By

Elena Rossi

Real Estate & Mortgages Editor

• Former mortgage underwriter
• Licensed mortgage advisor (NMLS)
• 12+ years covering housing finance
• Loan Estimate & closing-cost disclosure specialist

Elena Rossi is The Global Credit's Real Estate & Mortgages Editor, writing about home loans and housing with a focus on first-time buyers and refinancing decisions. She began her career on the other side of the desk as a mortgage underwriter, verifying income, assets and credit for conforming and government-backed loans, and she remains a licensed mortgage advisor (NMLS). That background means she knows exactly where loan estimates hide their costs — discount points, origination fees, escrow padding — and how small rate differences compound into tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. Over more than 12 years covering housing finance, her guides have walked readers through the real numbers: break-even points on refinances, total interest paid, closing-cost negotiation and the true cost of low-down-payment options, always using current rate data rather than rules of thumb. Articles are researched with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor before they go live, and updated when rates or lending rules change.