You are not under any obligation to go ahead with a secured loan until the final stage when the lending company countersigns your signed credit agreement. By choosing a reputable broker and lending company to guide you through the process, you should expect to be kept up to date and informed of the progress of your secured loan application throughout. During this time both the lender and /or broker may encounter costs in processing your application and any fees or commissions will be used to cover these. You should think very carefully about securing any loan or debt on your property.