The Best Mortgage Lenders of October 2022

Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

When choosing a mortgage lender, the most important things for borrowers to consider are overall cost, the types of loans offered, and if the lender offers a smooth, positive experience.

We’ve chosen lenders that offer a variety of mortgage types and offer worthwhile extra features, such as down payment assistance. Many of our top picks also thrive in customer satisfaction and accept non-traditional credit (such as proof of making rent or utility payments on time) if you don’t have a credit score, making it easier to qualify.

Best overall

Best for customer service

Best credit union

Best for veterans

Best for renovation loans

Best variety of options

Best for non-traditional credit

Best for a simple, online process

Best for down payment assistance

Best for low credit scores

Best for low-income borrowers

Comparing the best mortgage lenders

Northpointe Bank (jump to Northpointe Bank details»)

Northpointe Bank is an affordable lender with good online customer reviews and lots of features to suit the needs of many different types of borrowers. 

Northpointe Bank currently has an A+ rating from the BBB. To get started with this lender, you can fill out an online form to get a quote or use its “find a loan expert” tool to apply with a loan officer near you.

Rocket Mortgage (jump to Rocket Mortgage details»)

Rocket Mortgage ranked as the top lender for customer satisfaction from J.D. Power for 11 consecutive years, and ranked No. 2 in 2021. It offers a quick, easy online experience and has mortgages with terms as short as eight years.

Rocket Mortgage has an A+ rating from the BBB. This lender doesn’t have any physical branch locations, so you’ll complete your application process completely remotely.

Navy Federal Credit Union (jump to Navy Federal Credit Union details»)

Navy Federal is a solid choice for military-affiliated homebuyers, whether they’re looking for a VA loan or another type of mortgage. Its Homebuyers Choice mortgage, for example, is a conventional mortgage with no down payment required and no mortgage insurance.

Navy Federal received a high score in customer service from J.D. Power, but didn’t rank in the annual study because it doesn’t meet certain criteria.

The BBB gives Navy Federal an NR (No Rating). You can only become a member of Navy Federal Credit Union if you or your family is affiliated with the military, you are a Department of Defense civilian personnel or contractor, or you live with a Navy Federal member.

Veterans United (jump to Veterans United details»)

Veterans United earned a very high score in customer service on J.D. Power’s 2021 Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study, though it doesn’t qualify to rank because it doesn’t meet certain criteria. 

This lender has an A+ rating from the BBB.

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (jump to Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation details»)

Fairway Independent offers a digital closing option, giving borrowers the ability to have a quick, remote closing experience. You may also be able to use non-traditional credit when applying with this lender. 

Fairway Independent has an A+ rating from the BBB and ranked above average in J.D. Power’s annual study.

Guild Mortgage (jump to Guild Mortgage details»)

Guild Mortgage is an affordable lender thanks to its down payment assistance programs and willingness to accept non-traditional credit from borrowers with no score. It also offers a hybrid digital closing option. 

Guild currently has an A- rating from the BBB. In 2021, it earned the No. 1 spot in J.D. Power’s annual customer satisfaction study.

New American Funding (jump to New American Funding details»)

New American Funding offers a couple of unique mortgage options, including its I CAN mortgage. The I CAN mortgage lets you choose any mortgage term length from eight to 30 years. This level of customization means you can choose a term that’s long enough that your monthly payments remain affordable, but short enough that you save money on interest. 

New American Funding currently has an A+ rating from the BBB. This lender accepts non-traditional credit from borrowers who have no score on some of its mortgages.

NBKC Bank (jump to NBKC Bank details»)

NBKC Bank makes it easy to get a customized mortgage rate using its rate calculator. It’s application process is simple, convenient, and can be completed online. It also has a unique mortgage program available for pilots.

NBKC currently has an A+ rating from the BBB

Bank of America (jump to Bank of America details»)

Bank of America offers borrowers up to $7,500 in closing cost assistance and up to $10,000 in down payment assistance. If you already have an account with Bank of America, you may be able to get a discount on your origination fee.

Bank of America has an A+ rating from the BBB. It ranked above average in J.D. Power’s 2021 Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study.

