Optimizing mortgage strategy: AI, data and tech trends with Optimal Blue leaders

What happens when trusted data meets powerful AI? In this conversation, top minds from Optimal Blue Erin Wester and Mike Vough, discuss how today’s leading lenders are using technology to power smarter, faster and more scalable decisions. 

Erin explored AI’s Impact on product development, while Mike breaks down the real-world importance of clean, reliable data and what lenders risk when they get it wrong. From evaluating tech partners to driving innovation beyond buzzwords, this conversation offers actionable insights for lenders navigating the next era of mortgage tech. 

In this exclusive conversation hosted by HousingWire’s Diego Sanchez, Optimal Blue’s Chief Product Officer Erin Wester and Head of Corporate Strategy Mike Vough explored how accurate data and AI integration are creating (and unearthing) new possibilities in mortgage technology.

Wester, who has been with Optimal Blue for nine years, shares, “I started out in the loan origination space, which helped shape my view of how all the different players connect into all of the mortgage process.”

Vough’s experience began on the capital markets trading desk. “You’re constantly in that role trying to make snap decisions, but you don’t know if the data is wrong or right,” he said. “Most secondary departments aren’t trying to make money — they’re just trying to protect that profit margin.”

That’s why data has become essential. “Data is the result of your business,” Vough said. “If you’re not reviewing it, you’re missing visibility. You don’t know if your business is moving at 10x the speed of your peers or half.”

Wester pointed to Optimal Blue’s advantage: a clean, structured data warehouse. “Being able to quickly act on AI co-pilots or tools was easier because we already had a reliable way to manage data,” he said. “That helped us hit the ground running across our product and pricing engine and trading platforms.”

AI’s impact isn’t just external, either. “AI-generated test cases and code acceleration are helping shorten go-to-market timelines,” Wester added. “It’s about doing more with less — for lenders and fintech providers.”

That foundation of accurate, well-structured data is critical. “If you can’t price a loan accurately, then the downstream data is just as flawed,” Vough said. He described a new feature: “We created a daily write-up of why someone made or lost money in the capital markets, using AI — but only because we had every component of profitability tracked day over day.”

For lenders evaluating technology partners, Wester said it’s all about trust  and transparency. “Your providers should make you feel carried along the way,” he said. “It’s about reliable infrastructure and open collaboration, not just punting out new tools.”

Client feedback loops are baked into Optimal Blue’s product strategy. “We no longer say no to any strategic initiative — it’s just a matter of when,” Wester said. “Our forums, summits, and work groups give us real-life use cases to prioritize what’s needed most.”

Looking ahead, Wester sees embedded AI as the next leap. “It shouldn’t be ‘engage this over here to make a decision over there,’” he said. “AI should be embedded into workflows with no additional touchpoints.”

Vough agreed and spotlighted a major opportunity: closing the gap between the primary and secondary markets. “Investor demand might shift today, but it takes weeks to affect front-end pricing,” he said. “We want to make sure that feedback is live — that if investor 123 pays up for low-balance loans today, that’s reflected in pricing tomorrow.”

He concluded, “The data and technology we’re building will bring those insights closer to decision-makers — faster and with more confidence.”