Citi Gets Highest Marks In J.d. Power’s 2025 Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study

Taking an advisory-style approach over a volume-focused approach is working in the favor of mortgage lenders, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study released on Wednesday.

Overall customer satisfaction with mortgage lenders rose sharply to 760 on a 1,000-point scale, up 33 points from last year’s score of 727, the study found. Lenders improved in communication, reliability, accountability and use of digital tools to engage customers.

When looking at individual lenders, Citi ranked highest in mortgage origination satisfaction with a score of 802, followed by Bank of America at 792 and Citizens at 787.

“Mortgage lenders have come to recognize that the more educated their customers are about the details of their mortgage products, the more loyal and lucrative their relationships become,” said Bruce Gehrke, senior director of wealth and lending intelligence at J.D. Power.

“The highest-ranked lenders in today’s market aren’t just those with the best rates, they’re the ones that have perfected hybrid engagement. By blending high-touch advisor relationships with intelligent digital infrastructure, leading lenders are transforming what used to be a transactional, document-focused ordeal into a consultative partnership.”

Mortgage lenders that provide guidance or advice received top scores from 79% of their customers, up from 76% in 2024. As a result, customers who rated their lenders highly for guidance were 2.3 times more likely to say they would “definitely” choose the same lender for future loans.

Early engagement with borrowers also contributed to higher satisfaction. Customers reported satisfaction scores 32 points higher when lenders connected with them at the start of the homebuying journey, compared with later engagement. Satisfaction dropped by 64 points when lenders first engaged at the mortgage application stage.

The study also found that more than half of customers (54%) are “completely comfortable” with lenders using artificial intelligence in the mortgage process, and 31% are “partially comfortable.” But 71% said it is “very important” for lenders to inform them when AI is being used.

The U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study evaluates overall satisfaction based on six factors: communication, digital channels, level of trust, whether the loan meets the customer’s needs, ease of doing business, and the quality of people.

The 2025 study surveyed 10,067 customers who originated a mortgage or refinanced within the past year, with data collected from September 2024 through September 2025.