Deal Desk Frequently Asked Questions
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How does the service work?
How much does it cost?
Why isn’t the Deal Desk included in my LoanToolbox subscription?
How do I join?
How is the Deal Desk different from other loan search websites?
How do I make changes to my research request after it has been submitted?
How do I cancel my research request once it has been submitted?
How do I cancel my Deal Desk membership?
Can I upload the information from my processing system?
How long will it take you to get back to me?
Can I have the Deal Desk correspond with my assistant regarding my submissions?
What if you can’t find a lender for me?
Will you be able to research loans in all 50 states?
Will you have Canadian or Australian lenders?
Do you want the borrower’s name, address, and social security number?
Will you actually be getting loan approval for me?
Do you research only sub-prime loans?
Does someone have to be a LoanToolbox member to join the Deal Desk?
What are the Deal Desk hours of operation?
What if the response from the Deal Desk is not what my borrower wants (fixed vs. arm, etc.)?
Will you also price loans for me?
What if my broker isn’t approved with the lender(s) you suggest?
Who do I contact if my question was not answered here?
Q: How does the service work?
A: The Deal Desk is a monthly membership service. You can join the Deal Desk through the LoanToolbox website. Once you’ve subscribed, you may begin submitting scenarios for research.
There are 2 ways to submit a scenario for research:
1) Call 877-DEAL-101 (877-332-5101) Monday–Friday between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm (Pacific Time). One of our Loan Placement Specialists will take the information over the phone.
2) You may also complete the form yourself by logging into LoanToolbox and going to the Deal Desk, under the LTB Community tab.
Once the information in your scenario is complete and has been submitted, your Loan Placement Specialist will then research the scenario with a wide variety of lenders. After we’ve confirmed with the lender that they can help you with your loan, based upon the information provided, we will send you their contact information via email. We will also be sending your contact information to the lenders we are referring on that deal to help expedite a connection and the submission of the loan.
Approximately 2 weeks after we have completed the research on your loan, we will be following up with you to ask the status of your loan and to inquire about the service of the lenders we’ve referred. This is to make sure the lenders we are referring are providing stellar service.
NOTE: Most of the communication from the Deal Desk is done via email, so make sure you check your email often. Also, be sure that all spam blockers are set so that you can receive email from LoanToolbox.com.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: The Deal Desk is a monthly subscription membership. The price is $49.00 per month for unlimited submissions. Your card is charged every month unless you cancel.
Q: Why isn’t the Deal Desk included in my LoanToolbox subscription?
A: There are 3 reasons the Deal Desk is separate from your LoanToolbox membership:
§ We have hired a team of highly qualified Loan Placement Specialists to research loans, each of whom has an extensive background in the mortgage industry.
§ Charging ensures that the Deal Desk won’t be abused and enables us to maintain high service levels for those who really need research help.
§ If we were to include this service in the LoanToolbox membership, we would have to raise the price of the membership to cover the cost of the Deal Desk Department. By charging separately for the Deal Desk, we ensure that only the members who wish to use the service are paying for it.
Q: How do I join?
A: The link for the Deal Desk is located under the LTB Community tab. There you’ll find the link to join the Deal Desk, where we’ll collect your billing information.
Q: How is the Deal Desk different from other loan search websites?
A: The difference is that we have live people physically researching your scenario with lenders, based on current guidelines. We’re able to research scenarios that aren’t “cookie-cutter”. Not only do we compare your scenario against published guidelines, we actually contact lenders and confirm that it fits their guidelines.
Q: How do I make changes to my research request after it has been submitted?
A: You can make changes to your submission before the research has started by going to the Deal Desk home page in LTB and clicking the “Edit” button for the scenario you wish to revise. You may make your changes in the form and save them.
Once the research has started you can make changes by logging into the Deal Desk and clicking “View”. You’ll then request your changes in the message box as illustrated below. Once your message is complete, click “Send message” and your request will be sent to your Loan Placement Specialist.
