article thumbnail

How lenders can help borrowers improve their credit score

Housing Wire

It’s no secret credit scores can hinder a potential borrower’s ability to qualify for the best loan program, which can ultimately lead to poor borrower satisfaction. Some borrowers may qualify for a loan, but due to poor credit, the loan won’t come with the best terms. Or, give up looking altogether.

article thumbnail

Overcoming the challenges direct-to-consumer lenders are facing

Housing Wire

Josh Lehr: Pre-pandemic, online home buying existed, but over the last year, shopping online for mortgages became much more popular and convenient as meeting in person with a loan officer was not an option. HousingWire: How have trends around direct-to-consumer lending changed over the past year?

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How loan originators survived a cutthroat mortgage business in 2023

Housing Wire

In his 20 years in mortgage banking, no year has compared to 2023 in terms of difficulty, said Ben Cohen, Guaranteed Rate ’s managing director and a top-producing loan officer. It was another brutal year, pushing loan originators to work longer hours, close loans faster while diversifying their mortgage product offerings.

Loans 444
article thumbnail

Why Is It so Important to Be Pre-Approved in the Homebuying Process?

Keeping Current Matters

You may have heard that pre-approval is a great first step in the homebuying process. So, before you start shopping around, it’s helpful to know your price range, what you’re comfortable within a monthly mortgage payment, and ultimately how much money you can borrow for your loan. Pre-approval from a lender is the only way to do this.

article thumbnail

Pre-Approval Makes All the Difference When Buying a Home

Keeping Current Matters

You may have been told that it’s important to get pre-approved at the beginning of the homebuying process, but what does that really mean, and why is it so important? Pre-approval from a lender is the only way to know your true price range and how much money you can borrow for your loan. Bottom Line.

article thumbnail

Opinion: Reframing the American Dream of homeownership

Housing Wire

It may mean drilling down and familiarizing yourself, and your potential clients, with the ins and outs of credit repair, loan pre-qualification and pre-approval, and even basic personal finance and budgeting. By embracing new ways of thinking and running our businesses, we can help clients achieve their dreams.

article thumbnail

The fight to standardize educational training for LOs

Housing Wire

The raison d’etre is the same whether you work as a mortgage loan officer at a depository bank or an independent mortgage bank – originate a purchase mortgage or refinancing for a client. Loan officers working for depository banks are not bound by the same requirements. Learning materials up to par?