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Safe Rate Rankings

Best VA Mortgage Lenders in Minneapolis

Updated June 4, 2026

Rankings are a starting point, not a verdict. Safe Rate recommends speaking with 2-3 lenders to find the right fit for your home loan!

The 5 PsRankings are calculated from observed lender differences on closed loans across Pricing, Pull-through, Product, and Place, plus Promptness when a lender has answered real shopper quote requests.
No Pay to PlayLenders cannot buy their way to the top. Rankings are 100% earned.
HMDA 2024Built using publicly available originated loan data from the federal government.
Peer BenchmarkedPerformance is normalized and benchmarked against peer institutions.
Total Lenders202
Total Loans44,572
Median Rate Spread0.23%
Minneapolis Market Insights
  • United Wholesale Mortgage is Safe Rate's top-ranked VA lender in Minneapolis, leading on pricing, pullthrough, VA product expertise, and local knowledge.
  • There is often a pricing vs. pullthrough tradeoff in mortgage lending. In Minneapolis, Navy Federal Credit Union and Guaranteed Rate scores highest on VA pricing while United Wholesale Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage leads on likelihood to close. That is why we encourage speaking with multiple lenders.
  • United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) ranks #1 in Minneapolis, serving as the platform behind many independent local brokers who live and work in the community. A local broker knows the neighborhoods, the local market, and is personally invested in your outcome. Real estate agents often prefer referring local brokers for their accessibility and responsiveness, qualities that matter when a deal is moving fast. Pricing and experience can vary by broker.
  • Popular names in Minneapolis: Rocket Mortgage (#24) and Bell Bank (#3).

Explore Rankings by Type

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Shopping for a mortgage? Hit Get Quote on any lender to add it to My Home and request real quotes.

1
UWM
United Wholesale Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyWholesaleResponds to quote requests promptly
Overall
Exceptional
Avg Fees
$3,020Fees
2
GR
Guaranteed Rate
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,495Fees
3
BB
Bell Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,964Fees
4
PHM
Prosperity Home Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,775Fees
5
NFCU
Navy Federal Credit Union
Credit UnionDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$663Fees
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$677Fees
7
GRA
Guaranteed Rate Affinity
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,962Fees
8
CM
CMG Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,291Fees
9
FIM
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,504Fees
10
LC
loanDepot
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,799Fees
11
MIF
M/I Financial
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$5,775Fees
12
MM
Movement Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,711Fees
13
FM
Freedom Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,879Fees
14
MF
Megastar Financial
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$6,765Credit
15
CM
CrossCountry Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,854Fees
16
RCU
Royal Credit Union
Credit UnionDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,928Fees
17
TM
Tradition Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,007Fees
18
PP
PrimeLending
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,388Fees
19
JCBN
JPMorgan Chase Bank
BankDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,172Fees
20
FB
Flagstar Bank
BankDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,303Fees
21
N
NewRez
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,457Fees
22
GB
Granite Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,212Fees
23
KL
Kind Lending
Independent Mortgage CompanyWholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,704Fees
24
RM
Rocket Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & WholesaleHasn't responded yet
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,083Fees
25
WFBN
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,830Fees
26
PLS
PennyMac Loan Services
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & WholesaleHasn't responded yet
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,421Fees
27
AFN
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,331Fees
28
BE
Bay Equity
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,486Fees
29
ANMA
American Neighborhood Mortgage Acceptance Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,257Fees
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,153Fees
31
TFCU
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,544Fees
32
CFG
Cambria Financial Group
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,513Fees
33
PCB
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,553Fees
34
GM
Guild Mortgage Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,983Fees
35
MRC
Mortgage Research Center
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,701Fees
36
PHM
Plaza Home Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyWholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,459Fees
37
SM
Summit Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,358Fees
38
CFP
Cardinal Financial Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,719Fees
39
MOM
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,539Fees
40
UHM
Union Home Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,446Fees
41
PRMG
Paramount Residential Mortgage Group
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$5,014Fees
42
NAF
New American Funding
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,793Fees
43
S
Servion
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,251Fees
44
EF
Everett Financial
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,234Fees
45
APM
American Pacific Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,597Fees
46
NM
Nationstar Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,779Fees
47
LHL
Luminate Home Loans
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Sound
Avg Fees
$4,563Fees
48
WM
Waterstone Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Sound
Avg Fees
$5,959Fees
Overall
Sound
Avg Fees
$2,682Fees
50
IB
Ixonia Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Sound
Avg Fees
$2,791Fees

