Alliant Credit Union Mortgage Review 2025
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- 50+ mortgage lenders reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
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Our Take
4.5
Alliant Credit Union allows you to see a wide range of customized mortgage rates without sharing any personal information, but beyond that the lender is a bit opaque. General information about their loan offerings is minimal and customer service is geared toward credit union members. Most likely to appeal to current Alliant members or borrowers already interested in credit union membership.
Pros
- Mortgage borrowers do not need to become members of the credit union until reaching the closing process, so interested home buyers can apply without committing to membership.
- Sample rates are displayed upfront, and it's easy to get detailed, personalized rates without providing any personally identifying information.
- No application fee.
Cons
- You can't apply for preapproval online.
- Website has minimal information about home loan offerings.
- Customer service is tough to navigate as a non-member.
Lender | Min. credit score | Min. down payment | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Visit Lenderat NBKC at NBKC | 620 | 3% | Visit Lenderat NBKC at NBKC |
 Visit Lenderat New American Funding at New American Funding | 580 | N/A | Visit Lenderat New American Funding at New American Funding |
 Visit Lenderat Rocket Mortgage, LLC at Rocket Mortgage, LLC | 580 | 3.5% | Visit Lenderat Rocket Mortgage, LLC at Rocket Mortgage, LLC |
 4.0 Visit Lenderat GO Mortgage at GO Mortgage | 620 | 3% | Visit Lenderat GO Mortgage at GO Mortgage |
 Visit Lenderat Veterans United at Veterans United | 620 | 0% | Visit Lenderat Veterans United at Veterans United |
Full Review
At a glance: Alliant mortgage options
Alliant Credit Union is a credit union based in Chicago. Mortgages are available in all states except Maryland, while its HELOC is only available in some states.
Alliant offers a pretty standard mix of mortgage types, though the information offered on their website is minimal.
🏠 Common mortgages • Fixed or adjustable rate • Conventional • FHA • VA • Jumbo • Rate-and-term refinance
🔑 Specialty loans • Construction loans • Physician loans
💵 Home equity • HELOC • Cash-out refinance
» MORE: How to choose a mortgage lender
Alliant special offers and discounts
The Alliant Advantage mortgage lets buyers make a low down payment without having to pay for private mortgage insurance. First-time home buyers can put as little as 0% down, while repeat buyers need to make a 5% down payment.
What does Alliant 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 Alliant handles most often.
Though most Alliant mortgages are conventional loans, the lender also does a significant number of jumbo loans.
How we score Alliant mortgage
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.
Alliant Credit Union has a NerdWallet home loans rating of 4.5 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.
Alliant bonus points and penalties
Alliant Credit Union earned bonus points for offering loans specifically for first-time home buyers.
Alliant 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 we contacted the lender’s customer support.
Zillow Mortgage Lender Customer Rating
4.96
out of 5
Excellent rating as of the date of publication.
Rating reflects more than 3,000 customer reviews.
Alliant mortgage customer service options
Alliant Credit Union isn't super easy to get in touch with. There's an online chat, but you can't talk to an actual person. And while the lender does have a mobile app, it's strictly for regular banking tasks, like depositing checks. Here’s how you can get in touch with Alliant.
Ways to reach Alliant Credit Union
Physical branches . . . . . . 🚫 Phone support . . . . . . . . . ✅ Mobile app . . . . . . . . . . . . 🚫 Online chat (bot) . . . . . . . ✅ Online chat (human) . . . . 🚫
🤓 Our Nerds say... you'd better be a serious shopper
Kate Wood, lead writer/lending spokesperson
Alliant is a tough lender to casually consider. The main phone number assumes you're a credit union member; when I called, I wound up stuck in a doom loop with a recording. I gave up after getting four versions of "I didn't understand that" when all I was saying was "yes." You can absolutely reach out to a loan officer directly — their full contact info, plus profiles that can give you an idea of their expertise, is readily available. But if you're just looking for basic info, talking to a loan officer might feel like too big of a step.
» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage
Alternatives to an Alliant Credit Union mortgage
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.
If a credit union customer experience is what you're after, Andrews Federal Credit Union is another one that scored well in our research. If you're looking for specialty loan types, Flagstar Bank also offers physician loans and construction loans.
» MORE: Best credit union lenders
More from NerdWallet
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.
