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Safe Rate Rankings

Best VA Mortgage Lenders in Nashville

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 Lenders230
Total Loans31,402
Median Rate Spread0.26%
Nashville Market Insights
  • United Wholesale Mortgage is Safe Rate's top-ranked VA lender in Nashville, leading on pricing, pullthrough, VA product expertise, and local knowledge.
  • There is often a pricing vs. pullthrough tradeoff in mortgage lending. In Nashville, Old National Bank and Navy Federal Credit Union scores highest on VA pricing while Jet Homeloans LP and Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance leads on likelihood to close. That is why we encourage speaking with multiple lenders.
  • United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) ranks #1 in Nashville, 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 Nashville: Rocket Mortgage (#27) and Legacy Home Loans (#19), both outside Safe Rate's top 10. Independent lenders and specialists tend to score higher on our composite scorecard.

Explore Rankings by Type

Overall Rankings

All lenders in Nashville

Need rankings for a different loan product?

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
$3,363Fees
2
VMF
Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Exceptional
Avg Fees
$2,837Fees
3
CM
CMG Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Exceptional
Avg Fees
$3,874Fees
4
FB
FirstBank
BankDirect
Overall
Exceptional
Avg Fees
$2,182Fees
5
GR
Guaranteed Rate
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Exceptional
Avg Fees
$2,699Fees
6
NFCU
Navy Federal Credit Union
Credit UnionDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$642Fees
7
JH
Jet Homeloans
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,874Fees
8
FHB
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,095Fees
9
ONB
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,130Fees
10
AB
Ameris Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,209Fees
11
HM
Heritage Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,299Fees
12
MM
Movement Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,154Fees
13
IHL
Inspire Home Loans
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,981Fees
14
IMS
Interlinc Mortgage Services
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,895Fees
15
LC
loanDepot
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,284Fees
16
SM
SWBC Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,106Fees
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,400Fees
18
MIG
Mortgage Investors Group
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,726Fees
19
LHL
Legacy Home Loans
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,868Fees
20
PB
Pinnacle Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,470Fees
21
FCM
First Community Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,895Fees
22
FM
Freedom Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,998Fees
23
NB
NBKC Bank
BankDirectHasn't responded yet
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$701Fees
24
FIM
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,347Fees
25
FTBN
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$692Fees
26
RFC
Reliance First Capital
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
27
RM
Rocket Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & WholesaleHasn't responded yet
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,690Fees
28
CM
CrossCountry Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,657Fees
29
PM
Primis Mortgage Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,478Fees
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,268Fees
31
PLS
PennyMac Loan Services
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & WholesaleHasn't responded yet
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,483Fees
32
MRC
Mortgage Research Center
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,135Fees
33
N
NewRez
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,698Fees
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,482Fees
35
CBN
Citizens Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$903Credit
36
LB
Legends Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,576Fees
37
FB
Flagstar Bank
BankDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,054Fees
38
BB
Bell Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,531Fees
39
WFBN
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,917Fees
40
HRM
Highlands Residential Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,841Fees
41
MOM
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$2,039Fees
42
FEM
First Equity Mortgage Incorporated
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$1,003Fees
43
UHM
Union Home Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,880Fees
44
PRMG
Paramount Residential Mortgage Group
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$5,096Fees
45
APM
American Pacific Mortgage Corporation
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$5,070Fees
46
CFP
Cardinal Financial Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect & Wholesale
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,966Fees
47
GM
Guild Mortgage Company
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,561Fees
48
TF
T2 Financial
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,230Fees
49
NM
Nationstar Mortgage
Independent Mortgage CompanyDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$3,076Fees
50
IB
Ixonia Bank
BankDirect
Overall
Strong
Avg Fees
$4,296Fees

Frequently Asked Questions

How are mortgage lenders ranked in Nashville?+

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 Nashville), 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 Nashville?+

Based on 2024 HMDA data, 230 lenders originated a combined 31,402 loans in Nashville. Safe Rate's rankings evaluate all of them — not just a curated shortlist.

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

Rate spread measures how much above the Average Prime Offer Rate (APOR) a lender charges. The median rate spread in Nashville is 0.26%. 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 Nashville'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.