Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Mortgage Brokers or Banks: Which is Right For You?


When you're looking for a home loan, you might work with an officer at a bank or other lending institution, or you might choose to work with a mortgage broker. The end result is the same - a new house, but the two types of jobs differ.

Bank Loan Officers: The loan officers at a bank, credit union or other lending institution are employees who work to sell and process mortgage and other loans originated by their employer. They often have a wide variety of loan types to draw from, but all originate from that specific lender.

The loan officer takes your mortgage application and works to find a loan product that suits your needs. If your personal credit is approved, the officer moves forward to process the home purchase transaction.

Mortgage Brokers: Mortgage brokers are professionals who are paid a fee to bring together lenders and borrowers. They usually work with dozens or even hundreds of lenders, not as employees, but as freelance mortgage agents.

Think of mortgage brokers as scouts. They find and evaluate homebuyers, analyzing each person's credit situation to determine which lender is the best fit for that person's needs. The mortgage broker submits the homebuyer's application to one or more lenders in order to sell it, and works with the chosen lender until the loan closes. A good mortgage broker can find a lender for just about any type of credit.

The mortgage broker working to secure your loan is earning a fee for that transaction - and the better deal they achieve for a lender, the more they are paid. Don't be too anxious to disclose the interest rate you would be willing to accept, let them tell you what terms they can secure. Shop around to make sure the terms are reasonable.

Many of the mortgage options advertised online are by mortgage brokers. What difference does it make? Maybe none, but you should be aware of the differences between the two positions. A local or online mortgage broker may find you a lender in another part of the country. An online bank might not have a local office where employees can help you one-on-one.

Mortgage brokers can often find a lender who will make loans that a bank refuses. Problem credit is one example. Loans for unique or commercial properties might be easier to secure through a mortgage broker.

Lana Hampton makes it easy to find the mortage right for your needs. Visit her Mortgage website today for the latest information.

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Times

The Truth About Mortgage Refinancing Revealed By Connecticut ...
SBWire (press release), WI - 17 hours ago
Westport, Connecticut based Mortgage Broker Don Caiati reveals mortgage refinancing secrets at a new web site that is full of free reports, a home buying ...
Refinancing suddenly booms Honolulu Advertiser
Lenders Backlogged By Refinancing Rush Washington Post
Low Mortgage Rates Bring Refinancing Boom MSNBC
Forbes - Modesto Bee
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Baltimore Sun

Average Mortgage Rate Hits 5%, Lowest in Decades
New York Times, United States - 9 hours ago
Of course, buying a home is a more lengthy process than simply calling up a mortgage broker to refinance, and activity typically slows during the holiday ...
Long-Term Mortgage Rate Falls Again Wall Street Journal
Banks' mortgage rates fall below 5% Boston Globe
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Scripps News - MediaSyndicate (press release)
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WJBF-TV

US Banks Offer Mortgages Below 5% After Fed Action
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications to purchase a home or refinance a loan dropped to 1143.8 for the week ending Jan. ...
Mortgage rates fall to record low again Forbes
Freddie Mac: Benchmark mortgage rate continues to new low MarketWatch
Bold government action can solve housing crisis North Texas e-News
American Banker - Connecticut Post
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Cardoza proposal could aid housing crisis
Stockton Record, CA - 3 hours ago
Under the Cardoza plan, the payment on that mortgage refinanced to 4 percent fixed rate would drop to $1194 a month. Contact reporter Bruce Spence at (209) ...


REFILE-UPDATE 1-US mortgage demand dipped before Fed move-MBA
Reuters - Jan 7, 2009
The jump in applications during December may have been driven by homeowners already "on the fence" and prepared to refinance on a drop in mortgage rates, ...
Mortgage applications down in latest survey Forbes
Week-to-week mortgage applications down 8.2% MarketWatch
Fewer apply for home loans; credit line delinquencies increase Los Angeles Times
KVOA.com - Kansas City Star
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Boston Globe

Fed’s Rosengren Calls for ‘Concerted’ Fiscal, Monetary Policies
Bloomberg - 5 hours ago
... to purchase or refinance homes,” Rosengren said. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped for a 10th week to 5.01 percent yesterday, ...
Rosengren sees path to recovery Boston Globe
Fed's Rosengren says recession more severe than thought Reuters
all 51 news articles


AFP

Congressional Press Release on Mortgage Deal
Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago
"Despite efforts by Congress to address this issue, not enough lenders have come to the table to help borrowers with bad mortgages refinance into new, ...
Citigroup reaches agreement with key senators on mortgage ... Minneapolis Star Tribune
Citigroup agrees to allow judges to help modify some mortgages IdahoStatesman.com
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TopNews

Question & Answer on mortgage refinancing
Boston Herald, United States - Jan 1, 2009
If I refinance the mortgage on my current house, will I hurt my chances for getting a loan for a new place later on? A: No. Refinancing a loan shouldn’t ...
MORTGAGES: 30-year Mortgage Rate Falls For Ninth Straight Week To ... CNNMoney.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 37-Year Low Poynter.org
Home-Mortgage Rates' Next Stop: Below 5% Wall Street Journal
Ventura County Star - Wall Street Journal
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Refinancing shoots through the roof
Plano Star Courier, TX - 15 hours ago
“Quite a few people have remortgaged,” said Craig Jarrell, loan officer with Pulaski Mortgage. “Most people who refinance are new homeowners as recent as ...


Mortgage refinancing skyrockets
Cincinnati.com, OH - Jan 3, 2009
... 2009 With US mortgage rates the lowest in 30 years, local lenders say they've seen a strong surge in loan applications as homeowners seek to refinance ...
Waco banks seeing a boom in mortgage refinance applications Waco Tribune Herald
Borrowers seeking to refinance may face challenges WTOP
As mortgage rates slide, refinancing applications take off Dallas Morning News
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mortgage refinance - Google News

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