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Rate Mortgage Reviews

Guaranteed Rate

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About Rate Mortgage

Rate (NMLS #2611) is a mortgage company that operates online and in person. It offers a wide variety of financial products to customers all over the country, including conforming conventional mortgages, nonconforming conventional mortgages, government loans, home renovation loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs).

Visit www.rate.com
Pros
  • Available nationwide
  • Offers multiple types of financing
  • Competitive average rates
  • Online application process
  • Gives preapproval decisions in about 15 minutes
Cons
  • Doesn't have physical branches in every state
  • No home equity loans

Helpful Reviews

Tallahassee, FL
Verified purchase
I can’t say enough great things about my experience with Chase and the team at Guarantee Rate Mortgage. From start to finish, the process was smooth, transparent, and incredibly p...

Read more

Mount Holly, NC
Verified purchase
Paige **, kept my nerves calm as my wife and I were trying to refinance. She was with us at the beginning and stayed in touch to the end. We are very pleased with the new rate and...

Read more

Rates

From 2019 to 2021, Rate generally offered a lower average rate for home purchase loans than the national average.

Just keep in mind that interest rates depend on a number of economic and personal factors, including the borrower’s credit history and debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. Typically, borrowers with a higher credit score and lower DTI secure better rates.

Rate Mortgage average home purchase rate vs. national average

Information pulled from public Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Rates reflect noncommercial home purchase loans only.

Rate offers both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). Fixed interest rates won’t change over the course of the loan term, so some borrowers prefer the predictable payments these mortgages offer. However, an ARM usually offers a low introductory rate that’s fixed for a period of time. Later, the rate will reset occasionally based on market conditions.

Rate offers ARMs with introductory periods of five, seven or 10 years. If you have a five-year ARM, your rate will reset after five years and change again either biannually or annually, depending on your terms.

An ARM could be a good option if you expect your financial situation to improve during the introductory period. Some borrowers use ARMs as a way to obtain a lower interest rate when their credit isn't great but they expect to improve it. Once their credit score improves, they refinance the loan and lock in a better fixed rate.

Application process

To get a mortgage with Rate, click on the “Apply” button on the company’s website where you’ll be asked to enter personal and financial information to determine your loan eligibility, such as:

  • Estimated credit score
  • Where you plan to purchase a home
  • The estimated purchase price
  • Employment history
  • Annual income
  • Bank account balances

You should also be prepared to upload documentation for the loan application, including W-2s, bank statements and payroll stubs. Once you’ve completed your application, you should receive a preapproval decision in about 15 minutes.

Noel, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Illinois, had this to say about their experience with Rate:

“I got the lowest rate possible and shopped around to be sure. Jay waived the lender fee and I pretty much paid nothing to refi. My prior mortgage was paid off within three days of closing and I got excess money paid back to me via direct deposit. ...This was the cleanest and most easy experience.”

Rate Mortgage application features

Loan types

Like most mortgage lenders, Rate offers an assortment of loan options, including conventional loans, jumbo loans, FHA loans and VA loans. Its fixed-rate loans come in 15-year or 30-year loan terms, while its ARMs have five-, seven- or 10-year fixed-rate periods.

The company also offers interest-only mortgages for borrowers who may need a more flexible loan option. With this type of mortgage, you delay repaying the principal debt for a short period of time (for example, five years) while making lower, interest-only payments monthly.

In addition to mortgage products, the company also offers HELOCs, home renovation loans and personal loans.

In 2021, Rate received 116,164 home purchase loan applications. Most of these applications made it through to closing (about 72%), and only about 4% were denied.

Loan applications for home purchases only by year

Information pulled from public Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Includes conventional, USDA, VA and FHA mortgages.

Refinancing

In 2021, a little over half of the loans Rate originated were for refinancing (roughly 54% with rate-and-term and cash-out refinances combined). That means less than half of the loans it originated were for home purchases (about 46%).

This isn’t unique to Rate, though. A large number of borrowers chose to refinance in 2020 and 2021 to take advantage of the low interest rates at the time. Refinancing to a lower rate reduces your monthly payment and helps you save on interest over the loan term. Many borrowers also choose to refinance if they want to turn some of their home equity into cash to fund a project or pay off another debt.

Home purchase vs. refinance loans by year

Information pulled from public Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data. Includes conventional, USDA, VA and FHA mortgages.

HELOC and home equity loans

Rate offers HELOCs to borrowers who need to draw from the equity in their homes over time, but it doesn’t offer home equity loans. With a HELOC from Rate, you can borrow between $25,000 and $400,000, depending on your equity and the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. Draw periods range from two to five years.

Unlike many HELOCs, Rate’s HELOC has a fixed interest rate, which means your monthly payments won’t fluctuate based on market conditions. You can also receive funding in as little as five to 10 days.

Requirements

Rate doesn’t publish all of its borrower requirements, but the ones it does post generally line up with the industry norms for those loan types. The company says that it requires a 620 credit score for mortgage approval, but this limit appears to be 580 for VA loans. Many of the company's educational materials also refer to lower credit score minimums for FHA loans — but not in the context of its own lending practices.

