Who are the actual lenders?

[Marcy]

I've been calling loan companies about refinancing and they all seem to be brokers who deal with certain "lenders". Who are these lenders and can I access them directly for a loan? I live in California.

[Mac]

For home-only loans, Washington Mutual used to, US Bank does. Ask the broker who the lenders are. They are all subject to real estate lending laws.
For home/land loans, pretty much everyone does conventional loans here in Oregon. I started with Wells Fargo, bought a new home for existing land, and ended with Wells Fargo again. Loans are often sold - in fact, brokers sell all their loans to banks / others that service them (collect payments/report interest paid, etc.)