A loan officer works for a specific lender and can match you to that lender’s mortgage products. You wouldn’t be the first person to wonder what the difference is between a loan originator and loan officer. Basically, a loan officer is an MLO, but an MLO isn't always a loan officer.
Loan officers help you choose and apply for a loan and work with you and the bank’s underwriters until your real estate purchase closes. A loan officer can only originate loans from the lender they represent, so you’ll need to look around if you want to compare the interest rates of different lenders.