PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (2024)

Mortgage

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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (1)

Jenn Jones

Jenn Jones is a former senior writer at LendingTree, where she covered personal finance. She was previously an automotive finance manager.

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PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (2)

Kurt Adams

Kurt Adams is a senior editor at LendingTree. Before becoming a money nerd, he has nearly a decade of experience as a writer, editor and digital marketing strategist.

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PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (3)

5 stars


PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (4)

Minimum credit score: 580 to 620

Minimum down payment: 0% to 3.5%

Available loan products and programs: Conventional, FHA, VA, home equity, jumbo

PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (5) Our verdict: PennyMac is best for homebuyers looking for a range of mortgage products and who are comfortable with a completely online experience.

See how we reached our verdict below.

ProsCons

Wide range of mortgage products

Published rates are updated daily

Completely online application

No first-time homebuyer programs or grants

No physical branches

No HELOCs or USDA loans

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in California, PennyMac is one of the largest mortgage lenders in the nation, providing loans to homebuyers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, plus some U.S. territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

PennyMac mortgage products

Conventional

  • PennyMac offers 20- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and home refinancing, including cash-out refinancing
  • Conventional mortgage requirements include a minimum 3% down payment, a 620 credit score and a debt-to-income (DTI) ratio that is not higher than 45%. There may be exceptions for up to a 50% DTI ratio.

FHA

  • If you are after less strict requirements, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans could help; PennyMac has 20- and 30-year FHA loan options
  • FHA refinancing, including streamlined refinancing are available
  • You’ll still need a 3.5% minimum down payment and a credit score of 580 or higher

VA

  • PennyMac offers three types of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans: purchase, cash-out refinance and streamline refinance
  • VA mortgages have relaxed requirements, including 0% down payment

Home equity

  • A home equity loan from PennyMac could allow you to borrow a large lump sum of cash at a relatively low rate.

Jumbo

  • Jumbo loans allow homebuyers to borrow more than the conforming loan limit in the area. PennyMac provides mortgage loans up to $3 million, but eligibility requirements are stricter.

Special programs

  • Investment property loans allow individuals to finance residential property that they plan to flip or rent out.

PennyMac publishes its mortgage rates online but doesn’t share its fees.

Mortgage rates published online?
Rate information updated daily or weekly?
Lender fees disclosed?

PennyMac’s application experience

As you start home shopping, you typically need to have a preapproval,which lets sellers know you can afford the house. PennyMac offers mortgage preapprovals, and once your offer on a home is accepted, you can officially apply for a mortgage.

Online, the “Apply Now” button takes you to a page asking you to login or register with My Home By PennyMac, which is designed to guide you through the application process. This allows you to complete the entire application from whatever device you’re using.

You can email customer service through your PennyMac login, but if you’d like to talk to a person, you have a couple of options. You could call the customer service center at 800-777-4001 or the sales center at 888-870-6229 during these times:

  • Monday-Friday: 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT
  • Saturday: 7a.m.to 11a.m. PT

How does PennyMac compare to other lenders?

PennyMac MortgageMr. CooperAlly Bank
Lender ratingPennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (6)PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (7)PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (8)
Minimum credit score580 to 620Not published620
Minimum down payment0% to 3.5%0% to 3.5%3%
Loan products and programs
  • Conventional
  • FHA
  • VA
  • Home equity
  • Jumbo
  • Conventional
  • FHA
  • VA
  • Conventional
  • Jumbo

LendingTree’s mortgage lender rating is based on a five-point scoring system that factors in several features, including digital application processes, available loan products and the accessibility of product and lending information.

LendingTree’s editorial team calculates each rating based on a review of information available on the lender’s website. Lenders receive a half-point on the “offers standard mortgage products” criterion if they offer only two of the three standard loan programs (conventional, FHA and VA). In some cases, additional information was provided by a lender representative.

PennyMac’s scorecard: 5/5

Publishes rates online

Offers standard mortgage products

Includes detailed product info online

Shares resources about mortgage lending

Provides an online application

= 0 points ⭕= 0.5 points = 1 point

Today's Mortgage Rates

  • 6.91%
  • 6.87%
  • 7.65%

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Mortgage Resources

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Mortgage Calculator
Best Mortgage Lenders

On this page

  • PennyMac at a glance
  • PennyMac mortgage products
  • Mortgage rates and fees
  • Application experience
  • Customer service experience
  • How does PennyMac compare to other lenders?
  • How we rated PennyMac
Recommended Articles
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  • How to Get Home Loans for Bad Credit
  • 12 First-Time Homebuyer Questions You Should Ask
PennyMac Mortgage Review | LendingTree (2024)

FAQs

Is Pennymac a good lender for a mortgage? ›

Pennymac excels in government-backed mortgages, including FHA loans, and makes it easy to shop for customized mortgage rates online. But average origination fees are higher than most lenders', and it does not offer home equity lines of credit.

