LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, June 9, 2015. We were joined by guests who represented a cleaning company.

Our showboater was our property and casualty insurance agent, Dave Kozak (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). He reminded us of how important it is to know what our coverage is and to review it periodically to make sure that it continues to be adequate.

Our speaker was our mortgage broker, Lonnie Cooper from The Rate Kings Mortgage (www.theratekings.com). Lonnie explained to us that, as a mortgage broker, he can shop for mortgages from a number of different companies. This means more options for him and his clients. If a particular lender doesn't want to lend to a client in a particular buying situation, Lonnie is not tied in to that lender and can look for another one. Lonnie can also lower the rates that a lender offers. For example, if Big Lender is offering a rate of 4%, Lonnie can write a mortgage with Big Lender but give his client a rate of 3.875%, which still earns him a healthy commission. Lonnie is also willing to float down a rate for his clients. If his client locks in at a particular rate but it then goes down 0.25%, Lonnie can float the rate down 0.125% for his client at no charge. It makes sense to let Lonnie take a look at the rates he can get for a home buyer's mortgage or a refinance.