar...

To celebrate one year, we compiled the responses from our 12 special guests on year one of the podcast: “What’s the one thing lenders should do to maximize profitability?” Hear actionable insights from industry leaders – including Optimal Blue’s executive team, top economists, tech innovators, and mortgage strategists. From leveraging AI and data to mastering client relationships and optimizing pr...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Olivia DeLancey, Brennan O'Connell, and Mike Vough kick off the show with a review of August 2025 mortgage data, covering rate lock and secondary market activity. The hosts then sit down with Optimal Blue Chief Technology Officer Seever Sulaiman to unpack a recent presentation he delivered on maximizing and meas...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Olivia DeLancey , Brennan O'Connell , and Mike Vough open the show with a discussion on July 2025 mortgage data, highlighting trends in rate lock volumes, refinance activity, and non-agency lending. Later in the episode, Olivia and Mike sit down with Julian Hebron , founder of The Basis Point, to explore rate ou...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Olivia DeLancey and Mike Vough discuss the June 2025 Market Advantage report, including notable shifts in loan sale execution and pull-through trends. They’re joined by Rob Kessel, founder of Panoramic Capital Advisory and Consulting, who brings decades of capital markets expertise to the conversation. Rob share...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Brennan O'Connell and Olivia DeLancey share an overview of exciting new additions to Optimal Blue's Market Advantage report. The monthly mortgage data report now includes a range of new data points, including property type and debt-to-income ratio, to provide a more comprehensive view of the industry. Optim...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Brennan O'Connell and Olivia DeLancey kick things off with a discussion on the April 2025 mortgage rate lock data and market trends from the Market Advantage report. Later, they are joined by Optimal Blue Chief Product Officer Erin Wester to explore the impact of technological innovations on driving profitabilit...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Olivia DeLancey and Brennan O'Connell are joined by Mike Vough, Optimal Blue’s head of corporate strategy, to discuss March 2025 mortgage rate lock data, the latest market trends, and the impact of technological innovations on driving profitability in the mortgage industry. Key Takeaways: Positive Market Trends...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Director of Data Solutions Brennan O’Connell shares highlights from February 2025 mortgage rate lock data. He and his cohost Olivia DeLancey then welcome their guest, CoreLogic Chief Economist Selma Hepp, to discuss the housing market, affordability outlooks, and more.   Key Takeaways: Significant jump in refinan...

At the first annual Optimal Blue Summit, Joe Tyrrell, CEO of Optimal Blue, reflects on past industry challenges, the importance of preparation, and the rapid advancements in technology. He shares insights on Optimal Blue's new core competencies, including flexibility, transparency, innovation, value, and control, all aimed at increasing profitability for their partners. Discover how Optimal Blue i...

Market Advantage – Episode 5 Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue, recorded on-site at the Optimal Blue Summit in San Diego. The hosts look at mortgage rate lock data from January 2025 before welcoming HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler for a round of “20 questions” spanning her career journey, her role at HousingWire, her interests, and more. Key...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue, where we analyze mortgage lock data from December 2024 and feature an interview with Shant Banosian, executive vice president of sales at Rate (formerly known as Guaranteed Rate). Shant is the #1 loan originator in America for 6 years running. Key Takeaways: December mortgage rate lock activity: The year ended wi...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by  Optimal Blue , where we analyze mortgage lock data from November 2024 and feature an interview with Agha Mirza, managing director and global head of rates and OTC products at CME Group. Key Takeaways: November mortgage rate lock activity: Overall lock volume fell 25% MoM, yet stood 12% higher YoY, providing some reason for op...

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue , where we analyze mortgage lock data from October 2024 and feature an interview with Dave Savage, chief innovation officer at Trust Engine and founder of Mortgage Coach. Key Takeaways: October mortgage rate lock activity: Rates rose, yet purchase lock volume showed resilience. “Captains of the wealth team”: Industry e...

Welcome to this month’s episode of  Market Advantage from Optimal Blue, where we analyze mortgage lock data from September 2024 and feature an interview with Joel Kan , deputy chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association . Key Takeaways: September rate lock activity: The month saw a significant surge in refinance volume. MBA Application Survey Index: Joel Kan explains why it serves as...

The multi-trillion-dollar housing market is a centerpiece of the U.S. economy. Whether you’re a mortgage lender, real estate professional, or anyone simply interested in staying informed – understanding housing finance starts with data-driven insights and analysis.   The Market Advantage is your source for timely mortgage origination data and trusted commentary. Produced by Optimal Blue...