I verified that a recent Deed of Trust filed in Dallas county lists the company's name as the lender, not a different 3rd party lender/partner or variation on their name which might show up in NMLS.One individual I found in their employee database (their Finance Controller) carries an inactive NMLS license.Company representatives stated that their loan cannot be paid back with cash or a refi; only selling the home will clear the debt.I've not been able to view their promissory note template yet, but I'm working on getting a copy.My conclusions:This company appears to be in the business of regularly extending consumer mortgages, and thus is subject to the SAFE Act. 

Based on my comps when purchasing this property this is highly unlikely but we would hire an appraisal company to verify this option prior.Any help that anyone can provide is greatly appreciated. 

Once you verify the financials and property conditions it’s simply a matter of what you are willing to pay. 

Trust with difficulty, verify as a matter of course.

Just want to verify my contracts are legitimate.

A title company has verified that the guy I'm negotiating with is the current owner. 

Be conservative with your numbers, second guess and verify any numbers that anyone gives you. 

I usually offer to verify income and check landlord references befor they pay for the reports.

If your private lenders are financing others, it would be wise to verify their liquidity often, as offering 100% financing could exhaust their capital pretty quickly to other borrowers

I'm all for playing by the rules, but how does a lender even verify that a home is owner-occupied after they provide the loan?