Optimal Insights Forum 2026

Morning Fuel & Connections, sponsored by SouthStreet Securities

All Attendees

Start the day connecting with industry peers before the Forum begins.

Opening Session: Setting the Stage

Jim Glennon

Every great story has a beginning. In our opening session, we'll establish the forces, challenges, and opportunities shaping mortgage capital markets today, introducing the themes that will weave throughout the Forum.

Hedging & Trading Roadmap: What’s Here, What’s Next

Fuad Nasir, Patrick Schubert, and Steve Norak

Examine the key product innovations and platform enhancements delivered by Optimal Blue in 2026 and their contribution to client success. We'll provide an overview of notable accomplishments before showcasing select roadmap initiatives through live demonstrations. The presentation will conclude with an outlook on the strategic priorities and capabilities planned for the quarters ahead.

MSR Market Insights: Trends Shaping Today and Tomorrow

Vimi Vasudeva

As servicing values and market conditions continue to evolve, lenders face increasingly complex decisions around MSR retention, valuation, and risk management. This panel will examine the latest trends shaping the MSR market and discuss how leading institutions are balancing liquidity needs, profitability objectives, and servicing strategies.

CompassEdge in Action: Reporting, AI, Expertise & Execution

Kara Walters and Cameron Edsall

Takes a practical look at the tools and resources a client uses each day to assess pipeline activity, hedge and loan gain/loss performance, position, and data visibility. We’ll walk through the reporting suite, AI-powered reconciliation solutions, and cross client analytics that help uncover insights, streamline research, and support more informed decision-making.

Break

All attendees

Enjoy the break between sessions.

Driving Performance with PPE-Hedge Optimization

Kara Walters, Tiffany McGarry, and Kimberly Melton

In this session, we'll leverage the Optimal Blue Profitability Center, Ratesheet Tool, and customer insights to drive PPE and P/L performance through more effective pricing, strategic margin management, and hedge optimization. By connecting pricing execution, profitability analysis, and performance measurements in a unified workflow, you'll gain a more efficient front-to-back approach to managing profitability across the loan lifecycle.

The Architecture of Hedging: Models, Theory, & Market Application

Hayden Rose and Fuad Nasir

Explore the fundamentals of interest rate modeling and its impact on mortgage valuation and risk analysis. We'll discuss how forecasts are generated, how duration measures are derived, and the role of concepts such as convexity and specified duration. Gary Malis will join the discussion to share practical applications and industry perspectives.

Lunch

All attendees

Enjoy lunch with industry peers before the afternoon sessions.

Economic Outlook: Forces Driving the Mortgage Market

Jim Glennon

Before we can make decisions, we must understand the environment in which we operate. This session explores the economic forces driving mortgage rates, housing activity, and capital markets, setting the backdrop for the story that unfolds across the Forum.

Expanding the Toolkit: Non-QM Pricing, Hedging, & Non-TBA Execution

Toby Huskinson and Tom Bochenko

This session will cover mandatory execution for non-QM mortgages.  We will discuss price discovery, the pros and cons of various hedging methodologies, and loan sale execution strategies.

Dealer Desk: Real-Time MBS Insights & GNMA Pooling Strategy

Jeff Casella

A timely panel discussion with experts from across the industry on the current state of the MBS market. Topics will include current trends and challenges as well as potential opportunities and developing stories in specified pool markets.

Agency Direct: The Next Generation of Bank & Credit Union Execution

Tom Wallace and Steve Norak

Learn how the new Agency Direct model in CompassEdge can support your secondary marketing strategy. We'll walk through core functionality, real-world use cases, and best practices for evaluating and executing Agency Direct trades while balancing profitability, risk, and hedge effectiveness.

Break

All attendees

Enjoy the break between sessions.

Bringing It All Together: A Day in the Life of CompassEdge Users and Stakeholders

All speakers

Every great story deserves a compelling ending. In this closing session, we'll connect the chapters of the day, illustrating how people, data, technology, and execution come together to transform mortgage capital markets performance.

Peer Roundtables: Challenges, Ideas, & Best Practices

Facilitated Discussion

Join us for an interactive Peer Roundtable session! It's a great opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from peers, and discuss best practices. This collaborative session is designed to foster meaningful connections and provide practical insights that participants can take back and apply to their own organizations

Group Reconvene: Key Takeaways & Themes

Forum Discussion

Review the most important themes and insights emerging from the roundtable discussions.

Closing Session: Key Insights & Next Steps

Wrap up the Forum with final insights, action items, and a look ahead at what comes next.

Event