Mortgage Intermediation Costs and the Risk of Inflated Pricing
Research Finding Mortgage intermediaries earned an average of roughly 142 basis points per loan between 2008 and 2014. Dollar Impact On a $500,000 loan this equates to roughly $7,100 in…
Adventures in the Lowest Interest Rate Guarantee
People often ask, how do you GUARANTEE the lowest interest rate? This blog shows "how" we do it. Each post documents a real case where we analyze a Loan Estimate and pursue a lower rate. We do this to create transparency and demonstrates the research process behind the guarantee.
Inside Mortgage Pricing: Why Two Borrowers Can Pay $60,000 Different for the Same Loan
Core Finding Mortgage rates vary significantly across lenders even for borrowers with identical credit profiles. Evidence Consumer Financial Protection Bureau research analyzing Loan Estimate data reveals substantial price dispersion in…
Inside FHA Closing Costs: What a Study of Loan Estimates Reveals
Core Finding Closing costs for FHA mortgages vary widely across lenders, even for borrowers with similar profiles and loan sizes. Research Sample Urban Institute researchers analyzed FHA Loan Estimates to…
What 267 Loan Estimates Reveal About the Cost of Mortgage Origination
One of the central questions in mortgage shopping is surprisingly simple: how much does it actually cost to originate a mortgage? Consumers often focus primarily on the interest rate, yet…
How Mortgage Marketplaces Make Money and Impact on Consumer Loan Pricing
Marketplace Reality Mortgage comparison websites often function as lead marketplaces rather than true loan marketplaces. Consumer information is typically sold to lenders who pay to contact the borrower. Hidden Economics…
The Consumer Problem With Online Mortgage Marketplaces
Core Argument Mortgage marketplaces can be useful discovery tools, but they are not the same thing as a universal mortgage application or a binding loan marketplace. Why It Matters Borrowers…