What is the Pennymac controversy? ›

PennyMac Financial Services has paid $158.4 million to Black Knight Servicing Technologies, concluding a five-year legal battle over allegations of trade secret theft involving two of the biggest companies in the housing industry.

Who is Pennymac backed by? ›

PennyMac was founded in 2008 (during the subprime mortgage crisis) by Stanford Kurland, the former President of Countrywide Financial, with financial support from BlackRock and Highfields Capital Management.

What is the Pennymac loan limit? ›

Pennymac Correspondent is excited to announce that we're raising our Conventional loan limits to $750,000, effective Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

Who is the #1 mortgage lender in America? ›

1. Rocket Mortgage. Rocket Mortgage -- formally Quicken Loans -- has been the largest mortgage lender by number of originations for years. In 2022, Rocket Mortgage originated 464,363 mortgages worth $127.6 billion, giving it a 5.5% share of the market by origination.

Does Pennymac drop PMI? ›

Will Pennymac ever cancel my PMI? PMI will be terminated automatically if/when your loan reaches the midpoint of its amortization schedule (halfway through the life of your loan).

What is the lawsuit against Pennymac? ›

Black Knight filed a complaint against PennyMac in November 2019 for breaching contracts and misappropriating trade secrets. According to the plaintiff, Pennymac stole its mortgage-processing system and created one of its own.

What credit score does Pennymac use? ›

Pennymac will accept a FICO score as low as 620 for conventional loans, though the lender says that a conventional loan may be a good fit for a customer with a score of at least 680.

Is Pennymac an FHA loan? ›

Pennymac is dedicated to making homeownership more affordable for everyone by enabling FHA borrowers to take advantage of historically low rates that will save them money on their mortgages every month.

Does PennyMac pay well? ›

Average PENNYMAC hourly pay ranges from approximately $13.64 per hour for Sales Representative to $25.98 per hour for Licensing Specialist. Salary information comes from 2,206 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisem*nts on Indeed in the past 36 months.

Who are PennyMac competitors? ›

PennyMac Financial Services's competitors
  • PennyMac Financial Services.
  • Fairway Independent Mortgage.
  • Eagle Bancorp.
  • First Savings Financial.
  • Shawbrook.

How does PennyMac work? ›

Pennymac overview

Pennymac is a publicly traded direct mortgage lender and servicer offering a range of loan options, including low-down payment loans and refinancing. Although there are sales office locations, you can only apply for a loan with this lender online or by phone.

Is PennyMac legit? ›

PennyMac is one of the largest mortgage lenders in the U.S., offering a variety of mortgage loans to people in every state but New York.

Does PennyMac have an early payoff penalty? ›

You may even save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. In fact, 32% of homeowners have paid off their home loan. While there are some drawbacks to paying your loan off early, prepayment penalties aren't one of them – at least at Pennymac.

Will PennyMac let you skip a payment? ›

Mortgage Relief

It's called a short-term forbearance—a plan that provides temporary relief by allowing you to pay reduced, or even no, payments for a brief time, depending on your individual situation, along with protection from late fees and negative credit reporting. Getting set up with a forbearance plan is easy.

What is the most popular mortgage loan? ›

Conventional mortgages are the most common type of mortgage. That said, conventional loans may have different requirements for a borrower's minimum credit score and debt-to-income ratio (DTI) than other loan options.

How do I know if my mortgage lender is reputable? ›

There are several ways to check if a loan company is legitimate. First, check out the loan company on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. Do a quick online search and look up online reviews from independent companies like Trustpilot, if possible.

How long does PennyMac underwriting take? ›

Underwriting mortgages is an essential part of the overall home loan process and generally takes about 30–60 days, depending on the type of loan, lender and current volume of borrowers.

Which credit agency do most mortgage lenders use? ›

When you are applying for a mortgage to buy a home, lenders will typically look at all of your credit history reports from the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. In most cases, mortgage lenders will look at your FICO score.

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