Carrington Mortgage Services (jump to Carrington Mortgage Services details»)

Carrington has flexible credit requirements on many of its mortgages. It offers a Carrington Flexible Advantage mortgage, which allows borrowers with credit scores as low as 550 and recent negative credit events to get a mortgage.

Carrington has an A+ rating from the BBB.

Chase (jump to Chase details»)

Chase’s DreaMaker mortgage is an affordable option for lower-income borrowers, with a minimum down payment requirement of just 3% and flexible credit guidelines. Its Homebuyer Grant program also gives out up to $2,500, or $5,000 to borrowers in low-income or majority-Black areas.

Chase has a A- rating from the BBB. It ranks below average on J.D. Power’s Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study.

Other mortgage lenders that didn’t make the cut and why

We examined over two dozen mortgage lenders. In picking the best of the best, we looked for lenders that satisfied our methodology criteria and had offerings to meet the needs of a wide variety of borrowers. Some of the ones that didn’t make our list had weaknesses like having limited loan options or ranking low in customer satisfaction.

Here are the lenders we chose not to include:

• USAA: This is a good option for VA loans, but it doesn’t offer other types of mortgages.
• Regions: You might like using Regions, but the bank only has branches in certain parts of the US.
• Citibank: This bank received good customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power, but an F from the BBB.
• Better.com: A good option if you want a conventional loan from an easy-to-use online lender, but Better.com doesn’t offer FHA, USDA, or VA loans.
• SoFi: SoFi is another worthwhile choice for conventional mortgages, but you can’t get an FHA, USDA, or VA loan.
• Paramount Bank: You might like Paramount as an online lender, but it doesn’t offer as many mortgage types as our top picks.
• Pennymac: Pennymac offers a variety of mortgage types, but it ranks low on J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction survey.
• Flagstar Bank: This bank has received an A+ from the BBB, but J.D. Power ranks it pretty low on customer satisfaction.
• Mr. Cooper: This lender offers several types of loans, but J.D. Power ranks it low for customer satisfaction.
• Alliant Credit Union: This is a good online lender with conventional mortgages and HELOCs, but it doesn’t have FHA, USDA, or VA mortgages.
• Caliber Home Loans: You can find lenders with better customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power.
• Loan Depot: Loan Depot isn’t accredited by the BBB, and it doesn’t offer USDA loans.
• Guaranteed Rate: You might like Guaranteed Rate, but it only has an A- from the BBB.
• Freedom Mortgage: This lender has a variety of mortgage types, but J.D. Power ranks it low for customer satisfaction.
• Wells Fargo: Due to some recent scandals, Wells Fargo has received an F in trustworthiness from the BBB.
• Truist: You might enjoy working with Truist, but it scored below average on J.D. Power’s annual survey.
• US Bank: This is a strong lender for home equity loans and HELOCs, but it ranked low on J.D. Power’s 2021 survey.
• PNC Bank: PNC has a good range of mortgage types to choose from, but its special features aren’t as strong as many of the lenders that made our list.

Methodology: How we chose the best mortgage lenders for 2022

To choose the top mortgage lenders of October 2022, we looked at five main factors:

• Variety of loan types. Does a lender offer several types of loans to suit customers’ needs? Conventional loans, government-backed loans, and jumbo loans are some of the most common mortgages offered by lenders. We looked for lenders that offer these basics, and we also considered whether they offer more niche types of loans — such as renovation loans, home equity loans or HELOCs, or specialty loans (mortgages that are unique to a specific lender).
• Customer satisfaction. If the lender appeared in the J.D. Power 2021 Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Survey, we looked at its ranking. If it wasn’t in the survey, then we read online customer reviews.
• Affordability. We looked at lenders’ minimum credit scores and down payment amounts. We also checked whether they offer government-backed loans, which can be more affordable for borrowers with less-than-perfect financial profiles. Finally, we looked at whether they have any flexible credit guidelines. This could include allowing borrowers to have recent negative events, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure, on their credit reports, or accepting non-traditional credit, like utility bills and rent payments, in lieu of a traditional credit score.
• Ethics. Almost all of our top picks received an A+ from the Better Business Bureau, which measures companies’ trustworthiness. We also researched and considered any scandals in the past three years.
• Attractive features. There are thousands of mortgage lenders in the US, and many of them will do a satisfactory job helping you purchase your next home. But the best lenders have extras that make them stand out; things like down payment assistance, rate matching, or the ability to pick the exact number of years you want your loan term to be.

