PrimeLending Reviews

PrimeLending doesn’t publish its rates online. You have to fill out an online application, speak with a loan officer by phone or visit a branch and give details about your credit history and your purchase in order to get a personalized rate quote.

For the past three years, PrimeLending has had an average home purchase rate slightly higher than the national average. However, in 2021, the company’s average rate was closer to the national average at the time (about 0.02% higher).

Remember that rates depend on outside factors, such as the economy. Also, your credit history and debt-to-income ratio impact your interest rate. Generally speaking, borrowers with excellent credit scores (above 800) and low debt-to-income ratios (below 36%) are offered the best rates available. It’s possible that in recent years PrimeLending’s average borrower credit score was slightly lower than the national average, which could have led to higher-than-average interest rates.

PrimeLending offers both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). Fixed-rate mortgages offer a predictable monthly payment (the interest rate doesn’t change over the loan term). An ARM may offer a low, fixed rate for a short period of time (maybe five years). After that time has passed, the interest rate will reset and fluctuate yearly or twice a year, depending on the ARM type.

PrimeLending average home purchase rate vs. national average

To get a mortgage, start by completing the application online on PrimeLending’s website. First, you’ll need to register and create an account with a valid email address and phone number.

Once you’ve created an account, the company will connect you to a loan officer you can reach out to anytime during the process. The application will ask you to provide information about your loan purpose, income and assets. Be prepared to provide your Social Security number; the company may conduct a credit check at this point to determine your eligibility.

Within the application portal, you can upload the required financial documents, like W-2s, pay stubs and bank account statements. Once you submit the application, you could receive a preapproval decision fairly quickly, and you can view your loan’s status on the portal. PrimeLending also offers “eClose,” which means you can sign all the required paperwork from your phone or computer on closing day.

PrimeLending application features

PrimeLending offers a wide variety of loan options, including conventional loans (with fixed or adjustable rates), FHA loans, VA loans, USDA loans and jumbo loans. Typical fixed-rate mortgages have loan terms of 15 or 30 years. The company also offers loans for home renovations, like FHA 203(k) loans and new construction loans.

In 2021, potential borrowers initiated 62,089 home purchase applications with PrimeLending. The majority of these applications (about 78%) went on to close, while about 4% (2,279) were denied. The company seems to have a lower denial rate than the industry as a whole, which sits at about 8% for home purchase loans. Less than 0.5% of PrimeLending preapprovals were denied.

Loan applications for home purchases only by year

Refinancing

For the past three years, the majority of loans PrimeLending originated were for home purchases (about 64% last year, up from 60% in 2020). Refinance loans and cash-out refinances accounted for just 36% of the total. At a time when enders were shifting to refinancing industry-wide, PrimeLending remained concentrated on home purchases.

In 2020 and 2021, borrowers refinanced in record numbers because interest rates were at historic lows. Even a small rate decrease can save you significant money over the life of the loan.

In 2022, rates have been steadily rising; at the time of publishing, they’ve reached a 10-year high. In fact, 30-year fixed-rate averages soared from nearly 3% in the last quarter of 2021 to almost 6% at the same time in 2022, so fewer borrowers are expected to refinance this year.

Home purchase vs. refinance loans by year

PrimeLending does not disclose its borrower requirements online. However, typically lenders require at least a 620 credit score to qualify for a conventional loan. Government-backed mortgages, like FHA, VA and USDA loans, usually have lower credit score requirements. It’s likely you’ll need at least a 500 to qualify for an FHA loan and 640 for a USDA loan. The VA does not set a minimum credit score requirement, so this may vary by lender.

Down payment requirements are basically the same across the industry. If your credit score is 580 or above, you’ll need to offer at least 3% down for a conventional loan and 3.5% down for an FHA loan. If your score is between 500 and 579, you’ll need a minimum down payment of 10%. Both VA and USDA loans have no down payment requirements.

National mortgage requirements by type

For other loan types, read our jumbo loans guide.

PrimeLending does not post the lender fees it charges for loan originations. Many lenders today charge an origination fee, generally between 0.5% to 1% of the loan amount (although this can vary by lender). The origination fee usually includes other services associated with starting your loan, like processing and underwriting.

Lender fees, like origination fees, are a small portion of the overall closing costs, which can account for 2% to 5% of the loan amount altogether. Total closing costs include third-party fees for services like title search, home appraisal and pest inspection. There are also prorated charges included for insurance premiums and property taxes.

You can request an estimate of the closing costs before you finalize your loan, and your lender will give you a document (called the Loan Estimate) outlining all these costs. You can use the Loan Estimate to compare loan options from different lenders.

Further down the line, three days before your closing, you’ll receive a more specific disclosure that details the final closing costs. It’s important to read over the Closing Disclosure and compare it with the Loan Estimate. If there are any discrepancies, bring them to your lender’s attention immediately so they can be resolved before closing.