For context, we’ve included a table of general mortgage qualification guidelines below.

National mortgage requirements by type

Rate does a better job disclosing its requirements for HELOCs, which include having a:

  • Minimum credit score of 640
  • Maximum DTI ratio of 50%
  • Maximum LTV of 85%
  • Single-family home, townhouse or condominium

Cost and fees

Rate does not publish its lender fees. However, these fees are a portion of your total closing costs, which generally equal 2% to 5% of your loan amount.

In addition to lender fees, closing costs typically include title fees (like title search fees and title insurance), homeowners insurance premiums, appraisal fees and inspection fees. There’s also a $150 application fee for purchase and refinance mortgages.

To help you prepare to pay closing costs, you’ll receive a document called a Loan Estimate after you apply for a loan. This will give you a better idea of the fees associated with your new loan before you commit any further.

FAQ

What is Rate Mortgage?

Rate is a nationwide mortgage lender founded in 2000. The company is headquartered in Chicago, and it offers multiple types of home loan financing, including:

  • Conforming conventional loans
  • Nonconforming jumbo loans
  • Nonconforming interest-only loans
  • FHA loans
  • VA home loans
  • Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs)
  • Home renovation loans

If you’re interested in finding out more about Rate mortgage or applying for its programs, visit a local branch or go to the company's website and fill out a loan application.

Is Rate Mortgage legit?

Rate is an established lender that funded over $70 billion in loans in 2021, and it has over 500 branches nationwide. At the time of publishing, Rate has a 4.0 overall satisfaction rating on our site based on 1,482 ratings in the last year.

Where is Rate Mortgage available?

Rate is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It also has over 300 branch locations across 48 states nationwide.

What is a good interest rate for a mortgage now?

Mortgage rates fluctuate and several factors go into determining what your individual rate is such as your credit history, DTI, the size of your down payment and market conditions. One way to find out if you’re getting a good rate is to compare quotes from at least three lenders.

Still have questions?

Rate Mortgage Reviews

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    How do I know I can trust these reviews about Rate?
    • 4,943,942 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
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    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 40
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    Punctuality & SpeedStaffBillingLoan Process

    Reviewed Aug. 4, 2026

    After submitting all documents request. 2 day before closing, denied our loan application due to couple of late payments. They should have told us after looking at our credit report instead they waited 2 days before closing. They put us in a very bad situations almost facing legal actions from other parties. They are not in the business of helping good people. Stay away from this lender.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedTransparencyCommunicationHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed July 10, 2026

      Paul ** and James ** are the only names I remember but they are awful. Talk solely out of somewhere that’s not their mouth. Lack of communication from all of them, rude and dismissive in conversation. Paul talks very fast so you think he’s listening to you but he’s not, and just talks in circles providing you with no further explanation about anything. Lied about what was needed, we said a document wasn’t available two weeks prior to close and they said ok it’s fine we don’t need it. 3 days before closing they need it and now the entire deal is tanked. Why say it’s not needed if it’s going to ruin everything. No apologies for bad communication.

      We’d get emails and requests from a bunch of people asking for the exact same thing because they weren’t talking to each other. Lost our dream house because of all of this last minute bull. Got an offer accepted and two months and several extensions later we’re out everything we put in. Sketchy, untrustworthy, and unreliable. If you want to waste your time with illiterate children I’d recommend them to you.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffTimeliness

      Reviewed June 9, 2026

      Karol ** took my application and promised to have an answer the next day. He set appointment. I had to call him. He still has never answered my call, text, or email. I would not recommend this company nor this employee.

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      Customer ServiceStaffRatesHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed April 23, 2026

      Karol reached out to me regarding an inquiry I made regarding a 545k refi. I asked for info via text for a rate. When I asked if that was with points she refused to give me a answer and got very rude stating, I need to call her and this is not how business is conducted. I just wanted to know if points were added but she texted back "good luck but if you cannot do business our way we cannot help you". REALLY??? I was looking for some info but she insisted if I did not call her we were done here. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH RATE- pushy and rude and there are plenty of good honest lenders to work with.

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      Verified purchase
      Customer ServiceCoveragePriceRefunds & PayoutsBillingLoan ProcessRatesTransparency

      Reviewed Nov. 26, 2025

      I worked with Conor ** on a refinance where I accepted a higher interest rate in exchange for lender credits that were supposed to cover the majority of the closing costs. Instead, I ended up paying $2,020 in fees. By the time I found out about the fees, market rates had risen and I had already paid non-refundable fees, leaving me with no choice but to proceed.

      The Details: I brought a competitor’s offer to Conor for a loan at 6.25% where lender credits covered all fees. Conor agreed to match this structure. While he did not explicitly promise "$0 in fees," he stated that lender credits would cover the "majority" of the fees and implied my only out-of-pocket costs would be prepaids (taxes and insurance). Whenever I asked about fees listed on the initial documents, I was told they were just estimates and not to worry about them.

