Google might help you search for mortgages, too
Online services that help people find mortgages, such as LendingTree and Zillow, could soon get some competition from search giant Google, according to a lawsuit filed by LendingTree and reported in The New York Times.
The lawsuit isn’t actually against Google, but rather a mortgage pricing company called Mortech. LendingTree uses Mortech technology in its site, and it says Mortech is violating the terms of the deal by also providing its technology to Google, which will soon launch a “loan aggregation service.” That service will provide users with lenders’ contact info and conditional loan offers, according to the lawsuit, which could make it a real threat to LendingTree and other companies.
Google hasn’t responded to my request for comment yet, but it told The Times:
We’re constantly looking for new ways to help people find what they are looking for on the Internet. As part of that effort, we are currently working on a small ad unit test that will run against a limited number of mortgage-related search queries in the U.S.
I’m also trying to get a copy of the lawsuit from LendingTree. [Update: LendingTree has sent me a copy of the lawsuit, though I haven't had a chance to look closely yet.]
[photo:flickr/woodleywonderworks]
Next Story: Zynga claims FarmVille has become fastest-growing social game ever
Previous Story: Roundup: Nokia Money, iPhones coming to China
About the Author, Anthony Ha
Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on enterprise technology, cloud computing, and tech policy. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
-
Google