Frequently Asked Questions

How are mortgage lenders ranked in Minneapolis?+

Safe Rate ranks lenders using the 5 Ps framework. Four are derived from HMDA (Home Mortgage Disclosure Act) data: Pricing (how competitively a lender prices loans vs. the market benchmark), Pullthrough (how effectively a lender closes applications), Place (the lender's depth of expertise in Minneapolis), and Product (performance on specific loan types). The fifth, Promptness, is behavioral: it credits lenders who answer real shopper quote requests quickly. Each lender receives a composite Safe Rate Score from 0 to 100. No lender pays to appear in the rankings.

What is the Safe Rate Score?+

The Safe Rate Score is a 0–100 composite index measuring a lender's performance across Pricing, Pullthrough, Place, and Product. Scores of 80 or above earn Champion status; scores of 60–79 earn Superstar status. All scores are calculated from verified HMDA data — no lender can pay to improve their position.

How many mortgage lenders are active in Minneapolis?+

Based on 2024 HMDA data, 202 lenders originated a combined 44,572 loans in Minneapolis. Safe Rate's rankings evaluate all of them — not just a curated shortlist.

What does the rate spread tell me about a lender in Minneapolis?+

Rate spread measures how much above the Average Prime Offer Rate (APOR) a lender charges. The median rate spread in Minneapolis is 0.23%. Lenders in Safe Rate's top rankings consistently price below this median, meaning borrowers typically pay less interest over the life of their loan.

What is HMDA data and why does Safe Rate use it?+

HMDA (Home Mortgage Disclosure Act) is a federal law requiring every mortgage lender to disclose every loan application annually — including rates, amounts, approvals, and denials. Safe Rate uses HMDA because it is government-verified, covers all lenders equally, and cannot be gamed. It is the most objective foundation available for lender rankings.

Does Safe Rate accept payment from lenders to appear in rankings?+

No. Safe Rate rankings are strictly data-driven. No lender can pay to appear in or improve their position in Safe Rate's rankings. The only factor that determines a lender's rank is their verified HMDA performance data.

What is the difference between a bank, credit union, and independent mortgage company?+

Banks and credit unions offer mortgages alongside checking, savings, and other products. Independent Mortgage Companies (IMCs) focus exclusively on originating loans and often offer more product variety and speed. In Minneapolis's rankings, all three institution types are evaluated on the same HMDA performance metrics.

How We Rank Lenders

Our rankings use an equal-weight average of scores across our core categories (Pricing, Product, Pull-Through, Place), with lender promptness blended in when a lender has responded to real shopper quote requests.

Our Point System (Max 40 Points)

10/ 40 pts
Pricing
Rate and fee competitiveness (25%)
10/ 40 pts
Pull Through
Reliability in closing loans (25%)
10/ 40 pts
Product
Specialization in the loan type (25%)
10/ 40 pts
Place
Local market expertise (25%)

Data Integrity & Updates

Data is updated quarterly based on the latest HMDA filings and proprietary SafeRate analysis. All metrics are calculated using standardized methodologies to ensure fair comparison across lenders.

⚖️ Licensing & Disclosures

Lender rankings and market statistics are created by Dylan Hall, licensed mortgage loan officer (NMLS #1658740). Safe Rate is a mortgage technology platform; mortgage lending services are provided by PartnerOwn LLC dba Safe Rate Mortgage, a licensed mortgage broker and lender (NMLS #1590949). Safe Rate Mortgage is a lending partner of some of the lenders ranked on this page, and Safe Rate Inc. has software or service customers on this list; however, all rankings are calculated using objective, public Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) datasets, completely independent of any corporate partnerships, client relationships, or compensation.