Not too long ago, the credit world was much different than it is today. Credit bureaus operated in near secrecy, gathering information in ways that may surprise you. For instance, did you know that Retailer's credit (now Equifax) received information about you gathered by the Welcome Wagon hostess?
The mortgage business can be a confusing industry to understand. There are different types of loans, different types of lenders and different paths for loans after closing. All of these…
(All stories shared on Lending A Hand contain fictitious names with changes to insignificant details. The privacy and trust of our customers is our top priority.) I received a call…
We received a couple of calls in the past few days for potential home buyers looking to get qualified for a mortgage and both of them had questions about how Mom and Dad could help them qualify. Here are their situations:
Not all lenders are created equal. Knowing the difference between the different types of lenders and how those differences impact you could save you money and provide you with more…
The Good Faith Estimate, also known as a GFE, shows the interest rate, term, loan amount, and all settlement costs on a particular loan. The Good Faith Estimate is divided…
Modifications to the way in which lenders and appraisers work together go into effect today, May 1, 2009. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) the changes to the…
One of the most common incorrectly explained and misunderstood topics within the mortgage business is the definition of APR. I will do my best to unravel the mystery and explain…
Several years ago most people didn't really care about the difference between a pre-qualification and a pre-approval because there were so many qualified buyers in the home buying market place…
You just want to know what a good credit score is. Probably because you are looking into obtaining a mortgage, or maybe an auto loan. Did you know credit scores…