A New Choice for Home Financing: Correspondent Lenders
When you begin your search for a new home loan, one of the first things to consider is where you'll get the money. Your basic choices will be mortgage brokers and banks.
Your first instinct may be to go with your local bank, who you know from doing business with them for other things, such as your checking and saving accounts. But you've probably also heard that mortgage brokers can get you a better interest rate, since they deal with hundreds of lending sources. It can be confusing, but there's a third source of funding that combines the best of both--the correspondent lender.
In order to understand the differences, let's look at how the lending process works in each case. Mortgage bankers are given rate sheets by their institutions, telling them what interest rates they can quote to their clients on any given day. There's only so much a bank can do, with regard to interest rates, because it needs to remain profitable in order to stay in business.
Mortgage brokers have an advantage in that regard. They're not loaning their own money, and are free to "shop your loan around," looking for the best terms from various lending sources. They make their money by getting loans at discount prices and then marking them up, making money on the difference. Since they have many sources to choose from, they can often find loans at lower rates than most banks.
The third alternative, correspondent lenders, combines the best features from both groups. Correspondent lenders are similar to mortgage bankers in that they make the lending decision and fund the loan with their own money or credit line. However, as soon as a loan has closed, it's sold to another lender at a previously negotiated price. It's the best of both worlds for you as a borrower. You'll be dealing with the banker who is funding your loan, yet that banker is able to shop your mortgage around, which can obtain you a lower interest rate.
Correspondent lenders can sometimes be difficult to find, since they're generally smaller institutions, operating on a regional basis, and it can be hard to tell whether a lender is a broker or a banker, based solely on the company's name. One way to find out is by visiting the lender's website, if they have one. You'll normally find a button you can click that will bring up a page containing a detailed description of the company. If the lender doesn't have a website, you may find their phone number in the Yellow Pages.
Although they may not always be easy to locate, with a little digging, you may find that a correspondent lender offers an attractive alternative to a banker or mortgage broker when it comes to shopping for your next home loan.
Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All rights reserved.
Jeanette Fisher is the author of "Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate," and other books. Real estate financing questions? Visit the new Real Estate Credit Help Center for articles, Credit Tips ezine, and blog: http://www.recredithelp.com
Latest News
Ben Bernanke: Fresh Attack on Mortgage Rates U.S. News & World Report, DC - Lower rates will enable some borrowers to refinance out of adjustable and into fixed-rate loans. But those who need to refinance the most have homes with ... Long Bond Returns Most Since 1995 Amid ‘Bubble’ Talk (Update2) Treasury Yields Hit Record Lows, But Will it Last? REFILE-TREASURIES-Bonds rally, helped by weakening economy |
Looking to refinance? Now might be the time Boston Globe, United States - Mortgage rates have been stubbornly high for quite some time but the government's recently announced $800B plan to bolster mortgages and consumer loans had ... Are looking for a new mortgage? We want to hear from you |
Interest rate drop opens door to refinancing Austin American-Statesman, TX - By Shonda Novak, MS Taboada The recent sharp drop in mortgage interest rates is creating a window for homeowners nationwide to refinance and providing an ... |
Md. sees drop in loss of homes Baltimore Sun, United States - Many borrowers took on mortgages at the height of the housing boom, believing they could eventually refinance to a lower loan rate or sell their homes if ... |
 Telegraph.co.uk | Mortgage rates fall, but many borrowers will have trouble qualifying Los Angeles Times, CA - Jeff Lazerson, a Laguna Niguel mortgage broker, said all the customer calls he received Tuesday were from people seeking to refinance, not buy homes. ... Mortgage-market revival: Try, try again US move cuts mortgages to lowest rate since February Last Call for Smart Homeowners |
Self-Employed Are Frozen Out of Mortgages Wall Street Journal - He's been unable to find a lender willing to refinance the $900000 adjustable-rate mortgage on his primary residence, which he says is worth around $1.1 ... |
Mortgage Delinquencies Set to Soar: Report Housing Wire - “The credit ding makes refinancing that much more difficult,” said one source that spoke with HW Tuesday morning, a loss mitigation counselor at a large ... |
New mortgage crisis looming, experts caution San Bernardino Sun, CA - And since investors no longer want to buy commercial mortgages, banks are reluctant to write new loans to refinance those facing foreclosure. ... |
A recession Q&A Newsday, NY - ... take measures that will result in lower mortgage rates, "so people can afford to buy up housing inventory and refinance mortgages at affordable rates. ... |
Are You An Idiot To Keep Paying Your Mortgage? NewsNet5.com, OH - If you took out a home-equity loan or did a cash-out refinance to buy a car, you'll still owe tax on that debt if it is canceled. For state income taxes, ... Some buyers may see higher loan rates Global slowdown to drive market direction |
Resources
-
bad credit home loan, Refinance Mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, california home loan, p
Online bad credit home loan, Refinance Mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, personal loan, debt consolidation loan, payday loan, bad credit loan, home improvement loan, second Mortgage loan, online loan, unsecured personal loan Search.