Will misunderstands the role of brokers

George Will's Dec. 17 column faulted Jesse Jackson for speaking of "victims of aggressive mortgage brokers."

Will wrote " ... given that foreclosure is usually a net loss for all parties to the transaction, what explains the 'aggression?'"

Perhaps Will could look up the word "broker" in a dictionary. Mortgage brokers are simply middlemen, working on commission. The brokers are not lending money and their interests are not the same as the lenders.

Like any other seller working on commission, a broker is motivated to raise the sales volume as much as possible. If this involves lending more than a property is actually worth, so be it. The broker won't lose a penny if the borrower defaults. Brokers who profit from inflated appraisals and who suffer no consequences of foreclosure are indeed motivated to be aggressive.

The party lending the money has an interest in seeing that the property appraisal, property title and the documentation of the borrower's income are all in order. I'm surprised Will would make such an error.

Thomas K. Johnson Gilberts