Whether it's from credit card debt, an escalating mortgage, or a long-overdue raise, finding finances are tight. It seems many of us don't feel so affluent anymore. IS YOUR WALLET MORE BLUE than flush with green these days? And one of the first ... 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.