Movement Mortgage Review 2024

Last updated on October 25, 2024
Written by 
Abby Badach Doyle
Lead Writer
Johanna Arnone
Edited by 
Johanna Arnone
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked
Abby Badach Doyle
Written by 
Lead Writer
Johanna Arnone
Edited by 
Johanna Arnone
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

Some or all of the mortgage lenders featured on our site are advertising partners of NerdWallet, but this does not influence our evaluations, lender star ratings or the order in which lenders are listed on the page. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

  • 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

3.5

Home loans overall
NerdWallet rating
The Nerdy headline:

Movement Mortgage has a feel-good factor: It shares a significant portion of its profits to fund charitable efforts like charter schools, health clinics and housing projects through the Movement Foundation. The lender has a relatively high market share of FHA loans and offers some harder-to-find types, like FHA 203(k) loans. However, Movement doesn’t post rates online, and the latest federal data shows its fees are higher than many lenders’. Most likely to appeal to borrowers seeking FHA loans and down payment assistance.

Jump to:Full Review
Movement Mortgage
Movement Mortgage: NMLS#39179

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

Pros

  • Average closing time under 25 days, faster than the national average.
  • Offers down payment and closing cost assistance for FHA loans, with no income limits.
  • Profit-sharing model supports charitable giving through the Movement Foundation.

Cons

  • Doesn’t post mortgage rates online.
  • No online chat for customer service.
  • Average origination fee is on the high side, according to the latest federal data.
Compare great home equity lenders
Lender
Max. loan amount
Max LTV
Min. credit score
Figure
4.0
Visit Lenderat Figure
at Figure
$400,000
85%
640
$750,000
80%
580
Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Visit Lenderat Bethpage Federal Credit Union
at Bethpage Federal Credit Union
$1,000,000
85%
670
Visit Lenderat Bethpage Federal Credit Union
at Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Get more smart money moves — straight to your inboxBecome a NerdWallet member, and we’ll send you tailored articles we think you’ll love.

Full Review

Movement Mortgage is a nonbank lender based in Indian Land, South Carolina. Loans are available in all 50 states.

🏠 Popular loan types include: Fixed or adjustable rate; conventional; FHA; VA; jumbo; rate and term or cash-out refinance

🔑 Specialty loan options include: USDA; reverse mortgages; renovation loans; construction-to-permanent loans

💵 Home equity borrowing options: HELOC

Movement Mortgage was co-founded in 2008 by former pro football player Casey Crawford. It coined the term “Impact Lender” to promote its profit-sharing model with its affiliated nonprofit, the Movement Foundation.

To help ease the cost of homebuying, Movement offers Movement Boost, a down payment and closing cost assistance program for FHA loans. First-time or repeat buyers are eligible. Notably, the program doesn’t have income limits, like many other down payment assistance programs. Movement Boost is not available in New York.

Video preview image

How we score Movement Mortgage

Every year, NerdWallet writers and editors use the latest data and independent research to score lenders on an overall rubric, reflecting factors that are most important to mortgage borrowers. Select Why This Category Matters below to learn more.

Movement has a NerdWallet home loans rating of 3.5 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

  • Average mortgage rates and fees (30%)

    Our team analyzes federal data to compare mortgage lenders’ origination fees and offered mortgage rates, measuring annual averages across all loan types, as reported by the lenders. The lowest combination of average rates and fees earns the highest star rating in this category. (It’s worth noting that loans considered higher risk, including those such as FHA loans that are easier to qualify for, often have higher interest rates and fees.) Pro tip: In some cases, paying upfront fees may lower a borrower’s mortgage interest rate.

    Mortgage rate transparency (25%)

    We check how straightforward it is to comparison-shop rates online. NerdWallet’s transparency ratings are higher for lenders that post sample rates on their sites, and highest for sites with self-serve tools that allow shoppers to see what rates might be like for their particular loan. Pro tip: Borrowers who compare customized rate quotes by applying to three or more lenders could save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan.

    Variety of loan types (25%)

    Finding the right mortgage is different for each borrower. The highest star ratings in this category are awarded to lenders that our research shows offer a wide range of loan types, improving the odds that a borrower will find the best match for their needs: options for purchase and refinance; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans; government-backed FHA, VA or USDA loans; renovation or construction loans; and home equity loans or HELOCs.

    Customer experience (20%)

    How easy is it to interact with this lender? The highest-rated lenders in this category offer features that are convenient and clarifying for borrowers, such as: an online application, multiple customer service options, a helpful mobile app and candid closing timeline communications.

What borrowers say about Movement Mortgage

NerdWallet’s lender star ratings assess objective qualities, including rates, fees and loan offerings. To help you understand borrowers’ subjective experiences, NerdWallet has gathered customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power and Zillow. We also contacted Movement customer support.

→ Above-average score in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study. Mortgage origination covers the initial application through closing day.

  • Score: 745 out of 1,000. Industry average for origination is 730.

→ Excellent customer rating on Zillow.

  • Customer rating: 4.98 out of 5, as of the date of publication. Rating reflects more than 18,600 customer reviews.

🤓 Our Nerds say ...

It looks like the Movement Mortgage mobile app, MM Servicing, underwent a significant update in September 2024. Afterward, we watched its App Store rating jump from 1.7 to 4.9 stars (at the time of publishing). It’s encouraging when a lender responds to customer pressure to fix a buggy mobile app. The app is useful for existing customers managing their mortgages, but doesn’t offer the option to apply for a mortgage.

Movement Mortgage and consumer trust

Movement Mortgage agreed in June 2023 to pay $23.75 million to settle U.S. Department of Justice claims that the lender improperly certified government-backed loans and mortgage insurance for borrowers who were not eligible. These actions dated back to 2008. The lender also admitted, the DOJ said, that it failed to follow federal requirements for self-reporting instances of misrepresentation or fraud. The allegations were brought to the government’s attention by two former Movement Mortgage employees.

Because this settlement affects consumers indirectly, it did not impact NerdWallet’s star rating. When shopping for a mortgage lender, do an online search to see if the company is in the news, and why.

Alternatives to a home loan from Movement Mortgage

We recommend comparing mortgage rate offers from three or more lenders.

Pennymac is a nonbank lender known for providing FHA loans, and its website makes it easy to customize and compare mortgage rates.

PNC Bank’s foundation supports charitable efforts with a focus on early childhood education.

More from NerdWallet

Find the best lender

Best mortgage lendersBest lenders for first-timersFind the best mortgage rateHow much house can I afford?
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.

NerdWallet Pixel