Are these mortgage lenders trustworthy?

The Better Business Bureau grades companies based on responses to customer complaints, honesty in advertising, and transparency about business practices. Here are the BBB grades for our top mortgage lenders:

Most of our top picks have an A+ from the BBB. The exceptions are Guild Mortgage, Chase, and Navy Federal. Guild Mortgage and Chase have an A- rating from the BBB due to government actions taken against the businesses. Navy Federal has an NR (“No Rating”) because it is responding to customer complaints that had previously closed.

Several of these lenders do have recent public controversies, though, even the ones with great BBB grades.

In 2019, the US Justice Department required Rocket Mortgage’s parent company Quicken Loans to pay $32.5 million for alleged mortgage fraud. The Justice Department claimed Quicken Loans approved mortgage applications it shouldn’t have. Although Quicken Loans paid the settlement, the company never admitted to mortgage fraud.

A Navy Federal employee has claimed the lender pressured mortgage underwriters to approve loans even if they didn’t have sufficient reason to believe applicants could repay the loans. Then she filed a lawsuit and said Navy Federal retaliated against her whistleblowing by changing her job duties. She dropped the case in late 2020.

In 2020, Guild Mortgage paid the United States $24.9 million when it was accused of approving FHA mortgages for people who didn’t qualify, resulting in loan defaults.

In 2020, the Department of Justice charged Bank of America for unfairly denying home loans to adults with disabilities, even though they qualified for loans. Bank of America paid around $300,000 total to people who were refused loans. In 2019, the Department of Labor required Bank of America to pay $4.2 million to people who claimed the bank discriminated against women, Black, and Hispanic applicants in the hiring process.

The Department of Justice required JPMorgan & Chase to pay $920 million for wrongful trading in 2020. The company paid the Securities and Exchange Commission $135 million in 2018 for mishandling American Depositary Receipts, certificates that let Americans invest in foreign stocks.

These controversies don’t necessarily mean you won’t have a good experience with these lenders, but it’s a good thing to consider when weighing the pros and cons of each of your options.

What questions should I ask myself?

Before you get a mortgage, you need to make sure you’re financially prepared. These are some things you should be thinking about.

How much mortgage can I afford?

Experts typically recommend spending no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing expenses. Play around with a mortgage calculator to see how different home prices and down payment amounts could change your monthly payment.

Is my credit ready?

For a conforming mortgage, you’ll typically need a credit score of at least 620, a debt-to-income ratio below 50%, and a down payment of at least 3%. But the better your credit, the more likely you are to get a lower rate. 

Taking the time to raise your credit score, lower your DTI, or save for a larger down payment can help you snag a lower rate and save money on interest each month. 

What are current mortgage rates?

Knowing how mortgage rates are currently trending will help give you an idea of whether the rates you’re being offered by lenders are competitive. It can also help you determine how much house you can afford, since your rate will impact how much you pay each month.

What questions should I ask my lender?

As you shop around for a lender, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions to make sure they’re the right fit for you.

What types of mortgages do you offer?

Most lenders don’t offer every type of mortgage that’s out there. If you’re looking to get a government-backed mortgage like an FHA mortgage, make sure your lender offers them. 

What type of mortgage is best for me?

If you aren’t sure which type of mortgage is best for you, have your lender walk you through the details of each option available to you. Find out how much each option would cost, both on a monthly basis and overall. 

Do you charge any fees?

Mortgage lenders typically charge some sort of fee for using their services, such as an origination fee or application fee. These lender fees will be included in your closing costs, so it’s important to understand how much you’ll be paying. 

Will you sell my loan?

Most lenders sell their mortgages after closing to maintain liquidity and allow them to continue lending mortgages. This process typically doesn’t impact you as the borrower. 

However, lenders sometimes also sell their loans’ servicing rights. The servicer is the entity you make your monthly payments to, so if your lender sells the servicing rights to your loan, you’ll send your payments to your new servicer, not the lender you originally got the mortgage from.

Frequently asked questions

Mortgage and refinance rates by state

Check the latest rates in your state at the links below. 

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