But speaking of Freddie, there are plenty of rumors swirling about how Freddie has beefed up the auditing of performing loan s, including loans funded nearly 10 years ago, the end result being anyone's guess. If the rumors are true, I am sure Freddie has its reasons - but ask your rep. Fifth Third Bank (the nation's 13 th largest mortgage lender) is looking for Mortgage Loan Originators (MLO's) to focus on external business as part of a new initiative and growth strategy in 2013. Most of the approximate 650 MLO's are currently partnered with the company's 1300+ Financial Centers. These external MLO's will focus on building a solid referral source network (realtors, builders, CPA's etc.) and will not be tied to the banks internal customer base. "They get the best of both worlds: the ability to build their own business along with the stable, secure bank environment, the ability to take advantage of the company's full breath of financial solutions and marketing/business development support."