Realtor referrals of mortgage lenders may be having less weight with borrowers because consumers increasingly already have made contact with a lender when they begin shopping for a home, a new study concludes. Homebuyers end up using their real-estate agent’s lender recommendation in about 37 percent of cases, according to “How Real Estate Agents View Relationships with Mortgage Providers,” a study by Campbell Communications that was sponsored by Inside Mortgage Finance Publications.