      Halfway through the process, I was asked to pay $720 for appraisal and credit report fees. When the final numbers arrived a day before closing, I was required to pay an additional $1,300 in fees. When I asked why the credits didn't cover these costs as implied, Conor explained that he couldn't cover the fees because the interest on my loan payoff was higher than expected. I found this explanation lacking because the "unexpected" amount was simply the interest portion of my standard monthly mortgage payment—a figure that is fixed and could have been easily looked up or calculated at the beginning of the process. I accepted a higher interest rate specifically to avoid these costs, but I still ended up paying about two-thirds of the fees out of pocket. I felt the communication regarding these estimates was inaccurate and led me to a deal I would not have chosen had I known the true costs upfront.

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      Refunds & PayoutsHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed Aug. 25, 2025

      I have been applying with these idiots since the first week of April 2025! Now it’s the last week of August! They do not know what the hell they’re doing. No organization! Each week I would ask them, is there anything else you need? Or how much more do I have to pay out of pocket? They all lie. I have so much dirt on them right now, they don’t have a chance in defeating me. I have literally been victimized by their tactics. I have already spent just under 20% of the projected payout, which seems will never happen. They messed with the wrong **.

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      Verified purchase
      StaffRatesTransparency

      Reviewed Aug. 17, 2025

      I can’t say enough great things about my experience with Chase and the team at Guarantee Rate Mortgage. From start to finish, the process was smooth, transparent, and incredibly professional. Chase went above and beyond to ensure I understood every step, answered all my questions with patience and clarity, and truly made me feel like a valued client—not just another transaction. Their attention to detail, responsiveness, and commitment to securing the best possible terms for my mortgage were unmatched. I felt supported throughout the entire journey, and their expertise gave me confidence during what can often be a stressful process.

      If you’re looking for a mortgage company that combines top-tier service with genuine care, look no further than Guaranteed Rate Mortgage. I wholeheartedly recommend them and will absolutely be returning for any future home financing needs. Thank you again for making my first time home-buying experience exceptional!

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      CoverageLoan Process

      Reviewed July 2, 2025

      Don't trust this company. Loans don't close on time. Loan is CTC (clear to close) then goes to closing department and they re-underwrite file the day before closing. Steer clear of this company unless you want major stress and headaches. Right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed April 21, 2025

      I applied for a pre approval on Friday, site states fast decision within 5 minutes. I received a phone call from Rate stating a loan officer would call me within an hour. No phone call. I received a text asking to set up a time to go over my application. Earliest was Monday. Received a text on Sunday saying “do you have any free time today”. I replied, "Yes. I’ll be available all day." No phone call. I received multiple texts this morning reminding me of our scheduled appointment. Again no phone call. I called Rate requesting a new loan officer. “I have your assigned loan officer on the other line, he’ll call you within a minute." Waited 15 minutes, no phone call. Received a text, "I’ll call you at 1:30." Again no phone call. I called Rate customer service again trying to find out what is going on. Received an apology, phone disconnects, no return phone call. Disappointed.

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      Customer ServiceStaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed March 6, 2023

      I worked as a loan officer for this company for 5 miserable months. No one knows what’s going on. Processors don’t respond. Underwriters and processors don’t know mortgage guidelines. Their leadership is riddled with incompetence and the mortgage knowledge is very low. It’s one thing after another and complete chaos. Always last minute hair on fire. Whatever manner in which this company was built has completely dissolved and it’s a big company going nowhere. I recommend reaching out to someone else. I would not recommend this mortgage company to anyone. Lack of knowledge, poor leadership, stressful and chaotic process and high interest rates with no cohesion in any department. With a company this size you would think with all the resources they have it would be exceptional but it’s like playing on a little league team going against the 27 Yankees compared to other mortgage companies. Very disappointing company.

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      Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffLoan ProcessRatesTransparencyHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed Oct. 20, 2022

      I was told by a Guaranteed loan officer and received follow-up emails that based upon my situation, I qualified for a primary mortgage loan. Thereafter, I put down my earnest money to the seller, paid for an inspection and a variety of other expenses associated with the loan. After supplying them with documents upon documents, I was approved by the underwriters. However, a "few weeks" later after the purchase agreement to refund my earnest money expired, I was informed by Guaranteed that I do not qualify. As a direct result of their incompetence and by misleading me that I was approved, coupled with additional follow-up conversations with them, in which they informed me they were going to make it work, I am going to lose all my earnest money. At that point, my only option was that Guaranteed required me to take a different loan at a much higher rate with extra points.

      Yet, "8" weeks later, the underwriters and the loan officer who previously approved me are refusing to close because they now want a 4th inspection of the house after I supplied them with again, additional documents or photos. I have had to deal with a merry-go-round of **. Once I give them one document, they want another. The sellers have had enough are walking away with my $10,000 because of Guaranteed inability to provide trustworthy, timely and straightforward services. Guaranteed, and their agents have continued to lack "any" transparency, or customer service. I have previously purchased 6 homes and have never endured so many lies, misrepresentation, utter incompetence and a lack of customer service. Do yourself a big favor, stay away, far away.

