Borrowers reckon their mortgage lenders have upped their game in 2025, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study, published last week. After four years of declining satisfaction levels, the companies that originate mortgages seem finally to have worked out how to please their customers.
What Is a Mortgage Originator?
Mortgage originators are the companies consumers turn to when they wish to finance a home purchase or refinance their mortgage ("originator" can also refer to a person doing the lending). They provide quotes, gather the documentation required to evaluate an application, approve or decline the loan, and provide the funding on closing.
Their role usually ends soon after closing. Once the loan has closed, the originator typically bundles the loan document with those of other mortgages to form a mortgage-backed security (MBS), a type of bond. The sale of the MBS provides the originator with the cash it needs to lend to the next set of borrowers.
The buyer of the MBS owns all the mortgages in a bundle. It appoints a mortgage servicer to collect payments from those homeowners and generally manage the accounts. Mortgage servicers are considerably less popular with consumers than originators are, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study.
What Mortgage Lenders Are Now Getting Right
Based on feedback from its 10,067 survey respondents, J.D. Power has identified what's changing among mortgage lenders. Customers favor those who have moved on from a transactional relationship "to adopt more consultative, advisory-style engagements with customers."
“Mortgage lenders have come to recognize that the more educated their customers are about the details of their mortgage products, the more loyal and lucrative their relationships become,” said Bruce Gehrke, senior director of wealth and lending intelligence at J.D. Power. “The highest-ranked lenders in today's market aren't just those with the best rates." Rather, says Gehrke, they blend relationship and technology, advising borrowers on their best move, not just moving them through the system.
The Mortgage Lenders That Are Achieving the Highest Customer Satisfaction Scores
J.D. Power generates scores for each lender from its survey responses. In theory, a perfect lender could score 1,000, but none ever gets close. The average score across all lenders this year is 760.
In 2025, the top five lenders were:
- Citi — 802 out of 1,000
- Bank of America — 792
- Citizens — 787
- Huntington — 780
- Movement Mortgage — 776
It's worth noting that originators that specialize in lending to veterans and service members are not included in the league table. If they were, Navy Federal Credit Union would come fourth with its score of 783, while Veterans United (778) would come fifth (Three Creeks Media, which operates this site, is affiliated with Veterans United).
Many in the mortgage industry may be surprised by Citi's exceptional transformation this year. Last year, it came fourth in the league table with a 759 score. So, 802 this year — and 2025's top spot — must surely reflect a lot of hard work.
How This Affects Borrowers
Most prospective borrowers focus on getting a good financial deal when they comparison shop for a loan. They seek out low mortgage rates and closing costs.
And, of course, those should remain the overwhelming priority. But home buying and refinancing are often stressful processes.
So, try to find a good deal from a lender with a high customer satisfaction score. Sometimes, you really can have it all.
