Welcome to this month’s episode of the Market Advantage podcast by Optimal Blue. Hosts Olivia DeLancey, Brennan O'Connell, and Mike Vough kick off the show with a review of August 2025 mortgage data, covering rate lock and secondary market activity.

The hosts then sit down with Optimal Blue Chief Technology Officer Seever Sulaiman to unpack a recent presentation he delivered on maximizing and measuring ROI on AI investments. The conversation explores the components that go into an AI investment, the role of small vs. large language models, and the importance of building a “center of excellence” to drive innovation within an organization.

Key Takeaways:

• August saw a 2% decline in overall rate lock volume, with purchase activity down 10% and rate-term refinances surging 70%.
• Non-QM lending rose to 8.34% of total production in August, hitting a new record high.
• An AI “center of excellence” can help an organization foster internal expertise necessary for a foundation of success.
• Not all AI use cases require large language models; small language models can be more cost-effective, easier to deploy, and sufficient for many tasks.
• To measure AI, organizations should identify high-impact use cases, benchmark current performance, and track improvements.

Links and Resources:

• Follow Seever Sulaiman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seeversulaiman/
• The AI Hype Cycle – Clip from Seever’s Presentation: https://youtu.be/lmPJDJ9Mnr8
• Subscribe to the Market Advantage data report: https://www2.optimalblue.com/market-advantage/
• Follow Optimal Blue on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimal-blue/
• Subscribe to Optimal Blue’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Optimal-Blue
• Follow Mike Vough on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-vough-60467826/
• Follow Brennan O'Connell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennan-oconnell/
• Follow Olivia DeLancey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-delancey/

Commentary included in the podcast shall not be construed as, nor is Optimal Blue providing, any legal, trading, hedging, or financial advice.

Mentioned in this episode:

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