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      Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaffLoan ProcessTransparencyHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed July 18, 2022

      My husband is a 100% total and permanently disabled veteran. Not only did the underwriters try to charge me for VA funding fees but the loan officer was very disconnected from his customer not giving updates, dragging his feet on the loan process knowing I had a timeframe to get this done. Now they are dragging their feet on transferring our loan to a new lender. Honestly the worst customer service ever.

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      Customer ServiceTechPunctuality & SpeedStaffLoan ProcessRatesResolution

      Reviewed July 6, 2022

      I had the worst experience ever with Guaranteed Rate Mortgage Company! Just a little bit about myself first...I am a real estate investor and flip houses regularly. So I have some experience in dealing with banks while buying properties and taking loans. Now the plethora issues that I had to go through and my painful experience in dealing with them below:

      When I started with this loan I already worked with the loan officer and made sure that I was vetted with all my documentation and that I qualify for the loan. The debt to income ratio was calculated, my financial situation was reviewed etc. What I have found once I put the offer on the house and started the loan process was nerve-racking, disconcerting and ineffective. They do not seem to have a standard streamlined process internally.

      I was in a tight deadline to close the loan in 21 days. The first issue started with one of the two appraisals, which came wrong because of wrong sq. ft of house that was used. What needed to be just a simple correction in one of that wrong appraisal reports, instead resulted in ordering another appraisal, wasting 3 days in the loan process.

      Once new appraisal came in, the underwriter then took over and started reviewing my loan. What was supposed to be a straightforward review by that underwriter, my documents were sent to another underwriter who did not understand first underwriter's RSU calculations - two days got wasted here. Meanwhile I got conditions of first underwriter that I needed to satisfy which I did. Then the first underwriter came back and took over my application again and started adding new set of conditions. The problem was that there was no proper communication whatsoever.

      On one hand we were getting super frustrated and on the other hand we were worried that we would lose the house because the seller can back out if we don't close the loan in agreed upon 21 days. We ended up paying $$$/day due to extra time it took that I had to give to seller. The only saving grace was the loan officer who helped us to navigate this internally and had to escalate to upper management during each and every step of the process to move to next step. I suggest anyone who wants to apply for a new mortgage loan not to waste their time dealing with Guaranteed Rate and avoid the emotional ordeal that I and my family had to go through apart from spending $$$$$ as a result of the delay in closing the mortgage loan.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedLoan ProcessTransparency

      Reviewed June 22, 2022

      Probably the worst mortgage company out there for a million reasons, but instead of me writing a novel, here are some quick bullet points.

      -203k loan took 7 months to close.

      -Their HUD consultant botched the line items even though I gave them the line items in detail. There is like 8 people in the chain to communicate with to get anything done. By the time it gets to the top it is completely inaccurate.

      -Constructions draws (5) take 2 months on average to process but they give you 6 months to complete the project.

      -I froze my mortgage during the pandemic which they approved, then they put my mortgage in loss mitigation. While they are processing my paperwork (8 months and counting) at the same time a different department sends me weekly foreclosure notices. These people do not give updates or communicate at all unless you call them repeatedly and pry info from them.

      These are just a few of the issues, you've been warned.

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      Punctuality & SpeedStaffBillingLoan ProcessRatesTimeliness

      Reviewed April 29, 2022

      Guaranteed Rate Mortgage in Albuquerque NM - 100 Sun Avenue N.E., Suite 650, Albuquerque, NM 87109. If I can put a NEGATIVE rating, I would!!!! HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE!!! Purchasing a home is supposed to be exciting. I tried to be on top of most things, all paperworks needed, I provide in 24hours. 2 days at the most. Wired down payment money morning 4/26. Closing date is 4/27 but due to my location, the signed loan docs got FedExed and should have been received on 4/28 early AM.

      And when I thought everything was running smooth, the unthinkable happened. Clerical error at Guaranteed Rate happened!!! They wired the funding to the WRONG ACCOUNT. I've never heard of something like this happening. We kept asking if we were going to get the keys and we didn't. Agent kept saying in a few minutes which turned into hours and was told until 5 pm. Until the day is done then they found out, they funded the wrong account. I guess that's why their name is not Guaranteed Funding! We couldn't cancel our movers anymore so the next day (4/29), we were still waiting. Movers loaded all our things at 8am then head to the home we just purchased BUT waited in front FOR HOURS!!! Until finally, at almost 2 pm, we got the KEYS!!! And no compensation or whatsoever for this unacceptable mistake!