Q: How do I cancel my research request once it has been submitted?
A: You may cancel your submission before the research has started by logging into the Deal Desk and clicking the “Delete” button for the scenario you wish to delete.
Once the research has started, you can cancel your submission by logging into the Deal Desk and clicking “View”. You can then type in your cancellation request as illustrated below. Once your message is complete, click “Send message” and your request will be sent to your Loan Placement Specialist.
Q: How do I cancel my Deal Desk membership?
A: Please call our main line: 805-277-6800. Your call will be directed to the appropriate department. You may also email your request to . If you do choose to cancel, please note that we do not give refunds.
Q: Can I upload the information from my processing system?
A: Not at this time. We may have this capability at some point in the future.
Q: How long will it take you to get back to me?
A: Our average turnaround time is 1-3 business days, but that will vary based upon the workload of the Deal Desk and the complexity and completeness of the scenario. Please know that we understand how important it is to provide timely information to your client, and we will work as quickly as possible to get a response to you.
Q: Can I have the Deal Desk correspond with my assistant regarding my submissions?
A: Yes. You can set up your Deal Desk user preferences to have the correspondence directed to an alternate email address or phone number. If you do not set up your Deal Desk preferences to go to an alternate contact, all correspondence will be directed to the email address and phone number listed in your LoanToolbox User Profile.
Q: What if you can’t find a lender for me?
A: Unfortunately, there may be times when we can’t find a lender for a loan scenario. Even when we haven’t successfully matched your loan with a lender, we still consider our service a success. This is because we’ve been able to save you valuable time which you can spend originating more loans.
Q: Will you be able to research loans in all 50 states?
A: Yes! Please note, we will research scenarios for properties in all 50 states, however it is up to you to determine mortgage licensing requirements for the state in which the subject property is located.
Q: Will you have Canadian or Australian lenders?
A: No. This service will be open to our members in the United States only.
Q: Do you want the borrower’s name, address, and social security number?
A: We will collect the borrower’s name and address from you for tracking purposes but will not be collecting their social security number.
Q: Will you actually be getting loan approval for me?
A: No. We only research to find lenders based upon the limited criteria submitted to the Deal Desk. Once we have given you the name(s) of the lenders who can potentially help you, you’ll need to contact them to get your loan submitted for approval.
Q: Do you research only sub-prime loans?
A: No. This service can be used for loans that are A Paper, super jumbo, Alt-A, high LTV/CLTV, etc. It can be used for any loan that you don’t know where to send.
Q: Does someone have to be a LoanToolbox member to join the Deal Desk?
A: Yes. You must be a current LoanToolbox member to use the Deal Desk.
Q: What are the Deal Desk hours of operation?
A: The Deal Desk hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
Q: What if the response from the Deal Desk is not what my borrower wants (fixed vs. arm, etc.)?
A: There may be instances when we are unable to find a lender for the exact program requested, i.e. type, term, LTV, CLTV. In these cases, we will notify you of the program(s) we were able to find and how you need to restructure your loan to get it closed.
Q: Will you also price loans for me?
A: No. The function of the Deal Desk is to find a lender/lenders for time-consuming, tough-to-place loans. Pricing is a private business matter between the borrower, the loan officer, and the lender. We do not look at/shop/compare rates at all when researching.
Q: What if my broker isn’t approved with the lender(s) you suggest?
A: The Deal Desk will have a link to many lenders’ broker approval packages. Most lenders will allow you to submit a file for approval and obtain broker approval while your loan is in process. You’ll just need to make sure you’re approved before you are ready to order your loan documents.
Additionally, we have now built a database for you to input the contact information for your top approved lenders (up to 25). You will then have the option to have us research only from your list of lenders or with any lender.
Q: Who do I contact if my question was not answered here?
A:. Please do not contact the Deal Desk or Loan Placement Specialists directly. Please call our main line: 805-277-6800 and your call will be directed. This will allow us to handle all calls efficiently and to focus on placing loans. You may also email your questions to .