Erin Wester on simplifying capital markets technology and what lenders should expect from their tech partners

HousingWire recently sat down with Erin Wester, Optimal Blue’s chief product officer and a 2024 HousingWire Women of Influence honoree, to discuss how lenders can simplify capital markets operations and improve profitability with the right technology partner.

Sarah Wheeler: Capital markets is often viewed as the most complex part of mortgage lending. Do you believe that complexity is unavoidable, or is there a better approach?

Erin Wester: It’s a great question because that “complexity” label has almost become a badge of honor in the industry, and especially in capital markets. But honestly? Complexity doesn’t have to be the cost of doing business. Yes, the underlying processes are nuanced, but the technology shouldn’t be confusing – and it doesn’t have to be.

At Optimal Blue, we believe it’s our responsibility to remove as much of that complexity as possible for our clients. You shouldn’t need a team of Ph.D.s to use your tech stack. Your path to profitability should be simple. And technology – when it’s done right – can absolutely make that happen.

SW: Automation is often discussed as a future-state goal. How should lenders approach it today to drive real impact?

EW: I think sometimes “complete automation” gets a bad rap, like it’s just a nice-to-have or a futuristic goal. But the truth is, embracing automation is one of the most powerful ways lenders can simplify their operations.

What often holds people back is the idea of “we’ve always done it this way,” and I understand why that’s often an initial response. But many lending processes haven’t been reimagined in years. Leaning into automation might mean rethinking a workflow or letting go of a manual step you’re used to. But that short-term change can lead to fewer errors, faster cycle times, better margins. The tech is here. It’s ready. The key is working with a partner who can help you adopt it the right way and help your team feel comfortable in trusting the technology.

SW: You’ve emphasized the importance of partnership. In your view, what defines a true technology partner for lenders?

EW: Your technology partner isn’t just someone who hands you a platform and says, “good luck.” It’s someone who walks with you through every phase, from product selection to implementation to optimization. At Optimal Blue, we see our role as an extension of our clients’ teams. Our role goes beyond delivering software; we help solve real-world problems. That might mean helping a client figure out how to streamline a pricing workflow or offering strategic guidance about how to evolve their secondary marketing strategy with automation.

And, most importantly, a good partner listens. We’ve adopted a “not ‘no,’ just ‘when’” mentality. So if a client asks for a feature or enhancement, we’re transparent. We’ll tell them where it fits on the roadmap, what’s coming next and how their feedback is influencing the platform. It’s a collaborative relationship.

SW: When lenders talk about “modern” technology, they often mean user experience. How do you define true modernity in mortgage tech?

EW: Put simply, “modern” innovation is technology that is built to evolve. True modernity in tech comes from what’s under the hood: scalable architecture, security, intelligent automation and smart integration capabilities. Sometimes users associate look and feel with how “modern” software is – and while user interface and experience are incredibly important, it’s what a user can’t see that truly makes a piece of tech modern.

Lenders need platforms that can keep pace with increasingly sophisticated capital markets. As an established and trusted provider with decades of experience, Optimal Blue has the most modern mortgage capital markets technology that exists, because we have been innovating since we began.

SW: With margins under pressure, how can lenders use technology to operate more profitably?

EW: I would say technology plays a huge role. When every basis point matters, efficiency becomes your secret weapon. Technology is how you find that efficiency. For example, when you automate pricing and eligibility decisions, you reduce manual errors, cut down on cycle times and make more competitive offers in real time. All of that feeds into your bottom line and protecting your margins.

But technology can only do that if it’s solving actual pain points. That’s why we constantly evaluate our roadmap through the lens of whether we’re smoothing a friction point for lenders, all while also keeping an imaginative eye on the future. Are we helping our clients to operate more profitably? We’re not focused on shiny features just to say we have them, but rather, on delivering real-world value.

SW: What advice would you give to a lender who feels overwhelmed by technology choices?

EW: Choosing and implementing technology can feel overwhelming because it’s often treated like a one-off event: pick a vendor, plug it in, and hope for the best. But really, it’s a journey. And your technology provider should be helping you pull the complexity out of that process, not adding to it.

At Optimal Blue, we invest heavily in implementation support, customer success and long-term optimization. We’re not here just to sell software; our goal is to help lenders run smarter, more profitable businesses and help them get where they want to be in the future. And that means meeting you where you are, offering tailored guidance and being transparent about what’s possible now and what’s coming next.

SW: What’s the first step a lender should take to simplify its capital markets operations?

EW: Great question. I’d say the first step is to identify what’s slowing you down. Where are the bottlenecks? Where are decisions taking too long or errors creeping in? Then ask yourself: Is this something a better process (or the right technology) could fix? In many cases, the answer is yes. That’s where a partner like Optimal Blue comes in. We provide more than a pricing engine and hedging software; we work with lenders to identify friction points and solve them, whether through automation, better data usage or streamlining your investor set.

Ultimately, the mortgage industry, and capital markets in particular, will always involve complexity. But that doesn’t mean your day-to-day operations have to be complicated. We’re here to make them simpler.

Optimal Blue’s Chief Product Officer Erin Wester has played a critical role in growing the Optimal Blue PPE into the most robust and widely used product, pricing and eligibility (PPE) solution in the mortgage industry. Early in her tenure at the capital markets platform, she executed its API-first strategy, enabling lenders to integrate accurate loan pricing into their tech stacks to improve service, operations and profitability. Under Wester’s leadership, Optimal Blue has expanded its API library to connect thousands of clients with 70+ third-party providers and counting, a development that enables lenders to create innovative service models and advanced pricing strategies. In her current capacity as Optimal Blue’s chief product officer, Wester drives product strategy for the company’s entire capital markets platform, which includes product and pricing, broker pricing solutions, hedging and trading platforms, investor services solutions, Comergence compliance solutions, user experience and design departments, and the integrations department.

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