NBKC Bank Mortgage Review 2024
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Our Take
4.5
Community bank NBKC has a user-friendly website and low average rates, but the mobile app is not aimed at mortgage borrowers and browsing customized mortgage rates requires supplying your name and contact information. NBKC is most likely to appeal to borrowers in the Kansas City area or those seeking VA mortgages.
Pros
- Mortgage rates are on the low side compared to other lenders, according to the latest federal data.
- VA loans represent more than a quarter of purchase volume, a larger share than many lenders NerdWallet reviews.
- Offers a strong variety of loan types for purchase and refinance, including fixed- and adjustable-rate loans and government options.
Cons
- HELOCs and no-down-payment loans are available only in the Kansas City metro area.
- Mobile app focuses on online banking, not mortgages.
- You’ll need to share contact information to see customized mortgage rates.
Lender | Min. credit score | Min. down payment | |
|---|---|---|---|
580 | 3% | Visit Lenderat New American Funding at New American Funding | |
620 | 3% | Visit Lenderat NBKC at NBKC | |
580 | 3.5% | Visit Lenderat Rocket Mortgage, LLC at Rocket Mortgage, LLC |
Full Review
NBKC is a community bank based in Leawood, Kansas. Most loans are available online in all 50 states, though some options, such as home equity lines of credit and a 100% financing home loan, are offered only in the Kansas City area.
🏠 Popular loan types include: Fixed or adjustable rates; conventional; FHA; VA; rate and term or cash-out refinances
🔑 Specialty loan options include: Pilot loans; no-down-payment loans for qualifying borrowers
💵 Home equity borrowing options: Home equity loans
NBKC Bank offers a few distinctive ways to enable homebuying and refinancing:
Pilot Program: Designed for the flexibility needs of pilots, who can experience relocations and irregular pay schedules. Includes a VA option.
Community Home Loan Program: For first-time home buyers and those with low to moderate incomes. Offers 100% financing but is limited to a few counties in the Kansas City area.
» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage
How we score NBKC
Every year, NerdWallet writers and editors use the latest data and independent research to score lenders on an overall rubric, reflecting factors that are most important to mortgage borrowers. Select Why This Category Matters below to learn more.
NBKC has a NerdWallet home loans rating of 4.5 stars overall. Here’s a breakdown of this year’s score.
Category | Star rating |
|---|---|
Average mortgage rates and fees | |
Mortgage rate transparency | |
Variety of loan types | |
Customer experience |
- Why This Category Matters
Average mortgage rates and fees (30%)
Our team analyzes federal data to compare mortgage lenders’ origination fees and offered mortgage rates, measuring annual averages across all loan types, as reported by the lenders. The lowest combination of average rates and fees earns the highest star rating in this category. (It’s worth noting that loans considered higher risk, including those such as FHA loans that are easier to qualify for, often have higher interest rates and fees.) Pro tip: In some cases, paying upfront fees may lower a borrower’s mortgage interest rate.
Mortgage rate transparency (25%)
We check how straightforward it is to comparison-shop rates online. NerdWallet’s transparency ratings are higher for lenders that post sample rates on their sites, and highest for sites with self-serve tools that allow shoppers to see what rates might be like for their particular loan. Pro tip: Borrowers who compare customized rate quotes by applying to three or more lenders could save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan.
Variety of loan types (25%)
Finding the right mortgage is different for each borrower. The highest star ratings in this category are awarded to lenders that our research shows offer a wide range of loan types, improving the odds that a borrower will find the best match for their needs: options for purchase and refinance; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans; government-backed FHA, VA or USDA loans; renovation or construction loans; and home equity loans or HELOCs.
Customer experience (20%)
How easy is it to interact with this lender? The highest-rated lenders in this category offer features that are convenient and clarifying for borrowers, such as: an online application, multiple customer service options, a helpful mobile app and candid closing timeline communications.
What borrowers say about NBKC
NerdWallet’s lender star ratings assess objective qualities, including rates, fees and loan offerings. To help you understand borrowers’ subjective experiences, NerdWallet has gathered customer satisfaction ratings from Zillow. We also contacted NBKC’s customer support.
→ Excellent customer rating on Zillow.
Customer rating: 4.94 out of 5, as of the date of publication. Rating reflects more than 14,000 customer reviews.
🤓 Our Nerds say…
NBKC’s online chat feature gave us an immediate bot response, asked for a name and email address and then transferred us to a human. Our call to the lender’s toll-free number led to a representative within a minute.
» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage
Alternatives to a home loan from NBKC
We recommend comparing mortgage rate offers from three or more lenders.
Veterans United specializes in VA loans, offering an online application and mortgage-focused mobile app.
Pennymac offers a broad selection of loans and makes it easy to shop rates online without providing contact information.
» MORE: Best VA mortgage lenders
More from NerdWallet
NerdWallet’s overall ratings for mortgage lenders are evaluated based on four major categories: average mortgage rates and origination fees, rate transparency to consumers, variety of loan types (purchase, refinance, fixed and adjustable, for example) and customer experience. Among the factors we consider in these categories are: options to apply for home loans online, typical time to close, mobile app experience, level of detail about mortgage rates on lender websites, and NerdWallet’s own analysis of the rates and fees lenders reported in the latest available Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. These and other items inform detailed rubrics, which generate ratings from 1 star (poor) to 5 stars (excellent). Read more about how we rate mortgage lenders here.
