The Thomas Team had a great luncheon meeting with our lender partner, Scott Miller of Met Life Home Mortgage, and his team yesterday at their new corporate digs. The focus of the meeting was for our team to get a complete understanding of the new world of home loans and the process from application to funding. To quote an old song from my youth “It Don’t Come Easy” . There are lots of new of steps and lots of different hand offs, gates and gate keepers. “Rushing” any deal these days is all but impossible as the banking industry is still reeling from the sub prime mess.

 Mac & Mae

At the end of the day, 90% of all loans come through the federal entities Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae. So even if you are going to get your loan through Acme Savings & Loan or Ginormous National Bank, at the end of the day the money and the thumbs up or down are tied to Mac and Mae. That’s because Acme and Ginormous sell their loans to Freddy and Fannie, and while they once took in any ‘ole kinda loan like a lost puppy, they are now very picky.

Automatic Underwriting

We learned that all loan apps go through an automated desktop underwriting system. Using this system, the loan officer can make a determination if the loan has a chance of meeting the guidelines issues by Freddie and Fannie. The answer can be had in as little as 60 seconds. Now this is true IF the borrower has provided the loan officer all the info necessary, and that’s often a big IF.

Knowledge is Powerful Stuff

The Thomas Team now knows the ins and outs (okay, we now have a better understanding) of the new world of loan application, process and approval. We can better advise our Buyers and Sellers as to what they can expect and we can assist our lending partner in meeting and exceeding client’s expectations. At the end of the day, it’s really about doing business with people of integrity and expertise who value you and your clients. We highly recommend Scott Miller (smiller5@metlife.com) and his team at Met Life (Snoopy).