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      RatesHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed April 18, 2022

      This company is very dishonest. Kevin ** just needed to get his quota to get us into his books to supply the home mortgage. He sent me a pre-approval letter at 3.875% only to find out that Guaranteed Rate would not lock this in. He did give us the idea that this would be no problem. We are in the process of purchasing a home where lo and behold the interest rate that they are going to give us is at a current rate of 5.5%. He says he can’t honor the pre-approval letter and how sorry he is that this is not possible. We do not recommend this Company. They are dishonest and just trying to get you to buy in to their dishonest ways. He just happens to be part of Lysa Catlin’s team.

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      TechStaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed Feb. 21, 2022

      As owner of 9 investment properties, figured I would try something different for the latest project. I should have just went with another lender. After the longest list of qualifying documents ever, the rate comes back at a higher interest rate due to a loan officers error. The appraisal came back with missing data, although not the company's fault, was still a huge pain in the butt. I would strongly advise picking a different lender if you want to have any kind of positive experience with refinancing. I have never submitted more documents of the same kind to multiple teams. I was told by ric that "my team has 100 percent satisfaction", I am literally certain that that cannot possibly be the case with the amount of frustrating circumstances in a routine refinance at the highest possible income and credit qualifications are. Do yourself a favor and find someone else. Trust me!

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      Loan ProcessRates

      Reviewed Jan. 25, 2022

      Guaranteed Rate blocks Mint from integrating my loan information, which prevents me from tracking my finances like I normally do. This is the only bank or lender I have ever worked with that blocks Mint. PLEASE STOP BLOCKING MINT!

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      Customer ServiceTechPunctuality & SpeedStaffLoan Process

      Reviewed Nov. 23, 2021

      It is with a very heavy heart that I write this review. The excitement of purchasing a new home should never be overshadowed by the lending process. As a consumer who does not know the ins and outs of financing, I looked to my loan expert to be my guide at the side through this process. With unanswered text messages, emails forwarded to other individuals on the team, that I had no idea were a part of the team, and excuse after excuse of how busy and/or overwhelmed they are, all I could do was question why I wasn’t as important as any other client.

      Did we close on time? No, we found out the night before closing that they didn’t have all the documents they needed. Four business days later sitting at the title company that was still the case. Luckily the title company was able to advocate for us and we returned that evening and were finally able to close on our home. Did we end up with the home of our dreams? Yes. Would I want this same experience for anyone else that is purchasing a home working with a lender, no. Be careful, things are not always as they appear. Had I of known ahead of time this would have been my experience I would have gone with a different lender. That is my advice to you.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage
      Thank you for your review - we are saddened to hear your experience with Guaranteed Rate was anything less than excellent, for which we apologize.

      Should you feel the need to, please contact our Customer Success Department at 773-328-6467.

      Thank you,

      Customer Success

      Sales & MarketingPunctuality & SpeedStaffBillingLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed Aug. 29, 2021

      We refinanced our condo with Guaranteed Rate in May 2021. We were give two "payment coupons" to send physical checks for the first two months of payments, before we were put into the online system (and if our mortgage was going to be sold to a third-party servicer). Disappointedly, despite both checks being cashed, our second monthly payment was NOT applied to our loan, and we had a late fee assessed and potentially improper interest accruing as well negative credit reporting to agencies. We reported the error to Guaranteed Rate, and I sent an official RESPA notice (with a copy to our loan officer who closed our refi). Our loan officer made sure the error was fixed IMMEDIATELY, which it was in less than a week. Thanks to Aimee ** in Chicago for correcting the error!

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      Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedStaffLoan ProcessRatesCommunication

      Reviewed Aug. 27, 2021

      This is a warning for anyone thinking of using Guaranteed Rate for their next home purchase. Our experience with Guaranteed Rate Affinity and Scott ** (Loan Officer) was horrendous. Dealing with our loan officer was like dealing with a used car salesman and he was quite unscrupulous. He was not a trustworthy lender. We were misguided and provided with misinformation multiple times throughout the loan process.

      First there is the interest rate. Our loan officer initially provided a great rate for our pre-approval. Then once we found a home, that rate went up but as expected since interest rates slightly increased. He made it very clear to us that if rates went back down we could always renegotiate the rate around closing. Then as the closing date started to come closer and interest rates dipped considerably, I requested that we renegotiate. Scott's team was VERY slow to respond and he was constantly "working" on it. He then got back to us at the 11th hour only to tell us that he was not changing the rate and at this point we were too close to the closing to do anything about it. He purposely dragged his feet until it was too late. I have an 800+ credit score and I was receiving quotes from other lenders half a point less than what Scott was offering. This will end up costing me thousands throughout the life of my loan.

      Then there is the discrepancy with closing costs. Two days to closing we were provided with the Closing Disclosure. Although we weren't happy with our rate there was nothing we could do at this point. I just wanted this nightmare to end but it unfortunately continued. The night before the closing we were provided with the final closing costs to only find that we needed to pay several thousands more than what was initially disclosed on the CD. This included large discrepancies with the Title Fees, County Taxes (forgot to include), prepaid interests and initial escrow. All which were available to Scott and his team when he sent the CD two days prior.

