Welcome to the FREEandCLEAR Blog! Our blog offers unique insights on the latest mortgage market news and trends. We also use our blog to shine a spotlight on important topics that are shaping the real estate and mortgage markets including housing affordability, socioeconomic developments and financial literacy. We are always adding interesting features to the FREEandCLEAR Blog so sign up below to receive our Mortgage Market Update and other posts or check back frequently.
What is the Most Important Factor When Borrowers Select a Mortgage?POSTED: Tuesday August 22, 2017
There are many reasons to select a mortgage lender — an existing relationship, excellent custom service, positive recommendation — but one factor stands out to borrowers by an almost three-to-one margin according to the FREEandCLEAR Mortgage Survey. When asked “What was the most important factor when you selected a mortgage lender?”, 43% of borrowers selected […]
Borrowers Continue to Turn to Big Banks When Shopping for a MortgagePOSTED: Wednesday August 16, 2017
Big banks may be losing share of the mortgage market but they continue to hold mindshare when borrowers shop for mortgages. While specialized mortgage banks have experienced significant growth over the past several years, most mortgage borrowers still turn to big banks when they compare lenders according to the FREEandCLEAR Mortgage Survey. When asked “what […]
New Mortgage Guidelines Help Buyers Afford More HomePOSTED: Wednesday August 09, 2017
Recently, Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise that helps to determine mortgage guidelines, increased the debt-to-income ratio that lenders use to determine what size mortgage borrowers qualify for. You may not have heard of Fannie Mae because it is not an actual lender but it plays a very important role in the mortgage process. Fannie Mae […]