My role, fees and transparency
Reviews of a mortgage intermediary: what a review proves, and what it does not
A rating recounts the experience of other clients, not the professional's status. What the law requires of reviews, and what can be verified in a few minutes.
A review describes how a client experienced a past file; it does not prove the professional's registration category, on whose behalf they act, or their remuneration. These three points can be verified in the public register of intermediaries and in the documents provided in writing.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
Key points
- A review describes a client's experience on a past file, not the professional's registration category, their principal or their remuneration.
- Any person who collects, moderates or disseminates consumer reviews must state whether they control them, and how, display their date and justify any rejection.
- Disseminating fake reviews, or modifying reviews to promote a product, is included in the list of practices deemed misleading.
- A high rating is not a promise: the result obtained by another borrower cannot be transferred to your file.
- What reviews do not show can be verified in the public register of intermediaries and in the documents provided before any work begins.
A review describes how other clients experienced their application. It does not state what the professional is authorised to do, on whose behalf they act, or how they are paid: these three points can be verified in a few minutes. See the role of a credit intermediary.
What a review proves
That a client considered the relationship to be good or poor: responsiveness, clarity, deadlines. It provides no information on the professional’s status or on the outcome of your application.
Two professionals with the same rating may have different categories, lenders and remuneration structures.
What a review page must tell you
Anyone publishing reviews must state whether they are verified and how, provide their date, and justify any refusal to publish.
- Verification: “verified reviews” without explanation conveys nothing.
- Two dates: the publication date and the date of the experience.
- Ordering: chronological order must be offered.
- Incentive: a rewarded review must disclose this.
- Reporting: the professional may flag a suspicious review.
Displaying one’s own reviews requires stating how it is verified that they come from genuine clients. Two practices are prohibited:
| Practice | What the text says |
|---|---|
| Claiming a source without verifying it | Claiming that reviews on a product are posted by consumers who have actually used or purchased it, without having taken the necessary measures to verify this |
| Fabricating or editing reviews | Disseminating, or having another person disseminate, false consumer reviews or recommendations, or modifying reviews or recommendations in order to promote products |
Three points that no review shows
The registration category, the client for whom the intermediary acts, and the remuneration. These matter more than the rating, and they can be verified in writing.
The category
“Mon courtier” in a comment is the common word, not the registered category (courtier, mandataire, agent).
- 1° courtiers en opérations de banque et en services de paiement (mandat du client, à l’exclusion de tout mandat d’établissement de crédit)
- 2° mandataires exclusifs
- 3° mandataires non exclusifs
- 4° mandataires d’intermédiaires (MIOBSP)
La catégorie se lit sur la fiche du registre public, pas dans les commentaires. Le détail de chacune est dans l'article qui les compare.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article R. 519-4 du code monétaire et financier — Légifrance
The client
The banks you can access depend on the mandate. The advertisement must name the institutions and the scope of the powers; an intermediary’s agent must name their client from the moment contact is made.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article L. 322-2 du code de la consommation — Légifrance
Toute publicité et tout document destinés aux emprunteurs doivent indiquer de manière apparente l’étendue des pouvoirs de l’intermédiaire, notamment s’il travaille à titre exclusif avec un ou plusieurs prêteurs ou en qualité de courtier indépendant
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article L. 322-3 du code de la consommation — Légifrance
See the links with the lenders.
The remuneration
“Free” is not information: read the written document that sets it out.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article L. 519-6 du code monétaire et financier — Légifrance
Compare: the intermediary fees.
Five questions for reading a review page
- Who hosts the reviews? A rating that a site displays on itself cannot be controlled.
- Are the control and the consideration indicated?
- Do the dates span a period? A surge followed by a silence merits a question.
- Do the comments describe facts? "Deadline met" is worth more than "very professional".
- How does the professional respond to unfavourable reviews?
A rate "obtained" in a review was that of another person, at another date. And it is always the lender who decides.
What replaces a review
| Question | Does a review answer it? | Where to find the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Is the professional registered, and in which category? | No | The public register, at the address orias.fr |
| On whose behalf does the professional act? | Rarely | The register entry and the details displayed in advertising |
| How is the professional remunerated? | No | The written document that sets out the remuneration |
| Which institutions does the professional consult? | No | The question asked in writing, before any work on the file |
| Was the relationship clear for other clients? | Yes, in part | The reviews, read with the five questions above |
See verify an intermediary and two competing intermediaries.
Sandy MASCART on the register
No rating or review here: the public register. ORIAS No. 26000541, mandate holder of an intermediary in banking operations and payment services as a principal activity, mandate holder of an insurance intermediary as a secondary activity, mandant CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS No. 14005573).
I do not grant any loan and do not handle any funds. My remuneration is on the fees page. Ask your questions during an initial call.
Create your file: status and written fees from the start.
Sources
- Légifrance — Article L. 111-7-2 du code de la consommation
- Légifrance — Article D. 111-9 du code de la consommation
- Légifrance — Article D. 111-10 du code de la consommation
- Légifrance — Article L. 121-3 du code de la consommation
- Légifrance — Article L. 121-4 du code de la consommation
- Article R. 519-4 du code monétaire et financier — Légifrance
- Légifrance — Article R. 519-20 du code monétaire et financier
- ORIAS
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- Intermediary fees: how much, who pays, and when Free pricing, bank commission, nothing to pay before the funds are disbursed, impact on the APRC: what a mortgage intermediary really costs, and when.
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