      Scott did apologize and mentioned that he did a poor job reviewing the CD and didn't notice the discrepancies. If this was the only hiccup, maybe I could understand but it wasn't. I have to say I am extremely upset with the poor communication from Guaranteed Rate, Scott and his team throughout the process. I will never be using him or Guaranteed Rate again in the future and others should think twice before you do as well.

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      Punctuality & SpeedBilling

      Reviewed July 17, 2021

      I refinanced with GR this year. My first payment was due May 1st and I made it in late April. The check was cashed. June 1st my mortgage was transferred. Only then did I notice they didn’t give me credit for that payment. I provided GR with back of check. It was deposited into “wrong account” at GR. For 5 weeks, I’ve waited for them to give me credit and they still haven’t. I am forced to make an extra payment with my new services until GR figures this out. They’ve had my money for 3 months. Haven’t given me credit yet. They are Crooks & Thieves.

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      Customer ServiceLoan ProcessRatesCommunication

      Reviewed June 18, 2021

      Guarantee Rate had all of the information a month before closing. On Thursday, they told us everything was ready for our closing on Monday. Then, on Saturday night- they sent an email saying we needed to push closing a week. Thankfully the seller agreed. Then, the night before closing they let us know they could not do the loan because of information about the HOA they had a month ago! Poor communication throughout the entire process.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffBillingLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed June 1, 2021

      We refinanced with Guaranteed Rate at the end of 2020, and our loan officer, Sean was great. That…was the last of the good news. We tried to initiate bi-weekly mortgage payments as we’d done with other loan companies for years, and that was when the pain started. 5 customer service reps ("We didn’t receive your set up fee, we found it, you can’t do biweekly pmts., let me connect you with a supervisor"), and 3 supervisors later ("Your loan is being transferred", "No it’s not", "Why don’t you just add extra funds to your monthly pmt.; it’s easier") and it was still not done. Then we were told 2 months ago that our loan was being transferred to another co. but then it wasn’t, and then last week…it actually was. In fairness, a supervisor named Nina tried to help us, but by then the transfer was in process. We have never experienced such poor customer service in all our years of refinancing. So… all I can say is “buyer beware.”

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us. If you haven't already done so, we would appreciate the opportunity to look into the situation you described. At your convenience, please give our Customer Success Team a call at 773-328-6467. Our toll free number is 866-934-7283, option 4.

      - The Customer Success Team

      Profile pic of the author.
      Customer ServiceTechPunctuality & SpeedStaffTransparency

      Reviewed May 11, 2021

      I was matched with Chanon ** and received pre-approval pretty quickly. I went under contract on 4/17. Exactly 3 weeks later after 17 unreturned emails and several calls I finally got him on the phone. He had not ordered the appraisal and had not updated a single number on the contract. When I asked if we were going to be approved by closing in 2 weeks he said “not a chance”. When I inquired why this work had not been done his response was “take it easy- I was on vacation”. No out of office reply and the others copied didn’t respond either. I nearly lost my condo because of their total incompetence. Run far away from this company! I’m with Fairway now and they have been amazing!

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us. If you haven't already done so, we would appreciate the opportunity to look into the situation you described. At your convenience, please give our Customer Success Team a call at 773-328-6467. Our toll free number is 866-934-7283, option 4.

      - The Customer Success Team

      Customer ServiceCoveragePunctuality & SpeedStaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed May 11, 2021

      I have refinance my home three different times. The third time I refinanced through Guaranteed Rate. Refinancing is always a hassle but Guaranteed Rate took it to a different level. I submitted the application in mid December and immediate got approved. I submitted all of the required documentation and the loan officer scheduled me to close within 20 days. A couple of days before closing, he rescheduled due to being busy.

      He rescheduled me to sing closing docs a week later. The public notary came and I signed all of the forms. Later in the month, I noticed that my loan with the previous lender was not paid off. I contacted guaranteed rate and they told me that the underwriting department was busy and the loan did not get approved. After several emails, they rescheduled another public notary to come to my house. I signed all of the docs and the loan finally closed nearly three months later. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us. If you haven't already done so, we would appreciate the opportunity to look into the situation you described. At your convenience, please give our Customer Success Team a call at 773-328-6467. Our toll free number is 866-934-7283, option 4.

      - The Customer Success Team

      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffRates

      Reviewed May 5, 2021

      We worked with Nick ** at the San Antonio office. We had clearly communicated our timeline, expectations and submitted all required documents from the get go. Instead of reviewing all information carefully and performing due diligence as a professional lender, Nick's team had consistently missed information that we provided. Instead, they repeated asked for the same documents over 3-4 times - this had contributed to significant delays and at this point we had blew past multiple deadlines. Meanwhile, Nick continued to falsely promise timeline that he ended up missing, and instead of showing a sense of urgency, their communication got worse.

