Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders There’s a reason $5.99 feels different than $6.00. Behavioral economists call it the “left-digit effect.” When it comes to mortgage rates, borrowers just call it a reason to refinance. Optimal Blue’s January Market Advantage report shows falling rates crossing that psychological threshold – and refinance demand responded fast. Total mortgage lock volume rose 16 percent month over month and 36 percent year over year, driven by a 50 percent month-over-month jump in rate-and-term refinances, now running more than four times higher than last January. The report also points to improving credit quality and affordability, alongside renewed momentum in the secondary market, including rising MSR values, increased securitization activity, and expanding investor participation. Published monthly, Market Advantage delivers direct-source insight lenders can use to make smarter capacity, pricing, and capital markets decisions. Download the complimentary report here. Manual “stare and compare” underwriting has been the industry norm for decades, but it comes with rising operational costs. As volume increases, manual verification drives up headcount, slows turn times and introduces greater risk of human error. Exception-based underwriting offers a more scalable approach by using automation to validate income, credit, assets and data consistency upfront, freeing up underwriters to only focus on true discrepancies. The result is fewer touches, faster decisions and a more resilient underwriting operation. Read the full blog to explore how exception-based workflows can help lenders break free from manual reviews and scale more efficiently.