“We think mortgage brokers bear a lot of the responsibility for placing borrowers into these unaffordable loans,” says Allen Fishbein, director of housing and credit policy at the Consumer Federation of America. Critics like Fishbein warn that the system gives brokers powerful incentives to push consumers into toxic loans and little to fear if their customers can’t handle them.A good one can save you time and thousands of dollars over the life of a loan - but it’s up to you to understand the loans you’re being offered and the fees involved. Here are the key questions.