The line item numbers on the good faith estimate should correspond woth with the item numbers on the Hud1 settlement statement you receive at closing.

Always be sure to get a copy of the good faith estimate before you proceed with the mortgage professional you have chosen.

Fees for some standard items, such as appraisal, credit report and title insurance should be almost the same at every lender. The same goes for payments to local governments, such as documentation stamps and recording fees.
A bank or mortgage company may be willing to drop some of the fees if you opt out of a service. For instance, they may overnight documents back and forth for faster approval. If you are not in a hurry, you can ask that the documents be sent by regular mail and the overnight charges be dropped.
Watch out for "junk fees" or additional charges. Most mortgage programs include them, but you should be able to negotiate them down or eliminate them.

It is designed to give you the ability to shop and compare the fees of one loan to the fees of the next, so you can make an informed decision based on the cost of the loan.

The GFE by itself is not the best way to compare loan programs. You will need to look at the TIL or Truth in Lending to make a good comparison of the different loan programs you are looking into. The TIL calculates the true cost of your loan because it factors in other fees along with the interest rate.

Required by federal law, a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is a written list of the estimated closing costs associated with a mortgage transaction, including the lender's charges along with the local closing agent's charges and fees. It also includes estimated amounts for real estate property tax and homeowner's insurance.