      We needed to follow up multiple times plus texts to get a one line response which did not answer our actual question. The worst part was that they always had last minute requirements which should had been discovered early on in the process if they reviewed our documents carefully. We asked for their management to step in and expedite, and so far no meaningful action from Guaranteed Rate's part. This is the worst experience we've ever had with a lender, and we cannot help but question their professionalism and competence in handling customer request.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us. If you haven't already done so, we would appreciate the opportunity to look into the situation you described. At your convenience, please give our Customer Success Team a call at 773-328-6467. Our toll free number is 866-934-7283, option 4.

      - The Customer Success Team

      Punctuality & SpeedStaffRatesFollow-Through

      Reviewed April 29, 2021

      I could count on this mortgage company, they did what they said they would when they said they would! Helped me make informed decisions. This company worked quickly, other companies were backed up with too much business-due to low interest rates.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaff

      Reviewed April 6, 2021

      Got a mortgage from them - pretty easy- Paid it off just as they were selling me to Chase. Sent Guaranteed the pay off amount. Chase says I owe $281000. Guaranteed says they sent it and it is my problem. Emailed...No answer...Called ...disconnected 4 times. Got someone on the phone and asked them to send back my money... was told they didn't have it but would look into it. Also I have to call them. They will not call me. Run away fast. This company does not care about you.

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      StaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed March 12, 2021

      I first applied for a refi with Owning.com. Everything seemed to be going well when the loan was to close. I was then told that Owning will become Rate.com. I pretty much had to resubmit all paperwork and refile after I was told by Owning that the loan was to close. I submit all paperwork again to Rate.com. I am told numerous times that the loan will close but never does, they just keep asking for more items. I have an excellent credit rating of over 770. The debt to loan is not even 1/4 of what will be borrowed. I have obtained mortgages in the past and have never been led astray by such incomitance. This ordeal has been going on for over three months. We are done, don't waste your time.

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      Sales & MarketingPunctuality & SpeedBillingEase of UseRates

      Reviewed March 6, 2021

      Guaranteed Rate brands itself with ads on how you can get a mortgage completely via an online process. But just trying making payments online - it went from very difficult - very hard to find the correct URL, etc., although at least it was possible -- to impossible. Mail service now is completely unreliable, so be prepared to get suckered for late fees since either online payments are not possible or it's so extremely difficult to navigate to a payment page. There went 20 minutes of my precious weekend, and now off to the post office hoping my check reaches them before they slap me with a late fee. No longer referring anyone to them!!!!

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      Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPunctuality & SpeedStaffBillingLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed March 1, 2021

      I finally closed on my loan 12/23/20 with Guaranteed Rate.com. First payment was due 2/1/2021. I mailed the payment with a temporary payment coupon they provided on 1/26/21 and it cleared my bank on 2/2/21. The mortgage was sold to Mr. Cooper effective 2/1/21. The new servicer of the loan, Mr. Cooper claims I was late in February because my payment was never sent to the new servicer. I made another payment on 2/19/21 so I would not be reported as late. What can I do? This is the worst mortgage company I have ever dealt with. They pass you around from one ineffective department to the next and the last department said I would have to talk with the original department I started with. Communication is awful and then they constantly request information that was sent previously. The rep who is making a nice commission apologizes profusely and tells you what you want to hear.

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      Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingRates

      Reviewed Feb. 26, 2021

      I am a 100% disabled veteran. Because of this, I was granted property tax exemption from the state of MD. I forwarded that message and the accompanying letter to Guaranteed Rate asking for an out of cycle escrow analysis. I was told it would take about 4 days. Since then a tax payment has been made to MD/Anne Arundel County tax assessor, which was subsequently returned, due to my tax exempt status. That was two weeks ago. I’ve talked to numerous customer service agents and almost as many supervisors. These folks have stated “it’s almost complete”, “check back in two days”, and “the supervisors’ computers aren’t working today.” On Tuesday I spoke with a gentleman, that stated he could see everything in the system, recalculated our mortgage and our escrow refund. He said he was going to send us an email to wrap it all up and get us a tracking number on the check through UPS. That email never came.

      I called back again and talked with a lady that was not as helpful. She stated there was nothing in the system indicating we were tax exempt, that an analysis had not been completed, and that even when it was, the payment wouldn’t change for two more months. My wife and I waited almost 2 days before calling back again, and were told we would receive a call back after it was "looked into" by senior management, and again, nothing. I have asked numerous questions to which I would get a different answer each time. When I have asked to speak to a senior manager since I had gotten so many different stories from different “supervisors” many of the customer service agents would say they weren't at liberty to disclose that but could submit my info to have a member of management call me back. I said yes. Again, no call came. If I owed them thousands of dollars, they wouldn't hesitate to smash my credit.

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      Profile pic of the author.
      Customer ServiceRates

      Reviewed Feb. 26, 2021

      I only wanted to find out current rates for a re-fi. I got notification that my credit was ran. When I sent an email inquiring about it the response I received was, "So sorry about that! I did run it. However, good news is that it will not impact your credit score at all. (YES, IT DID HAVE AN IMPACT) Thanks! And have a great night!"

