For the majority of borrowers, banks and building societies are the usual ports of call for mortgage advice. But what you get is what you see: mortgage advice through the prism of an adviser who is probably not going to steer you away from their product.

For a more impartial overview of the mortgage marketplace there is an alternative – mortgage brokers.

A mortgage broker, who is sometimes also known as a mortgage intermediary, is someone who arranges mortgage loans through mortgage bankers. Unlike a mortgage adviser at a bank or building society, mortgage brokers can go out to whole market and search for the best mortgage deal for their client. In effect, a mortgage broker is an independent go-between who is not tied to any one lender. Put another way, mortgage brokers could be regarded as professional mortgage hunters who track down the best mortgage rate and term for whoever hires them.

 I work for the #1 mortgage co in the US and we have rules that we must follow and we aren't allow to lie to our customers.