Mortgages
CFPB Loan Estimate comparer
A guided page for lining up Loan Estimates and asking lenders for a better deal.
Compare estimates ↗Rate sheet No. 01 · Bring a pencil
The rate
is not the price.
A low number can sit next to a fat fee. We show you where to look on mortgage papers, insurance quotes, car loans, bank accounts, and credit offers before you say yes.
Pal rule: if two quotes do not cover the same thing, you are not comparing yet.
Rate basics 7 minute read
Today’s useful thing
The rate is not the price. Here is the four-box check.
A quote is not cheap until the term, fees, total cost, and thing being bought all match the other quote.
Pick a drawer
What are you trying to sort out?
The no-sales-pitch drawer
Official tools I would use first
These are regulators, government tools, or authorized services. We do not get a nickel when you click.
Credit reports
AnnualCreditReport.com
The federally authorized place for free reports from the three nationwide credit reporting companies.
Get reports ↗Bank safety
FDIC BankFind
Check whether a bank is FDIC-insured and see its official details.
Check a bank ↗Credit union safety
NCUA locator
Find federally insured credit unions and check share-insurance status.
Check a credit union ↗Insurance
State insurance departments
Your state regulator can check licenses, take complaints, and point to local consumer guides.
Find your state ↗Identity theft
IdentityTheft.gov
Build an FTC identity-theft report and a step-by-step recovery plan.
Start recovery ↗Money complaint
CFPB complaint portal
Send a complaint about a consumer financial product or service to the CFPB.
Submit a complaint ↗Housing help
HUD housing counselor
Find independent housing counseling for buying, refinancing, default, foreclosure, and more.
Find a counselor ↗No match. Try a shorter word.
Fresh from the folder
More plain-English guides
Saving & banking 7 minute read
A big savings APY can still lose to one dumb monthly fee.
Check the rate, the rules needed to earn it, the fee schedule, and whether the place holding the cash is federally insured.
Home & mortgage 8 minute read
Three Loan Estimates. Same loan setup. Then make the lenders compete.
The CFPB says to aim for at least three mortgage offers. The trick is asking each lender to quote the same scenario.
Home & mortgage 8 minute read
A lower mortgage payment is not a win until the closing costs get paid back.
Do the break-even math, check the new term, and ask where the ‘no closing cost’ cost went.
Cars & insurance 7 minute read
The car payment is bait. Compare the total loan cost.
A long loan can make an expensive car fit a monthly box. Write down amount financed, APR, term, add-ons, and total of payments.
Cars & insurance 7 minute read
An auto quote is not cheaper if the deductible doubled.
Match every driver, car, limit, deductible, and optional coverage before you circle the premium.
Home & mortgage 8 minute read
Home insurance: match the roof, the deductible, and the way a claim gets paid.
Two policies can show the same premium and pay a very different claim. Compare dwelling limits, settlement method, exclusions, and special deductibles.
Home & mortgage 6 minute read
Make the home inventory before you need to remember every kitchen drawer.
A slow phone video, a few close photos, and one safe backup can save a miserable week after a loss.
Credit & debt 8 minute read
Found a credit report error? Make one clean dispute packet.
Circle the line, explain why it is wrong, attach copies, and send the dispute to both the reporting company and the company that supplied the bad information.
A note
from the desk
from the desk
This is the basement rulebook for expensive paper.
The big number gets the ad. The real cost lives in the small rows: term, deductible, points, add-ons, fees, and what happens after the nice rate ends.
We do not sell a rate or collect your quote form. We read the regulator guide, make a side-by-side list, and remind you to keep the paper you were actually offered.
— The pal with the calculator