Optimal Blue is the dominant product eligibility and pricing engine (PPE) in the mortgage market. It integrates with LOS systems and pulls live rates and pricing from lender channels to show what products are available for a borrower and at what price. Vicario Intelligence answers a different set of questions and lives in a different part of the workflow.
What Optimal Blue Does
Optimal Blue connects to lender rate sheets in real time and runs loan parameters against eligibility rules to show which programs are available and at what price. An MLO enters borrower credit score, LTV, loan purpose, property type, and state, and Optimal Blue returns a list of eligible programs with pricing. It is the answer to: what are the rates today and which lenders will do this loan? It excels at rate comparisons, lock confirmation, and pricing transparency. It does not explain the guidelines behind the eligibility rules; it just returns pass or fail.
What Vicario Intelligence Does
Vicario Intelligence, through Aria, answers the guidelines question that sits upstream of pricing. Before you know which program to price, you need to know whether the borrower qualifies and what the program requires. A bank statement borrower with a recent late payment is not a standard Optimal Blue search. You need to know which non-QM programs allow recent lates on bank statement loans, at what seasoning, and with what documentation. Aria answers those questions and cites the guideline source. Only then does it make sense to run the pricing in Optimal Blue.
The Correct Workflow
- ✦Step 1: Use Vicario to confirm the deal is doable, identify the eligible program category, and understand documentation requirements
- ✦Step 2: Use Optimal Blue to price the specific program with the confirmed parameters and compare lender pricing
- ✦Step 3: Lock with the best-priced lender that meets the guideline requirements confirmed in step one
- ✦These are sequential steps, not competing tools
Start with Aria at vicariointel.com to answer the eligibility question. Once you know the deal works and the program type, Optimal Blue handles the pricing comparison.
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