Lenders, panel and loan offer · Guide
Types of banks for a mortgage: who lends, and who really decides on your application
National, mutual, regional, online or specialist: what decides an application is not the brand but the level at which it is examined. How to read this.
National branch networks, mutual banks, regional banks, online-only banks, and specialist lenders all provide mortgages, subject to the same maximum repayment-to-income ratio set by the High Council of Financial Stability. What determines the outcome of an application is not the brand, but the level at which it is arbitrated: the advisor’s delegated authority, the regional committee, or the national risk platform.
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
- What truly distinguishes one lender from another is not the advertised rate or the size of the network, but the hierarchical level at which the application will be arbitrated.
- Three levels exist everywhere: the advisor’s delegated authority, the commitments department or regional committee, and the national risk platform or directorate.
- No family of lenders has a more generous maximum repayment-to-income ratio than another: the criterion set by the High Council of Financial Stability is the same for all.
- In a mutual bank, each regional branch is legally autonomous: a refusal by one does not pre-judge the decision of the neighbouring branch.
- Lending policy is adjusted quarterly according to the outstanding loan book: what was true in spring may be false in autumn, within the same institution.
The outcome of a file does not depend on the brand, but on the level at which it will be examined. Identify this level, choose where to submit it, and prepare what the decision-maker will read. The complete subject: lenders, panel and loan offer.
What truly distinguishes one lender from another?
Not the displayed rate: the level at which your file will be arbitrated, and its autonomy. A standard file passes almost everywhere; an off-grid file only survives if someone can say yes to an exception.
Two questions decide everything: does your file fit within the grid? If not, who can override it?
The three levels where a mortgage is decided
Level 1: the branch delegation
The advisor decides alone, within limits of amount, risk and deviation from the grid. The answer comes quickly for a clean file. Outside the delegation, they forward it: hence many oral agreements later denied.
Level 2: the commitments service or the regional committee
It examines the derogations: effort above the limit, long duration, atypical income, difficult property. It has a calendar and a lending budget. This is where most discrepancies between banks arise: same file, two responses.
Level 3: the national risk platform
Centralised instruction, sometimes automated in the first pass, by someone who has not met you. Fast for a standard file, severe for an atypical file.
Knowing where your application has gone
- The stated timeframe: a few days, a delegation; “next committee”, a committee.
- Documents requested late: a third party has taken over the file.
- The direct question: “Does this application fall within your delegation, or does it go to committee?”
The same effort ceiling everywhere
No family of lenders has a more generous effort ceiling: it is set by the High Council of Financial Stability, for everyone.
Critère d'octroi cumulatif imposé à tous les établissements de crédit et sociétés de financement. Le mot « assurance » ne figure pas dans la définition : les primes imposées entrent dans l'assiette par renvoi au coût total du crédit.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
What varies is the derogation margin of each institution (detailed calculation: the debt-to-income ratio and the High Council rule).
Assiette : la production de nouveaux crédits immobiliers de chaque trimestre civil, mesurée en montant et non en nombre de dossiers. Ce n'est jamais un droit individuel.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 2 — Légifrance
It goes first to the main residence (70,00 % ()), with a floor for first-time buyers (30,00 % ()) ; the rest is free (30,00 % ()). An investor refused in series runs into this narrow pocket, not their application.
The five families of lenders: strengths and limitations
The behaviours described are observations of practice, not a judgement on any institution.
- The national branch network: a national grid, with delegated authority. Fast on a standard file; a non-standard file quickly moves far away from you.
- The mutualist or cooperative bank: autonomous regional branches. A refusal in one branch does not pre-judge the neighbouring one; a property outside the territory is poorly received.
- The regional or local bank: a nearby decision-maker who knows the local market. Constrained resources, strict scope.
- The branchless bank: fast and inexpensive at entry, but less flexible: no first-floor level.
- The specialised lender: it knows how to read the income of a profession or a status. Outside its segment, it does not process the file.
| Family | Where the decision is actually taken | What makes it flexible | What makes it rigid |
|---|---|---|---|
| National branch network | Branch delegation, then regional risk management | Volume sought, margin for negotiation on ancillary fees | National grid, little deviation admitted outside delegation |
| Mutualist or cooperative | Autonomous regional branch, local committee | Real autonomy of each branch, knowledge of the membership | Strict geographical scope, high variability from one branch to another |
| Regional or local | Local decision-maker, often reachable | Proximity of the decision-maker, fine reading of the market | Constrained resources, lending policy that can close quickly |
| Branchless | Centralised platform, first pass with tools | Speed, low entry fees, regularity of processing | No local delegation, strict entry criteria |
| Specialised lender | Segment analyst | Expert reading of atypical income | Narrow scope, no interest in processing outside the segment |
Why the brand name predicts nothing
- A brand name is not always a single company: multiple entities, multiple committees.
- A lending policy changes every quarter: see reading a bank's lending criteria.
- Your contact is almost never the decision-maker: give them a file they can defend without you.
Which group will say yes to your file?
- First-time purchase, stable salaries, within the grid: all of them. Compare the total cost.
- Slightly above the limit, for a primary residence: a Tier 2 bank is accessible; mutual and regional banks are better placed.
- Buy-to-let or secondary residence outside the grid: look for the stated appetite for buy-to-let.
- Self-employed income, regulated profession, non-resident: a specialised lender.
- Atypical property, old, held in co-ownership or mixed: a decision-maker who examines the property, not a Tier 3 bank.
- Already refused: start again with the written reasons (the loan refusal).
Four questions at the first meeting
- Delegation or committee? And if a committee, what is the next date?
- What geographical scope for the property being financed?
- Which income do you deduct, and how?
- What conditions truly determine the agreement?
Regarding access to institutions: the links with the lenders. To act alone: intermediary or direct bank. The only document that is binding is the loan offer.
Tell them about your file over the phone, including atypical lines, to choose where to present it first.
Create your file and prepare what the decision-maker will read.
Sources
Read next
- Banks in Lyon: 54 mortgage lenders
- Why one bank refuses and another does not, for the same application Approval here, refusal there, same application: the three real causes of the gap, the one that is not up to you, and how to submit accordingly.
- Understanding your loan offer: the twelve clauses to check before signing The twelve clauses of the loan offer, in the order of the document: what is negotiable, what the law caps, and the three points that cannot be rectified.
- Bank rate scale: why the displayed rate is not yours, and how to aim for the best line Grid by term, discounts, counterparties, insurance: read a bank rate scale as the bank does and identify what brings you closer to the best line.
- Mortgage intermediary or direct bank: an honest comparison, and the five cases where I advise against using an intermediary Intermediary or direct bank: what each brings, what neither can promise, and the five cases where going to your bank alone is sufficient.
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