Best-Of Awards 2026 Methodologies

Best Mortgage Lender for Low Credit Scores

Methodology:

All reviewed mortgage lenders are evaluated against the criteria below. The lender with the highest raw score is our Best Mortgage Lender for Low Credit Scores:

1. Minimum credit score for mortgage applicants.
2. Serves borrowers with lower credit scores with a verified product or feature.
3. Raw score in NerdWallet’s evaluation of Best Mortgage Lender Overall.

Tiebreaker:

1. Lender with the lowest origination fees.

How we picked the companies to evaluate:

NerdWallet reviewed more than 40 mortgage lenders, including the majority of the largest U.S. mortgage lenders by annual loan volume (measured among lenders with at least a 1% market share), lenders with significant online search volume and those that specialize in serving various audiences across the country. We rated them on criteria We rated them on criteria including rates and fees, product accessibility, customer experience and more.

Some of the providers are NerdWallet partners, but this did not influence our selection of the winner.

How we chose the winner:

The winner is the mortgage lender that had the highest raw score when evaluated against NerdWallet's low credit scores star-rating rubric: minimum stated credit score for mortgage applicants (30%), serves borrowers with lower credit scores with a verified product or feature, additional to or separate from government-backed loans (30%), raw score in NerdWallet’s evaluation of Best Mortgage Lender Overall (40%). In the event of a tie, the winner must charge the lowest origination fees.

How we verified our data:

NerdWallet solicits information from reviewed lenders on a recurring basis throughout the year. Lender-provided information is verified through lender websites and interviews. We analyzed 2025 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data for APR spread, market share, product distribution, and loan type information, and we referenced internal performance data when available.


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