Citi 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
Citi stands out for offering low mortgage rates compared to other lenders reviewed by NerdWallet, though fees are similar to competitors. Qualified borrowers can also get a mortgage with 3% down and no private mortgage insurance through the lender’s HomeRun mortgage. Most likely to appeal to existing Citi customers, since these borrowers can get a discount on rates or closing costs.
Pros
- Offers relatively low mortgage rates, according to the latest federal data.
- Rate discounts are available for existing customers.
- Ranks highly for customer satisfaction as a mortgage originator.
Cons
- Must create an account to apply.
- Borrowers may have to go to a separate website (Mortgage.com) for some information.
- Does not offer renovation mortgages.
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: Citi mortgage options
Citi is a large bank based in New York City. Mortgages are available in all 50 states, but some offerings — such as Citi’s real estate agent matching service — are geographically limited.
🏠 Common mortgages
Conventional loans (fixed-rate and adjustable)
FHA loans
VA loans
Jumbo loans
🔑 Specialty loans
USDA loans
HomeRun mortgage
💵 Home equity
HELOCs
Home equity loans
Cash-out refinances
» MORE: How to choose a mortgage lender
Citi special offers and discounts
In addition to its specialty HomeRun mortgage, Citi offers attractive perks for borrowers. These things stood out in our research.
Relationship pricing: Existing banking or investing customers are eligible for discounts, which are offered on a sliding scale. Customers with as little as $1 in a Citi account can earn a $500 closing cost credit. Then, interest rate reductions from 1/8% to 5/8% are available depending on the size of your account balance. (The largest discounts go to customers with $2 million or more.)
Closing cost credit: Citi offers a lender credit up to $7,500 for closing costs to those who meet specific income and location criteria and take a homebuyer education course.
HomeStory: Citi offers a platform to connect with real estate agents. Borrowers who use a HomeStory agent can earn “rewards,” which are closing credits up to $9,500.
What mortgages does Citi 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 Citi handles most often.
While conventional mortgages make up most of Citi’s home purchase lending, the bank is also a major jumbo loan lender. These accounted for 48% of Citi’s purchase originations in 2024.
How we score Citi 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.
Citi 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.
Citi bonus points
Citi earned bonus points for its proprietary mortgage (HomeRun), which targets first-time buyers.
Citi 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 J.D. Power and Zillow and we contacted the lender’s customer support.
2024 J.D. Power U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study
759
out of 1,000
Above-average satisfaction score: average = 727.
Mortgage origination covers the application through closing.
Zillow Mortgage Lender Customer Rating
4.84
out of 5
Above-average rating as of the date of publication.
Rating reflects more than 4,100 customer reviews.
Citi customer service options
Here’s how you can get in touch with Citi.
Ways to reach LENDER
Physical branches . . . . . . ✅ Phone support . . . . . . . . . ✅ Mobile app . . . . . . . . . . . . ✅ Online chat (bot) . . . . . . . 🚫 Online chat (human) . . . . 🚫
» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage
🤓 Our Nerds say... you may have to answer questions before asking them
Taylor Getler, lead writer, mortgages
Borrowers can access customer service in person, over the phone or via mobile app. You can also request a call from an agent. When we called, we navigated a brief phone tree before connecting with an agent. The agent would not connect us with the home lending team until we provided personal information, including our phone number, full name and email address.
Alternatives to a Citi 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.
Jumbo loan borrowers should explore PNC Bank, which was NerdWallet’s pick for Best Jumbo Loan Lender in 2025.
If you like the sound of Citi’s HomeRun mortgage, you may want to check out the Alliant Advantage Mortgage Program from Alliant Credit Union.
Bank of America also offers down payment grants up to $10,000 and closing credits up to $7,500 to qualified borrowers.
» MORE: Best mortgage 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.
