Google launches NY mortgage shopping platform

Borrowers seeking to refinance their home mortgages now have a couple of ways to avoid the wave of solicitations from brokers and lenders that often comes with signing up for more information at mortgage websites. Refinance.com is one option: the site launched earlier this year with the promise that each borrower would be connected with just one lender. And now, for borrowers in 36 states including New York and New Jersey, Google’s new mortgage search feature is another. The site, which expanded to the New York metro area last month, displays a list of lenders and mortgage products alongside their rates and costs that borrowers can tailor to their personal credit ratings and down payments. When a borrower chooses a loan offer, it is binding, provided that the borrower’s provided information does not change. [NYT]