The lender will tell you it is non negotiable. This is a charge for
preparing paperwork. As far as I know every charge like this one is
negotiable. Many lenders do not have such a charge. Search around for
another lender.

I got my last mortgage through the internet and saved a good deal of
money on charges like this one. Times are a little different now because
of the economic downturn. YMMV.

HTH
EJ in NJ

AE Todd wrote:
Please forgive this slightly off topic post, but since all of you are
homeowners, maybe you have some thoughts on this. I am going to
refinance in the near future, and I have a GFE with an origination fee
of 1%. Can anyone tell me just what an origination fee really is? Is
it like going to a car dealership and seeing "extra dealer markup" on
the sticker? Is the origination fee generally non-negotiable? Thanks
for your thoughts on this.