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      Customer ServiceCoverageTechPricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBilling

      Reviewed Feb. 23, 2021

      I am so frustrated that I cannot easily change a mortgage company. I spent 2 months, over 15 calls defending that I paid my mortgage when THEY were at fault. We were threatened with debt collectors and constant late notices despite being assured we had done everything we needed to. We talked to supervisors and managers, and no one could take care of the issue. When I asked them to make up for the horrible customer service they had shown us, I was told that the only compensation we could get was to not be charged late fees, even though we had never missed a payment or paid late. Scarlet mocked me on the phone and couldn't understand why I was frustrated when her company took my money, then told me I hadn't paid, spent 2 months making me prove I paid, and still didn't fix it in the system. As soon as we can refinance to use a different company, we will

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      PricePunctuality & SpeedBillingLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed Feb. 4, 2021

      My problem with Guaranteed Rate began when I decided to apply for the budget plan payment program. First, this company charges a $150.00 non refundable fee. Although I was surprised that there was a fee I paid it and starting on November 2020 I utilized the program. January 22nd they sent me a letter stating that starting on January 15th my loan no longer qualified for this program because they were transferring the loan to Chase effective March 1st. Although the application states the fee is non refundable it does not make it clear that they can take your money and then cancel your eligibility two months later. I find this to be very deceptive and a rip off. They should not be able to steal your money while providing a service for only two months. Beware of utilizing this service as it is deceptive and you can end up spending a lot more than what you thought you would save.

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      TechPunctuality & SpeedLoan Process

      Reviewed Feb. 3, 2021

      All started with a lot of promises that I would get approved and funded for a loan last April 2020. Selling a home and buying a new one with FHA mortgage lender recommended by my realtor. June signed a contract on a new house. Conditionally approved and provided all the documents but they kept asking for extensions. This went on from initial closing July until Late September where they told me no. Now it's not going to happen. So I had strung out my sellers for months and I found a new lender. Never again to a big company and being a number. Very disappointing.

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      Punctuality & SpeedRates

      Reviewed Jan. 11, 2021

      I started the process to refinance a second home in May of 2020. I expected the process to take longer due to the number of refi's occurring and Covid-19. Closing was finally scheduled on Dec 31, 2020. Thru this process, Guaranteed Rate communicated sparingly.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are sorry to hear about the communication issues you experienced, but we appreciate you letting us know as this will be a great coaching opportunity for our Company. Again, we thank you for your feedback.

      - The Customer Success Team

      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsBillingLoan ProcessHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed Dec. 15, 2020

      The loan was easy to get but after I closed it got ugly. The state of Texas approved me for a 100% tax exemption due to me being disabled due to my military service. I sent the paperwork to them and heard nothing for 2 weeks. I called to check on it and I would told to call back in 2 days and this went on for a week and a half and I was told that the delay was because they were behind because of Thanksgiving. Because taxes increased my monthly payment I asked what I should do until it was processed and they said it will definitely be done by the 16th which was my last day to pay it.

      Well as it got closer I asked to speak with a manager and she told me I need to pay my full payment with taxes or it will go on my credit and I will need to pay a late fee. I have heard nothing but lies, lies and more lies. They always say someone is going to call me back and they never do. I have told them numerous times that I am TAX EXEMPT and they are charging me taxes when I don't owe any taxes. Now I had to spend Christmas money because they decided to drag their feet for 2 maybe 3 months.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us, but are aware we have taken quick action to get this resolved for you. By now you should have a letter from our Customer Success and Servicing Teams outlining the issue and how it's been corrected.

      Thank you,

      - The Customer Success Team

      PriceStaffLoan ProcessRates

      Reviewed Dec. 5, 2020

      Very difficult to work with. Have used Guaranteed Rate 3 other times and when things are going well they are fine. Most recently we were paired with a loan specialist who was inept at best. After multiple delays on her part guaranteed rate switched us to a new specialist. At that point the trust in them was lost. Would avoid using them at all cost unless you want to feel small and insignificant when you need help. They stand by their employees which is a great quality but I don't feel it is smart to do when they spend 3 weeks not completing tasks they said they were going to.

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      Rate Mortgage
      Response from Rate Mortgage

      Hello,

      We are sorry to hear about the experience you had with us, but we thank you for the feedback as this will help better our standards and practices moving forward.

      - The Customer Success Team

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      Sources

      ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. To learn more about the content on our site, visit our FAQ page. Specific sources for this article include:

      1. NMLS Consumer Access, “Guaranteed Rate, Inc.” Accessed August 27, 2022.
      2. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), “HMDA Dataset Filtering.” Accessed September 12, 2022.

      Rate Mortgage Company Information

      Company Name:
      Rate
      Company Type:
      Private
      Year Founded:
      2000
      Formerly Named:
      Guaranteed Rate
      Address:
      3940 N Ravenswood Ave
      City:
      Chicago
      State/Province:
      IL
      Postal Code:
      60613
      Country:
      United States
      Website:
      www.rate.com