Diagnosing Consumer Confusion and Sub-Optimal Shopping Effort: Theory and Mortgage-Market Evidence /

Mortgage loans are leading examples of transactions where experts on one side of the market take advantage of consumers' lack of knowledge and experience. We study the compensation that borrowers pay to mortgage brokers for assistance from application to closing. Two findings support the conclu...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Weitere Titel:
Diagnosing Consumer Confusion and Sub-Optimal Shopping Effort
1. Verfasser:
Woodward, Susan E.
Körperschaft:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Weitere Verfasser:
Hall, Robert E.
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2010.
Zusammenfassung:
Mortgage loans are leading examples of transactions where experts on one side of the market take advantage of consumers' lack of knowledge and experience. We study the compensation that borrowers pay to mortgage brokers for assistance from application to closing. Two findings support the conclusion that confused borrowers overpay for brokers' services: (1) A model of effective shopping shows that borrowers sacrifice at least $1,000 by shopping from too few brokers. (2) Borrowers who compensate their brokers with both cash and a commission from the lender pay twice as much as similar borrowers who pay no cash.
Umfang:
1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
Anmerkungen:
May 2010.
Schlagworte: