Optimal Blue Releases Executive-Level AI Insights Tool, Ask Obi, to Clients
- The no-cost, AI-powered assistant is built for executive decision-makers seeking fast answers to complex business profitability questions -
PLANO, Texas, May 19, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Optimal Blue today announced that Ask Obi, an AI-powered assistant designed to help mortgage lending executives extract real-time insights from across Optimal Blue's capital markets platform, is now generally available to all PPE clients. Introduced at the company's inaugural user conference in February and refined through beta testing with select clients, Ask Obi provides executives with fast answers to complex profitability questions at no additional cost.
Ask Obi is built for executive decision-makers who need reliable, data-driven answers to complex business questions. By aggregating data across Optimal Blue's solutions, it enables users to ask conversational questions – such as 'where did margins shift the most last quarter?' or 'which branches issued the highest concessions last month?' – and receive clear, visual responses that support confident, strategic decisions. An interface sidebar retains previous queries, making it easy to revisit past prompts or rerun commonly used questions with a single click.
'Ask Obi fills a critical need for lending leaders: making capital markets performance data not just accessible, but actionable,' said Erin Wester, chief product officer at Optimal Blue. 'What makes Ask Obi stand apart is its ability to synthesize information across systems. Most AI tools in our space are focused narrowly on origination workflows, but Ask Obi helps executive teams view their operations holistically and at a level that's often difficult to achieve without a dedicated analyst.'
Although available as a standalone product, Ask Obi is powered by and seamlessly connected to other Optimal Blue offerings. The more products a client uses, the deeper and more contextual Ask Obi's insights become. As part of a broader rollout of AI-powered capabilities, Ask Obi complements tools like Optimal Blue's recently launched Originator Assistant, which helps front-line originators compare and present optimal loan scenarios.
Ask Obi's general availability comes just ahead of the Mortgage Bankers Association's Secondary and Capital Markets Conference and marks another milestone in a series of planned enhancements for Optimal Blue clients this year.
About Optimal Blue
Optimal Blue effectively bridges the primary and secondary mortgage markets to deliver the industry's only end-to-end capital markets platform. The company helps lenders of all sizes and scopes maximize profitability and operate efficiently so they can help American borrowers achieve the dream of homeownership. Through innovative technology, a network of interconnectivity, rich data insights, and expertise gathered over more than 20 years, Optimal Blue is an experienced partner that, in any market environment, allows lenders to optimize their advantage from pricing accuracy to margin protection, and every step in between. To learn more, visit OptimalBlue.com.
LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/14-0625-s2p-optimal-blue-300dpi.jpg
NEWS SOURCE: Optimal Blue
###
MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
(not for publication online or in print)
Leslie W. Colley
Depth for Optimal Blue
[email protected]
(678) 622-6229
###
Keywords: FinTech, Ask Obi, Optimal Blue, AI Insights Tool, fintech, mortgage lending executives, capital markets platform, PLANO, Texas
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Optimal Blue) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126254 APNF0325A
To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/optimal-blue-releases-executive-level-ai-insights-tool-ask-obi-to-clients/
© 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA.
RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT.
Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Commonly used household item savagely exposed cheating husband: ‘It's timestamped and often location-based'
A woman caught her husband cheating in one of the most bizarre ways — and it involved an item everyone is guilty of using. There are some obvious signs that someone isn't being faithful in a relationship — being sneaky with their phone, suddenly having to work late. But rarely do people think to pay attention to their partner's mouth hygiene habits. Paul Jones, a private investigator at ARF Investigators, helped a woman figure out her husband was cheating, thanks to a log of his tooth brushing. It's not as weird as it sounds. One of Jones' clients downloaded an electric toothbrush app to get her kids to properly brush their pearly whites. Well, little did she — or her conniving husband — realize that the app tracked every family member's brushing routine. 'Over time, the client noticed their partner's brushing history was being logged at odd times, times when they were supposedly at work,' Jones said, according to the Mirror. Eventually, the wife noticed a bizarre pattern when her husband was sudsing his mouth — especially when it was happening at times he was supposed to be at work, the outlet explained. '… in that time he had started an affair with a work colleague and used to have her over the family home on a Friday when the wife and kids were out of the house,' the investigator said. 'It's timestamped, often location-based, and emotionless. When a device says someone brushed their teeth at 10:48 a.m. when they were supposed to start work at 9 a.m., that's very hard to explain away.' Another very unexpected way technology can help expose dirty cheaters is by checking the person's supermarket loyalty apps, the ones that help shoppers save money and earn rewards, according to London-based private investigator Aaron Bond. He said a supermarket loyalty member app can reveal a lot. 'Clubcard data is limited, but it does tell you a date and location, which is easily accessible if you log into your account,' Bond told the Mirror. 'If your partner claims they were working or out with friends but the account shows they made a purchase in a completely different area, then it's a clear red flag.'
