There are many institutions that loan money to home buyers. Commercial banks, private lenders, credit unions, mortgage bank companies, insurance companies and pension funds. It can get confusing as things are always changing in the mortgage industry.

Policies, interest rates, mortgage programs, where the funds come from, and investors are all changing and can affect where, from who, and the type of mortgage you will get to purchase the property you have chosen. Certain entities may offer you better rates depending on your credit history, debt, income, and expenses. It is a good idea to shop many different resources so you can get the best deal possible.

The mortgage market is comprised of a primary and secondary market. These two markets work together to give money to a borrower and offer returns on investments to investors.

The primary market occurs on the retail end, meaning a mortgage lender sells directly to the consumer. You may use the services of a broker or loan officer in order to have this transaction run smoothly. This is the place where mortgages are originated and the money is given directly to the borrower. In the primary market, mortgage lenders make there money on processing fees. There are often many fees associated with getting a mortgage that the buyer is responsible for.

Because there can be many fees as charged by the mortgage lender, it is important to know exactly where your money is being spent. You should ask for an itemized report for every fee. Unfortunately there dishonest mortgage lenders and they will make up charges and fees that really don't have any effort or actual action behind them. This is how some borrowers can get scammed, and often they may not even know it!

The secondary market manages mortgages that have already been originated in the primary market. What occurs here is the mortgage lenders package many mortgages together and sell the notes to investors. Mortgage lenders replenish their cash reserves that can be used towards the origination of more mortgages. The investors make money off of the interest that is charged on the mortgages.

There are both private and public investors that buy these notes. Public investors include Fannie Mae, Ginnie Mae and Fannie Mac that are all government supported. Private investors may include banks, thrift institutions and other individual private investors.

The mortgage lender really has a circular pattern, originating loans, selling them to investors and then using that money from the sales to issue more loans.

Many times, you do not even know that your mortgage is going to be sold into the secondary market. However, the mortgage lender should always notify you of this transaction if the mortgage is sold to someone else. If you have questions about this process, you can ask your mortgage lender as to what his or her process is.

So when you purchase a mortgage, then you are working in the primary market. The secondary market is for mortgages that have already been originated by the mortgage lender and they are being bought and sold as investments for either private or public investors. This mortgage process keeps money flowing through the industry and makes more money available to the public to continue property.