A Broker and a Lender, Which Is Not the Usual Arrangement

Most mortgage companies are one thing or the other. A retail lender has a single rulebook, and when your file does not fit it, that is the end of the conversation — a broker has no rulebook of its own and has to place every loan somewhere else.

We do both, and the reason matters more than the label.

Two ways to say yes

As a broker, we fund conventional and VA loans in our own name across most of the states we serve. That keeps the process in our hands from application to closing.

As a lender, we work with multiple wholesale lenders whose guidelines genuinely differ from each other — which is what fixes a file that does not fit the standard box.

The practical result: your loan goes down whichever path actually serves it. A straightforward VA purchase and a self-employed borrower with complicated returns get routed differently, and neither one has to be turned away because we only had one channel.

Who we are

National One Mortgage Corp holds NMLS #246740 and is licensed in California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. Every one of those licenses, and every loan officer's individual identifier, can be checked on NMLS Consumer Access without asking us.

Jeff Maas has owned National One Mortgage Corp since 1994 and is its responsible broker. He has been licensed in California real estate since 1988 and has originated mortgages since 1993.

The rest of the transaction

Buying a home is rarely just a loan. Alongside the mortgage company we operate a real estate brokerage, an escrow company, and a property management company.

What that means in practice is narrow and worth stating plainly: when the pieces need to talk to each other, they can. A lender coordinating directly with escrow closes faster than one working through intermediaries.

What it does not mean: any obligation to use them. Your agent, your escrow, and your lender are independent choices, and you should know that using ours helps you have that choice. We will tell you when using ours helps and when it does not matter.

What we will tell you that does not help us

Every program page on this site says at least one thing against our own short-term interest, because the alternative is a brochure.

FHA mortgage insurance is permanent under ten percent down. Check your county's conforming limit before assuming you need a jumbo. If you are trying to drop PMI on a conventional loan, call your servicer before you refinance — a refinance is a loan we would earn on and a servicer request is not.

We would rather you make the right decision than the one that is good for this quarter.

FAQ

Are you a broker or a lender? Both. We fund conventional and VA loans in our own name as a non-delegated correspondent, and we broker to multiple wholesale lenders. Which channel your loan uses depends on which one serves it better.

Does using a broker cost more? Not inherently. Broker compensation is disclosed on your Loan Estimate, and wholesale pricing is often better than the retail pricing the same lender offers direct.

What states are you licensed in? California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. Licensing follows the property, not where you live now — see Licensing for the license type and number in each state.

How do I check that you are who you say you are? Search NMLS #246740 on NMLS Consumer Access, or search any of our loan officers by their own identifier. If anything on this site and the public record disagree, the public record is right and we want to hear about it.

Do I have to use your escrow or your real estate agent? No. They are separate companies and separate choices.