Types of mortgage lenders and how to choose
Not all lenders are alike. Here’s how to distinguish them, and why it matters for your mortgage.
5 min read
May 05, 2025
Jeff Ostrowski
Writer and Housing Market Analyst
EXPERTISE
- Mortgages
- Mortgage refinancing
- Mortgage rate trends
- Housing market
- Real estate
EDUCATION
- Bachelor of Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Master of Arts, University of Illinois at Springfield
- Continuing coursework, including NMLS Mortgage Loan Originator education and MLO SAFE Test
About the author
Jeff Ostrowski has closely covered two nationwide housing booms and one devastating bust. Before joining Bankrate in 2020, he spent more than 20 years writing about real estate, business, the economy and politics. He previously worked as a reporter at the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Business Journal.
From 2019 through 2025, Jeff served on the board of the nonprofit National Association of Real Estate Editors. He twice has won gold awards in the group’s journalism contest. His Bankrate coverage of housing affordability was also honored with a Best in Business award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
When he’s not working, Jeff enjoys surfing, biking and traveling, usually with a surfboard or bike.
Jeff is the author of How to Buy a Home in a Miserable Market, available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
Jeff beyond Bankrate
Jeff wants you to know
When you’re applying for a mortgage, shop around and do your homework — informed borrowers can save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan. Don’t fixate on finding the absolute perfect option, though, or timing your loan to a low point for mortgage rates. If you’re borrowing now, mortgage rates could go down in the future. Avoid worrying about all those things that are both out of your control and impossible to predict.
Jeff's latest articles
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Home prices are falling in these formerly hot markets. Why?
Why are home prices now dropping in some formerly hot housing markets?
4 min read May 01, 2025 -
Millennial homebuyers: Obstacles to homeownership, statistics and tips
Here’s a look at the largest group of homebuyers today.
4 min read Apr 30, 2025 -
5 years after the pandemic, the housing market is significantly worse for buyers
While mortgage rates have decreased recently, the high cost of homeownership is leaving would-be buyers on the sidelines.
4 min read Apr 10, 2025 -
Can I buy a home with cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency plays almost no role in real estate today, but change may be on the horizon.
5 min read Apr 08, 2025 -
What government layoffs could mean for your mortgage
Government layoffs at HUD, the FHFA and the CFPB could impact consumers — but for now, little has changed.
4 min read Apr 01, 2025 -
Two major mortgage players to merge: What should borrowers know?
The combined companies aim to streamline the homebuyer experience.
2 min read Mar 31, 2025 -
Study: Hopeful homebuyers need income of nearly $117,000 to afford typical home in U.S.
Aspiring homebuyers need an annual household income of nearly $117,000 to afford the typical home in the U.S., according to a new Bankrate study.
7 min read Mar 31, 2025
