Terms of Service

Last updated: June 3, 2026

NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE. FinanceRateCalc and all associated tools, including Zai, provide educational and informational content only. Nothing on this site constitutes financial advice, mortgage advice, legal advice, or a recommendation to take any specific action. Always consult a licensed mortgage professional, attorney, or financial advisor before making financial decisions.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using FinanceRateCalc ("Site," "we," "us"), including any paid subscription services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use our services.

2. Description of Services

FinanceRateCalc provides:

The OFI (Overlay Friction Index) — a mortgage market educational index based on CFPB HMDA public federal data
Zai — an AI-powered mortgage education tool
Zai for Brokers — a paid subscription service ($49/month) providing lender routing analysis for licensed mortgage professionals
Various free tools including denial letter decoder, mortgage calculators, and market analysis

3. Educational Purpose Only

All content, analysis, predictions, and lender routing suggestions provided by FinanceRateCalc are for educational and informational purposes only. We are not a:

Licensed mortgage lender or broker
Financial advisor or investment advisor
Legal advisor or attorney
Credit counseling agency

OFI approval probability estimates are statistical models based on historical HMDA data. Individual mortgage outcomes depend on many factors and may differ significantly from our estimates.

4. Paid Subscription — Zai for Brokers

Zai for Brokers is available for $49/month via Gumroad. By subscribing:

You confirm you are a licensed mortgage professional or working under the supervision of one
You agree that analysis provided is educational and not a guarantee of loan approval
Payments are processed by Gumroad and subject to their terms
Subscriptions auto-renew monthly until cancelled
You may cancel at any time through your Gumroad account

5. Refund Policy

See our Refund Policy for details. Generally, we offer a 7-day refund for first-time subscribers if the service did not meet expectations.

6. Data and Lender Information

All lender denial rates published on this site are sourced from CFPB HMDA 2024 public federal data. Only individually verified lender data is published. We do not publish estimated or unverified figures as verified facts. All lenders referenced are legitimate financial institutions.

7. User Conduct

You agree not to:

Use our services for any unlawful purpose
Reproduce, redistribute, or resell our content without permission
Attempt to circumvent our rate limiting or security measures
Provide false information to obtain services

8. Intellectual Property

The OFI methodology, Zai system, and all content on this site are the intellectual property of FinanceRateCalc. The underlying data (CFPB HMDA) is public federal data available under CC BY 4.0.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

Services are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. Mortgage markets change rapidly and past performance does not guarantee future results.

10. Limitation of Liability

FinanceRateCalc shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of our services, including any mortgage decisions made based on our analysis.

11. Governing Law

These terms are governed by applicable law. Disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected]