Google isn’t exactly denying that it is about to enter the business, saying “We’re constantly looking for new ways to help people find what they are looking for on the Internet. We are currently working on a small ad unit test that will run against a limited number of mortgage-related search queries in the U.S.” And the NYT points out that Google tested an offering in the U.K. last year that let searchers compare loan offers and then pick one. (More about the test from SearchEngineLand here).

SEE ALSO: Google Expands Real Estate Search On Maps

One big question: Considering that mortgage quote companies are major search advertisers, it will be interesting to see how they react to Google now competing with them. Estimates vary—but Jeffrey Lindsay of Bernstein Research has said that he believes 15 percent of all ads on Google are related to the mortgage industry.

As for LendingTree, it’s actually been doing quite well. The unit’s revenue increased 44 percent last quarter compared to a year ago. However, executives have warned that as interest rates rise, they will “need to aggressively pursue ... strategic initiatives to diversify our revenue streams outside of mortgage.” It joins other industries, including news sites, real estate listing services, and book publishers that have all been concerned about Google’s encroaches on their turf.