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Editorial Standards
& Source Policy.

Last reviewed Aug 2026

Mortgage content is only useful if it's accurate. Guidelines change. Programs end. Rates move. Rules that were true last quarter may not be true this quarter. Hero Mortgage Group takes the accuracy of our published content seriously because we know borrowers make real financial decisions based on what they read here. This page documents how we write, review, source, and update the content on this site.

Who Writes The Content.

All mortgage guidance on heromortgagegroup.com is written and reviewed by Jason Stern, founder of Hero Mortgage Group and an active-duty firefighter. Jason holds:

Content that discusses specific mortgage guidelines is written from Jason's direct experience originating loans in these scenarios. Content on complex borrower situations (travel nurses, VA entitlement, complex-income scenarios) is written after cross-referencing the primary source materials cited on each article.

Source Hierarchy.

When our content discusses mortgage guidelines, program rules, or lender requirements, we cite primary sources in this order of authority:

  1. Federal agencies and their published guidance — Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), USDA Rural Development, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
  2. Agency selling guides and handbooks — Fannie Mae Selling Guide, Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide, HUD FHA Handbook 4000.1, VA Pamphlet 26-7 (Lender's Handbook)
  3. State housing finance agencies — Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and equivalent agencies in other states we serve
  4. Official program documentation — published program documents from HUD, VA, USDA, and state agencies
  5. Federal statutes and regulations — U.S. Code and CFR provisions governing mortgage lending, tax treatment of income, and consumer disclosure

Every article that makes a specific guideline claim links or references the primary source. We do NOT rely on competitor mortgage blogs, third-party content aggregators, or opinion pieces as the source of factual claims. Where such sources are cited, they're presented as secondary reference material, not as authority.

Content Review Cadence.

Because mortgage guidelines change, we review high-value content on the following cadence:

Each article displays a "Reviewed" date near the byline showing when the last full editorial review was completed.

Correction Policy.

If a reader identifies an inaccuracy in our content, the correction process is straightforward. Contact us via jason@heromortgagegroup.com with the article URL and the specific claim in question. We respond within 2 business days with either:

We do not silently edit corrected content. Material corrections are noted on the page so readers can see what changed and when.

What We Don't Do.

Several practices we deliberately avoid, because they degrade the usefulness of mortgage content:

Regulatory Framework.

Hero Mortgage Group operates under the following regulatory framework:

Reader Guidance.

The content on this site is educational. It's not a commitment to lend, and it's not a substitute for a specific loan pre-approval or a consultation with a licensed mortgage professional. Program details, guidelines, rates, and lender overlays can change; individual borrower situations vary. Before making a purchase or refinance decision based on anything you read here, contact us for a scenario-specific review of your file.