Guild Mortgage Review 2023
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Our Take
3.5
The bottom line:
Guild Mortgage has a generous selection of loan programs but tends to have higher origination fees, according to federal data.
Full Review
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Offers a wide variety of loan products, including home improvement loans and mortgages for manufactured homes.
- Has retail branches in most states.
- Receives high marks for customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power and Zillow.
Cons
- Doesn't offer home equity loan products.
- Origination fees tend to be higher, according to the latest federal data.
Compare to Other Lenders
Min. credit score620 | Min. credit score620 | Min. credit score620 | Min. credit score620 | Min. credit score620 |
Min. down payment3% | Min. down payment3% | Min. down payment3% | Min. down payment3% | Min. down payment3% |
Loan types and productsPurchase, Refinance, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA | Loan types and productsPurchase, Refinance, Home Equity, Reverse, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA, USDA | Loan types and productsPurchase, Refinance, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA, USDA | Loan types and productsPurchase, Refinance, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA, Home Equity | Loan types and productsPurchase, Refinance, Home Equity, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA, USDA |
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Full Review
What borrowers say about Guild Mortgage
NerdWallet’s lender star ratings assess objective qualities, including rates, fees and loan offerings. To assess borrowers’ subjective experiences with lenders, NerdWallet has gathered customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power and Zillow.
Guild receives a 731 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study. The industry average for origination is 716. (Mortgage origination covers the initial application through closing day.)
Guild receives a 655 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study. The industry average for servicing is 607. (A mortgage servicer handles loan payments.)
Guild receives a customer rating of 4.96 out of 5 on Zillow, as of the date of publication. The score reflects more than 8,280 customer reviews.
Guild Mortgage variety of loan types
5 of 5 stars
Guild Mortgage is especially proficient in the government-backed mortgages that are ideal for first-time home buyers, including FHA, VA and USDA loans. It also has a growing number of purchase and refinance mortgage options, including loans for manufactured homes, 203(k) rehabilitation loans and energy-efficient mortgages. Home equity loan products aren't available, however.
» MORE: A guide to government home loans
Guild Mortgage ease of application
5 of 5 stars
Guild’s digital mortgage platform offers a paperless loan application, along with document upload and the retrieval of income and asset information from many employers and financial institutions. Applicants can also use the portal to keep track of their loan’s status. The company also offers a 17-day closing guarantee to qualifying preapproved borrowers.
Guild Mortgage rates and fees
2.5 of 5 stars
Guild Mortgage earns 2 of 5 stars for average origination fee.
Guild Mortgage earns 3 of 5 stars for average mortgage interest rates.
Borrowers should consider the balance between lender fees and mortgage rates. While it's not always the case, paying upfront fees can lower your mortgage interest rate. Some lenders will charge higher upfront fees to lower their advertised interest rate and make it more attractive. Some lenders just charge higher upfront fees.
Guild Mortgage rate transparency
1 of 5 stars
You won’t find mortgage rates on the Guild Mortgage website; you’ll need to speak with a loan officer for those.
Alternatives to Guild Mortgage
Here are some comparable lenders we review that borrowers can consider.
New American Funding also offers FHA 203(k) mortgages, and Northpointe Bank offers mortgages with low down payments.
More from NerdWallet
Methodology
NerdWallet’s overall ratings for mortgage lenders are evaluated based on four major categories: variety of loan types (purchase, refinance, fixed and adjustable, for example), ease of application, rates and fees and rate transparency. Among the factors we consider when scoring these categories are options to apply for and track loans online, the level of detail about mortgage rates on lender websites and our analysis of the rates and fees lenders reported in the latest available Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. These scores generate ratings from 1 star (poor) to 5 stars (excellent).
