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Lenders turn to AI tools to forecast mortgage rates and lock volume
ICE is discussing ways to make mortgage data more accessible and governed for AI use, while Optimal Blue’s Virtual Economist is positioned to forecast rate and lock-volume scenarios.
Mortgage lenders are shifting from analyzing what already happened to using AI-enabled tools to anticipate what may come next across the mortgage lifecycle, according to Mortgage News Daily.
The outlet highlights an interview with Chris McEntee, ICE’s VP of Corporate and Product Development, focused on how lenders can structure data accessibility, governance, and scalability to support AI-ready mortgage operations and timely signals, such as changes in borrower status, counterparty risk flags, or market shifts.
Mortgage News Daily also points to Optimal Blue’s “Virtual Economist,” described as powered by AI and machine learning, which is designed to forecast potential rate and lock-volume scenarios, model market dynamics, stress-test economic assumptions, and accelerate research to identify emerging opportunities.
The update also notes that Optimal Blue’s prior Market Advantage report used direct-source data covering more than a third of U.S. mortgage lock volume, and frames the new tools as part of a move toward more forward-looking analysis.