Turn Market Complexity Into Clear Planning Insight
Gain executive-level insight with the industry’s first AI and machine-learning-powered forecasting tool that uses economic indicators and Optimal Blue’s proprietary lock data to project market conditions. The Virtual Economist helps teams plan with more confidence in an uncertain and evolving market – without rebuilding spreadsheets or one‑off models.
Forecasting Built for How Mortgage Leaders Plan
Mortgage rate forecasting is no longer a static exercise. Market volatility, shifting spreads, and changing borrower behavior demand tools that update continuously, explain outcomes clearly, and support real business questions.
As the industry’s first AI and machine-learning-powered forecasting tool, the Virtual Economist helps secondary marketing, finance, and executive teams move beyond static projections by delivering structured, transparent forecasts that adapt as market conditions change.
How it Works
Access executive‑level insight through an AI‑ and machine‑learning‑driven forecasting solution that combines economic indicators with Optimal Blue’s proprietary lock data to project market conditions.
SELECT
Choose your preferred Virtual Economist avatar.
PROMPT
Ask the Virtual Economist questions like “What happens to mortgage rates and lock volume if there is a mild recession this year?” Prompt with your voice or with text inputs.
LEARN
Listen to the Virtual Economist’s response in seconds.
APPLY
Use the Virtual Economist’s intel to adjust strategic planning or make decisions.
WHY THE VIRTUAL ECONOMIST MATTERS
Economic insight designed to support confident planning and decision‑making
Explainable Forecasting
Understand what’s driving rate movement, not just where rates are headed.
The Virtual Economist breaks forecasts into core drivers like Treasury yields and MBS spreads, making changes easier to interpret and communicate across teams.
Scenario‑Based Planning
Test assumptions without rebuilding models.
Explore “what‑if” scenarios such as rate cuts, recessions, or inflation shifts and see how forecasts respond in real time.
Continuously Updated Insight
Stay aligned as market conditions change.
Forecasts refresh automatically, reducing reliance on static spreadsheets or one‑time projections.
Connected to Business Outcomes
Link economic insight to operational planning.
Connect interest rate forecasts to projected lock volume to better understand potential impacts on production patterns, capacity planning, and strategic decisions.
Market Insight Only Optimal Blue Can Provide
Using AI and machine-learning models, the Virtual Economist combines public economic data with Optimal Blue proprietary data to deliver differentiated mortgage market insight. It provides real-time, data-driven forecasts grounded in a transparent view of the drivers behind rate and lock‑volume changes.
Designed for Ongoing Decision‑Making
Rather than producing a single annual outlook, the Virtual Economist supports forecasting as an ongoing operational discipline. This approach helps organizations spend less time rebuilding forecasts and more time interpreting results and planning responses as conditions change.
WHO THE VIRTUAL ECONOMIST SERVES
Purpose-Built for Today’s Mortgage Market
Secondary Marketing Teams
Support pricing conversations and margin discussions with a structured view of what is driving rate movement.
Finance and Planning
Incorporate forecasting into budgeting and capacity planning with an approach designed to refresh as conditions evolve.
Executive Leadership
Evaluate potential market outcomes and strategic positioning using scenario‑based ranges rather than a single static forecast.
Capital Markets and Analytics
Increase confidence in the forecast with explainable components, drivers, and supporting context that clarify the “why” behind the numbers.
INTRODUCING THE VIRTUAL ECONOMIST
A Smarter Way to Forecast Rates and Volume
The Virtual Economist combines proprietary Optimal Blue data with machine learning to deliver unbiased, explainable forecasts. Test market scenarios, understand rate drivers, and connect economic insight to staffing, capacity, and profitability planning.
Experience Your Own Virtual Economist
The Virtual Economist is currently in beta testing and coming soon for general availability.
If you’d like to be notified when the Virtual Economist is released, please enter your information in the form below.
These analytical insights and forecasts are for informational and planning purposes only. All outputs are model‑driven and probabilistic, not guarantees of future performance. Customers are encouraged to apply independent judgment and consider additional sources when making business decisions.