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Several groups propose improvement plans to 4B sales tax board
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The 4B sales tax in Wichita Falls is meant to help fund improvements to life throughout the city. In a meeting on Thursday, June 5, the board overseeing those tax funds met to hear the different proposals they can put some of the money toward. One of the proposals from the day's meeting was an improvement to the area around the falls off of I-44. The presentation by Russell Schreiber from Public Works, along with a representative from Garver in Fort Worth, proposed improvements such as new parking areas around the falls and new methods for pumping water through the feature, thereby enhancing its overall appearance. 'That's the landmark of the city of Wichita Falls,' Schreiber said. 'We really like that thing to operate more than it has been in the past, as well as maybe probably to try to improve the overall water quality. I mean, it is the landmark of the city of Wichita Falls.' Another proposal was to improve the tennis facilities at Hamilton Park. Director of Falls Town Tennis, Michael Turner, proposed improving the facilities with new covered tennis courts, which would allow the courts to hold more tournaments. It's a feature Turner says would be a big economic opportunity. 'If we held a two-day tournament, it brings in $64,000 per tournament,' Turner said. 'We hold six of these a year currently. These tournaments are not full currently because of the facility that we have.' These were just a couple of the proposals brought to the board. Each one will be voted on before further steps can be taken to fine-tune the approved proposals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WSU faces 'strategic' staffing cuts after regents adopt pared-down budget
Jun. 5—Washington State University is likely to face personnel cuts in the coming weeks after the school's Board of Regents adopted a budget that includes a $17.1 million reduction in spending for the upcoming fiscal year. On Thursday, the Board of Regents unanimously adopted a budget that includes $1.3 billion in spending across all funds, and approximately $661.3 million in spending in core funds. The plan includes a 4.1% reduction in spending. "This plan represents the economic pressures public universities now face, all of us, and the bold direction we've chosen to take at Washington State University," President Elizabeth Cantwell said in a video update Wednesday. The focus will shift in the coming weeks to implementing cuts in most of the university's 41 units, though the cuts will not be across the board. Six units — the College of Arts and Sciences, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, libraries, external affairs and government relations, research, and law enforcement — will not see any cuts under the plan, while the other 35 units may see cuts of up to 10% and will work over the next 30 days to formalize proposals to curb spending. According to Leslie Brunelli, the executive vice president and chief financial officer, more than 80% of the university's core funds budget is "tied up" in personnel spending. "So those are people at the other end of that, and we want to be very thoughtful about the loss of personnel," Brunelli said. "Some of those reductions will be made with vacant positions, but some will be people who are currently employed at Washington State." Brunelli said it's "a little bit too early" to know how many staff members could be impacted. "We have a ballpark, but I would really not feel comfortable sharing that until we know what that is," Brunelli said. "I don't want to create an agitation where it's not necessary." The staff reductions, however, are likely to be spread across the university, rather than focused on specific departments. The university, like many others in the country, has experienced turmoil in federal funding in recent months, although WSU's funding woes are compounded by the 1.5% across-the-board cut to higher education included in the recently passed state biennial budget. That translates to $9.9 million over the next two years, though the university also stands to lose other state funds. "We're pretty good at figuring out how to strategically take reductions and not harm academic core, not harm services to students," Cantwell said Thursday. The university, Cantwell said, is investing additional resources in student support services, and making other investments in the College of Arts and Sciences. "We have made it a priority to protect the student experience and student success," Provost Chris Riley-Tillman said. "That's our core, original mission, and it's one of our most important things, both existentially and fiscally." While students are not likely to notice many of the cuts and savings when they return to campus in the fall, they will see a 3.3% increase in tuition costs. The university, however, does not project an increase in the revenue received from tuition, as enrollment at Washington State, like many universities, has declined in recent years. The decline in enrollment, Riley-Tillman said, has a ripple effect, as cohorts of students work their way through the university. "As you get the dip down, and then you floor out and you start to go back up, you're now graduating large classes, and those very small classes from the subsequent COVID years are still in your system," Riley-Tillman said. "So this ends up being a five- or six-year recovery period." Since enrollment peaked during the 2019-2020 school year, the university has seen a 17% decline, and it is bracing for the potential for another decrease. "Truly, you don't know what the enrollment is until August when the students show up and pay their bills," Brunelli said. "There is something called the summer melt, and that happens for the first time, first-year students, our freshmen that come in the door, even transfers. But we also need to make sure our retention remains strong." As it navigated potential budgeting options, the university has modeled different scenarios over the past several months, Cantwell said during an interview Thursday. "There are a few places where we are investing," Cantwell said. "These are strategic ... cuts and additions, even in a year where we have to mostly reduce, we will make strategic investments so that we can do things like support the students that we have, make sure that they finish, and grow enrollment across the panorama of everybody who wants to come to us. Just sort of guardrails like that are in our thinking as we think about how we make these choices." The university, Brunelli said, has modeled what the potential impact of the loss of federal grants and indirect cost recoveries between 5% and 50% would be. Cantwell said the university has also modeled what impact cuts to the Department of Education would have on the school, particularly how cutting federal student aid will impact the ability of students to attend college. One silver lining from the session, Brunelli said, is that the state did not make cuts in the Washington College Grant, which many students rely on to help pay for school. The university also stands to see less impact from a potential decline in international students, as it is focused on students from Washington. Last week, the university announced the chancellor position for its Pullman campus would be dissolved, placing executive oversight of the campus back under the university president. "The president of the system, because I live in Pullman, can fully operate in that chancellor sort of role," Cantwell said. "So that's given us the opportunity to cut some costs there. We've combined offices, we've found some efficiencies there." Cantwell said she anticipates proposals for "kind of across-the-board" administrative cuts to be introduced in the coming weeks. "I'm guessing we're all asking ourselves, 'How do we do what we do at the administrative level a little bit more efficiently to deliver to results that we need to out of our offices?' " Cantwell said. "We need to walk the walk in addition to talking the talk. We can do what we need to do with less."
