Comment by aaln
9 days ago
The analysis is generated via ~15 prompts and the output is pretty useful if you're going through buying a property with a mortgage.
The goal is to help mortgage borrowers get better deals on their mortgage. All mortgage terms are outlined in the loan estimate and closing disclosure documents as required by the CFPB (consumer financial protection bureau) - https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/loan-estimate
The tool requires uploading these documents since they have all the data needed to generate the analysis on the mortgage. Technically I can have the user paste in all the data via a textbox, but then it would be much more difficult to reliably parse. Also requiring the upload of the original documents is a much cleaner experience.
> The goal is to help mortgage borrowers get better deals on their mortgage.
I don't get it. Better, LendingTree, Credible, Bankrate, and a dozen other firms all aggregate mortgages. If there are some "best" mortgages in absolute terms, show them, you don't need anything on the form to do that; if there are offers that have lower upfront costs in exchange for higher rates, because the buyer is sensitive to upfront costs, show them. Why do you need to see the document in order to give the user what he wants?
Since you already know all of this, it begs the question: why do you specifically want to collect these documents? I'm not saying there is some conspiracy or anything.
The things you're mentioning allows you to compare mostly rates and points, but they don't do anything for origination or third party fees which can vary wildly from lender to lender. These fees MUST be disclosed in the loan estimate or the closing disclosure and its pretty much the only place you'll find them
Once I selected the offer, Better partner’s disclosure exactly matched the numbers shown in the comparisons. In other words the prices they quoted were accurate. Are you saying that they still are not?
Anyway, if you aggregated mortgage offers, you can do whatever you want. Make them as truthful and accurate as you want. Then you’d fulfill your goal, and you’d never need to see my documents. So why do you really need the documents? What is the angle?