Definition of "Mortgage banker"

Joy Jones real estate agent

Written by

Joy Joneselite badge icon

Bluecoast Realty Jacksonville

Mortgage banker is the person or business that originates mortgages and receives payments.

The mortgage banker typically sells these mortgages to investors and obtains service fees for the loans. The mortgage banker is a major initiator of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veteran Administration-insured mortgages and also serves a key function in the conventional mortgage markets.

Financial help is often sought from a lender, typically a commercial bank. The bank becomes a warehouse for mortgage money, and the mortgage banker draws on these funds until payment is received from the investors. Usually, the mortgage banker continues to service the loan even after the loan has been packaged and sold. For this management service, a small percentage of the amount collected is retained before forwarding the balance to the investor.

The success of the mortgage banker depends upon the ability to generate new loans. In some geographic areas, mortgage bankers are the primary source for financing real estate. All mortgage bankers try to stay in constant touch with investors and are aware of changing market conditions and lender requirements. Quite often the loan origination fee or finder's fee charged the borrower is more than offset by a lower interest rate from a lender not directly accessible to the borrower.

Mortgage bankers are involved in both commercial and residential financing and also carry out related activities such as writing hazard insurance policies, appraisals, and investment counseling. As with mortgage brokers, mortgage bankers are regulated by state law.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Changing property ownership. An example is the sale of a home to another. ...

Appraisal by summation is an Alias for Replacement Cost A.K.A. Cost Approach, which is one of the approaches an Appraiser can go through in order to assign a Market Value to a ...

What remains after something is removed, such as substances left after a pollution treatment facility is removed. ...

Monitoring and administrating a mortgage lien after it has been made. This may include monthly payments, record keeping, handing tax and insurance record, and foreclosure of property. A ...

Time period for which one expects to keep property such as a real estate investment. ...

The meaning of an undisclosed principal in everyday use often refers to a confidential client who intends to keep their identity hidden. Typically, this individual remains in the background ...

Arrears is a legal and financial term used to describe payments in regards to their due dates. While the term is more often used to refer to a contractual obligation or liability that was ...

Loss arising from the partial or complete destruction of property resulting from circumstances of a sudden, unanticipated or unusual nature. For example, fires, storms and floods to real ...

Legal instrument permitting one to grant others general or specific powers for administering their finances. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions