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PrimeLending Mortgage Review 2025

Last updated on January 2, 2025
Taylor Getler
Written by 
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
Johanna Arnone
Edited by 
Managing Editor
Fact Checked
Taylor Getler
Written by 
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
Johanna Arnone
Edited by 
Managing Editor
Fact Checked

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Why trust NerdWallet
  • 50+ mortgage lenders reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
  • 40+ years of combined experience covering mortgages and financial topics.
  • Objective, comprehensive star rating system assessing 120+ categories and 5,000+ data points.
  • Governed by NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
NerdWallet's mortgage content, including articles, reviews and recommendations, is produced by a team of writers and editors who specialize in home lending. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, USA Today, The Washington Post, MarketWatch, Newsweek and many other national, regional and local publications. They have been cited in publications including The Wall Street Journal, and appeared on NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast as well as local TV and radio.

Our Take

4.0

Home loans overall
NerdWallet rating
The Nerdy headline:

PrimeLending stands out for its wide variety of loan types, including non-QM loans and a range of renovation and construction loans. However, the lender lacks some common technical features, such as online rates or a mobile app. Most likely to appeal to home buyers looking for closing cost assistance or purchasing a fixer-upper.

Jump to:Full Review
PrimeLending
PrimeLending: NMLS#13649

Min. credit score
620
Min. down payment
3%
Loan types and products
Purchase, Refinance, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA, USDA, Home Equity

Pros

  • Offers closing cost assistance.

  • Wide variety of loan types, including non-QM loans.

  • Mortgages are available for manufactured homes, including 3D-printed houses.

Cons

  • Loans are not available in all states.

  • Rates are not posted online.

  • Does not have a mobile app.

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Full Review

PrimeLending is a non-bank subsidiary of PlainsCapital Bank, based in Dallas, Texas. Loans are available in 23 states plus Washington, D.C.

    • Alabama

    • Arizona

    • Arkansas

    • California

    • Hawaii

    • Illinois

    • Iowa

    • Maine

    • Maryland

    • Massachusetts

    • Michigan

    • New Hampshire

    • New Jersey

    • New Mexico

    • New York

    • North Dakota

    • Oregon

    • Rhode Island

    • Texas

    • Vermont

    • Washington

    • Washington, D.C.

    • West Virginia

    • Wyoming

🏠 Common mortgages • Fixed- or adjustable-rate • FHA loans • VA loans • Jumbo loans • Rate-and-term refinances

🔑 Specialty loans • Construction loans • Renovation loans • Bond loans • USDA loans • Non-QM loans

💵 Home equity • HELOCs • Home equity loans • Cash-out refinance

PrimeLending special offers and discounts

PrimeLending goes beyond basic mortgages with a few standout programs designed to make buying, fixing up, or customizing a home a little easier:

  • NeighborhoodEdge: Offers up to $2,000 in closing cost credits for eligible low- and moderate-income buyers in underserved markets.

  • EZ “C”onventional Repair Escrow: A renovation loan for non-structural cosmetic improvements, financing up to $35,000 in repairs bundled into your home purchase.

  • Pool escrow loan: Lets you roll the cost of building a pool into your mortgage, with funds held in escrow and paid directly to the builder after closing — meaning one loan, one payment, no extra financing.

What mortgages does PrimeLending specialize in?

A lender’s experience with your loan type can make a big difference. We looked at the latest federal data to find the types of mortgages PrimeLending handles most often.

In 2024, nearly two-thirds of PrimeLending purchase loans were conventional. They issued a good amount of FHA loans (22%) and VA (11%) loans, as well.

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How we score PrimeLending mortgages

Each year, NerdWallet writers and editors dig into the latest data and independent research on mortgage lending. Then, we rate lenders based on categories that matter most to mortgage borrowers.

PrimeLending has a NerdWallet home loans rating of four stars overall. Here’s a breakdown of this year’s score.

Category

Star rating

Average mortgage rates and fees

Mortgage rate transparency

Variety of loan types

Customer experience

Overall star rating

  • Ah, so you’re the “read the fine print” type? We got you. Here’s how our scoring rubric works.

    Average mortgage rates and fees (30%)

    We review federal data (as reported by the lenders) and analyze mortgage lenders’ average fees and interest rates across all loan types. Lenders with the lowest average costs get the highest star ratings. Keep in mind: Loans that are easier to qualify for, like FHA loans, usually have higher rates and fees because lenders see them as a higher risk. Pro tip: Paying some fees upfront can sometimes lower your interest rate.

    Mortgage rate transparency (25%)

    We look at how easy it is to compare mortgage rates online. Lenders get higher transparency ratings if they show sample rates on their website. (Not all lenders do!) The best ratings go to lenders that offer interactive tools that let you customize a rate quote on your own.

    Variety of loan types (25%)

    There’s no one-size-fits-all mortgage. Lenders earn top ratings in this category when they offer a large variety of mortgage types. The more variety, the higher their score. A lender earns points for purchase and refinance; fixed and adjustable rates; FHA, VA or USDA loans; renovation or construction loans; and home equity loans or HELOCs.

    Customer experience (20%)

    How easy is it to work with this lender? Top-rated lenders offer helpful features like online applications, multiple ways to get support, a user-friendly mobile app and clear updates about the loan closing timeline.

PrimeLending bonus points

PrimeLending earned bonus points for offering programs aimed at first-time-home buyers, as well as loans for manufactured homes and loans with flexible credit score requirements.

PrimeLending mortgage reputation and customer experience

NerdWallet’s star ratings look at objective factors like rates, fees and loan options. To give you a sense of what the borrower experience is really like, we pulled the latest customer satisfaction scores from Zillow and contacted the lender’s customer support.

Zillow Mortgage Lender Customer Rating

4.99

out of 5

Excellent rating as of the date of publication.

Rating reflects more than 22,000 customer reviews.

PrimeLending mortgage customer service options

Here’s how you can get in touch with PrimeLending.

Ways to reach PrimeLending

Physical branches . . . . . . ✅ Phone support . . . . . . . . . ✅ Mobile app . . . . . . . . . . . . ✅ Online chat (bot) . . . . . . . 🚫 Online chat (human) . . . . 🚫

🤓 Our Nerds say... this lender still relies on old-school phone support

NerdWallet editor and content strategist Dawnielle Robinson-Walker

Dawnielle Robinson-Walker, editor and content strategist

When we reached out to PrimeLending, it was clear the company leans on phone support. There’s no live chat, which feels a bit dated compared to competitors, but we were connected immediately with a friendly representative.

Alternatives to PrimeLending

Our biggest tip: Get offers from at least three different mortgage lenders. Comparison shopping can save you thousands of dollars. You can get rate quotes yourself, or work with a mortgage broker to shop around on your behalf.

Borrowers planning home improvements will find a selection of renovation loans with CrossCountry Mortgage and Guild Mortgage.

Northpointe Bank could be a good match for buyers interested in closing cost or down payment assistance.

More from NerdWallet

Methodology

NerdWallet’s overall ratings for mortgage lenders are evaluated based on four major categories: average mortgage rates and origination fees, rate transparency to consumers, variety of loan types (purchase, refinance, fixed and adjustable, for example) and customer experience. Among the factors we consider in these categories are: options to apply for home loans online, typical time to close, mobile app experience, level of detail about mortgage rates on lender websites, and NerdWallet’s own analysis of the rates and fees lenders reported in the latest available Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. These and other items inform detailed rubrics, which generate ratings from 1 star (poor) to 5 stars (excellent). Read more about how we rate mortgage lenders here.