Safe Rate Rankings

Best USDA Mortgage Lenders in South Carolina

Updated May 21, 2026
⚖️ The 4 PsRankings are calculated based on observed lender differences on closed loans across Pricing, Pull-through, Product, and Place.
🛡️ 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 Lenders345
Total Loans79,023
Median Rate Spread0.29%

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RankLenderOverallPricingProductPull ThroughPlaceAvg FeesRate Spread# of LoansAction
1
UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$2,852Fees
0.090%Above
3,809
2
GUILD MORTGAGE COMPANY LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,166Fees
0.363%Above
1,879
3
FBC MORTGAGE, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$1,259Fees
0.629%Below
931
4
First-Citizens Bank & Trust CompanyBank
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
Strong
Exceptional
$1,420Fees
0.007%Above
1,145
5
NEWREZ LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,529Fees
0.438%Above
510
6
ARK-LA-TEX FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC.Independent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,255Fees
0.377%Above
467
7
First Palmetto BankBank
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
Strong
Exceptional
$1,110Fees
0.037%Above
432
8
Ameris BankBank
Exceptional
Sound
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$2,896Fees
0.184%Above
1,480
9
VANDERBILT MORTGAGE AND FINANCE, INC.Independent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Sound
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,247Fees
0.026%Above
1,302
10
United Community BankBank
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
Strong
Strong
$2,342Fees
0.377%Above
225
11
Alcova Mortgage LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Exceptional
Sound
Exceptional
Exceptional
Strong
$2,512Fees
0.427%Above
200
12
First Heritage Mortgage, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Sound
Strong
Strong
Exceptional
$2,577Fees
0.146%Above
1,089
13
Renasant BankBank
Strong
Sound
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,335Fees
0.237%Above
432
14
PLAZA HOME MORTGAGE, INC.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Sound
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,890Fees
0.484%Above
189
15
PRIMELENDING, A PLAINSCAPITAL COMPANYIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Acceptable
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,889Fees
0.218%Above
1,294
16
LOWER, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Acceptable
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,090Fees
0.491%Above
929
17
RESOURCE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Sound
Strong
Sound
Exceptional
$2,429Fees
0.304%Above
695
18
First Reliance BankBank
Strong
Strong
Sound
Acceptable
Exceptional
$1,719Fees
0.106%Above
679
19
Flagstar Bank, N.A.Bank
Strong
Sound
Exceptional
Sound
Strong
$2,228Fees
0.285%Above
476
20
CountybankBank
Strong
Sound
Strong
Exceptional
$1,868Fees
0.277%Above
322
21
INSPIRE HOME LOANS INC.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Sound
Exceptional
Sound
Strong
$2,542Fees
0.255%Above
285
22
LOANDEPOT.COM, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Acceptable
Exceptional
Sound
Exceptional
$2,633Fees
0.177%Below
1,553
23
CARDINAL FINANCIAL COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIPIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Acceptable
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,617Fees
0.378%Above
253
24
Assurance Financial Group, L.L.C.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Acceptable
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$2,672Fees
0.434%Above
229
25
MOVEMENT MORTGAGE, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$2,380Fees
0.337%Above
3,120
26
CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,602Fees
0.538%Above
1,294
27
SouthState Bank, National AssociationBank
Strong
Sound
Sound
Acceptable
Exceptional
$1,899Fees
0.213%Above
1,165
28
FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORPORATIONIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,369Fees
0.525%Above
1,062
29
ATLANTIC BAY MORTGAGE GROUP, L.L.C.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Exceptional
$3,164Fees
0.452%Above
838
30
NEW AMERICAN FUNDING, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$3,072Fees
0.595%Above
622
31
UNION HOME MORTGAGE CORP.Independent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$3,026Fees
0.589%Above
462
32
AMERICAN PACIFIC MORTGAGE CORPORATIONIndependent Mortgage Company
Strong
Mediocre
Exceptional
Strong
Strong
$4,243Fees
0.641%Above
214
33
ACOPIA, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Sound
Mediocre
Strong
Strong
Strong
$3,657Fees
0.338%Above
326
34
GUARANTEED RATE AFFINITY, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Sound
Acceptable
Sound
Acceptable
Strong
$2,812Fees
0.316%Above
424
35
THE LOAN STORE, INC.Independent Mortgage Company
Sound
Acceptable
Sound
Acceptable
Strong
$2,459Fees
0.207%Above
311
36
GO MORTGAGE, LLCIndependent Mortgage Company
Sound
Mediocre
Sound
Acceptable
Strong
$3,859Fees
0.607%Above
192

How We Rank Lenders

Our rankings use geometric mean scoring across equally-weighted categories. This rewards lenders who perform consistently well across all metrics, not just excel in one area.

Our Point System (Max 40 Points)

10
Pricing
Rate and fee competitiveness (25%)
10
Pull Through
Reliability in closing loans (25%)
10
Product
Specialization in the loan type (25%)
10
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.