A bank can only offer you its own mortgage products, at whatever rate and terms it decides to offer you that day. A mortgage broker works independently — we compare products from dozens of banks, credit unions, and alternative lenders, and bring you the option that actually fits your situation, not just whatever a single institution has on the shelf.
Because brokers work with so many lenders side by side, we also tend to have a clearer read on which lender is the right fit for less-standard situations — self-employment, past credit issues, or unusual income — where one bank might decline a file that another lender would happily approve.