Show HN: Free mortgage analysis tool to avoid getting screwed by closing costs

Privacy & Security Concerns

• Major theme: discomfort with uploading sensitive mortgage documents (names, addresses, transaction details) to an unfamiliar site with no strong trust signals.
• Many argue these docs can be used for targeted wire fraud and social engineering during a high‑risk, high‑value moment (home purchase).
• Boilerplate phrases like “industry-standard security” are seen as meaningless without specifics (standards, audits, data residency, breach handling).
• Several suggest: allowing/encouraging client-side redaction, easy data deletion, explicit non-training/opt‑out options, and clearer explanations of data handling.

Trust & Legitimacy of the Service

• Lack of business details (company name, address, phone, about page) is widely flagged as a red flag.
• Some suspect it’s a thinly veiled mortgage lead-generation data play; others say that’s speculative but note the optics are bad.
• Suggestions: register a proper entity, list contact details, clarify revenue model, possibly accept donations to make incentives visible.

Functionality & Value Proposition

• Tool analyzes Loan Estimates/Closing Disclosures to flag excessive or negotiable fees and noncompetitive terms, using multiple LLM prompts and fee benchmarks.
• Supporters see clear value: closing docs are complex, buyers are stressed, and lenders/agents aren’t strongly incentivized to minimize every fee.
• Skeptics argue borrowers can and should ask loan officers directly or use existing rate comparison sites; they question why raw documents are needed at all.

UX and Technical Feedback

• Some users report accurate, useful analyses. Others encounter processing errors, especially with redacted or modified PDFs.
• Requests: automatic detection of document type, sample report button more prominent, PDF export of analysis, and better dark-mode contrast and visual simplicity.

Broader Mortgage & Risk Discussion

• Debate over how much to prioritize closing-cost optimization versus focusing on property risk and overall loan shopping.
• Multiple comments describe common wire-transfer fraud patterns at closing and emphasize how these documents enable such attacks.

Meta: Security for Early-Stage Tools

• Discussion on what’s realistic for a small, bootstrapped project: full ISO 27001/SOC 2 vs. “good enough” trust-building practices.
• Some argue rigorous privacy/security expectations are appropriate even for small “Show HN” launches, especially with highly sensitive financial data.