Perhaps they would be a nightmare for some homeowners, but not for the economy in general. The problems in the housing market were supposed to stay there. Yet, in the last eight ...Or at least that's what most of Wall Street was espousing until July. As opposed to bank officers, mortgage brokers are not employees of the lending companies they work for. Instead, they work independently as free lance agents who are on the look out for borrowers looking for a good mortgage.