Cross Country Mortgage: What to Know About the Renowned Mortgage Lender

Getting a home mortgage isn’t always easy. You have to consider numerous factors, including mortgage rates, whether the lender you know is reliable, how you can find a reliable one, etcetera.

A household name when it comes to mortgage and refinancing options is Cross-country Mortgage—a highly rated lending firm with branches spread across the United States.

This article will contain the firm’s overview while providing information obtained from numerous CrossCountry mortgage reviews to help you decide if the mortgage lender is for you or not.

What Is Cross Country Mortgage?

CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC, headquartered in Brecksville, Ohio, is a top retail mortgage lender in the United States. The firm was established in 2003 by the president and owner Ronald J. Leonhardt, Jr. and offers eligible borrowers numerous home financing choices, including standard home loans, government programs, and customized specialized products.

Among other honors, the company has been named in the Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies seven times since 2012 and as a Top Workplace in Northeast Ohio from 2017 to 2021. CCM seeks to make homeownership accessible and affordable for everyone by offering superior loan options, exceptional customer service, and a worldwide network of professional loan originators.

However, CrossCountry differs from most other mortgage lenders because not only is the company technologically-driven, its continuously expanding its branch network, looking to aid borrowers in developing close connections with loan officers. Clients can communicate face-to-face thanks to branches in 43 states.

 

CrossCountry Mortgage Reviews

CrossCountry Mortgage has an impressive 17,217 reviews on Zillow, with a 4.97 out of 5 stars rating. That’s almost flawless. The number of CrossCountry Mortgage reviews is also encouraging because it indicates a huge sample size.

Numerous reviews state that CrossCountry Mortgage rates and costs were lower than expected, providing insight into their competitiveness.

The lender also has a Better Business Bureau rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. However, this rating is based on only 61 CrossCountry Mortgage reviews from consumers that have used their service. 

A 3.5-star rating isn’t at all terrible considering how most reviews on the BBB are complaints since customers seldom submit reviews on the website.

 

Overview

CrossCountry Mortgage, also known as Best Rate USA, is a full-service national lender that provides numerous lending options to interested parties, including no-document loans. Lenders can pre-approve you in as little as 24 hours, and their fast review process can have you closed in as little as 21 days. 

Furthermore, CrossCountry Mortgage offers the FastTrack Credit Approval program, which gives you a pre approval letter to present to the seller if you need to buy a home quickly. 

This approval speeds up the loan finalization process to seven days after you sign the sales contract (unless any conditions like requiring other documents are present). Individuals who want a loan can also choose between lender-paid and borrower-paid mortgage insurance.

 

CCM Mortgage Rates

Unfortunately, obtaining a rate quote through CrossCountry Mortgage is a daunting task because the firm’s website doesn’t outline daily mortgage rates. To obtain an indication of your possible mortgage expenses, you’ll need to meet with a loan officer and provide some personal information.

So, if you value personal involvement in your financial planning, CrossCountry Mortgage may be worth the extra work.

 

Loan Types Offered by CrossCountry Mortgage

CCM offers a wide array of loan and refinancing options, including:

• Conventional Loans

Naturally, conventional loans aren’t offered or backed by any government body. Instead, they’re available via banks, mortgage firms, etcetera. However, most conventional loans conform to fannie mae and freddie mac’s loan principles.

• Jumbo Loans

A jumbo loan (often called a jumbo mortgage), is a loan that exceeds the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s loan limit (FHFA). Unlike standard mortgages, you can’t buy, insure, or securitize jumbo loans.

People use these mortgages to finance luxury homes and residences in the competitive local real estate market, and they have specific underwriting standards and tax consequences.

• FHA

A Federal Housing Administration loan is a government-guaranteed housing loan designed to create homeownership opportunities for low-income earning families.

Since the minimum down payment on FHA loans is lower than most other loan options, individuals with low credit scores are eligible.

• VA Loans

A VA loan is a no-money-down mortgage option for veterans, service members, and certain military spouses. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) backs these loans that are available through commercial lenders like mortgage companies or banks.

• Fixed-rate

A fixed-rate mortgage is a type of house loan with a set interest rate that spans the loan duration. The mortgage interest rate will not fluctuate during the loan’s lifespan, and the borrower’s interest and principal payments will remain unchanged each month.

Even market changes have no effect on the rate with this form of a mortgage. As a result, these sorts of mortgages are the most prevalent in the United States.

• Adjustable-rate

Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) have variable interest rates. The base rate for this type of mortgage is fixed for a period. Afterward, the interest rate included in the outstanding debt is reset periodically at monthly or even annual intervals.

• Rate-and-term Refinancing

Rate and term refinancing lets you modify your current loan’s terms to favor you. When you refinance, you receive a new loan and pay off your previous mortgage, after which you pay for your new loan. 

This refinance method allows you to swiftly pay off your loan, at a lower interest rate, or with lower monthly payments. Rate and term refinance opportunities are referred to as “ordinary refinances” by some lenders.

• Cash-out Refinancing

Cash-out refinancing substitutes your current mortgage with a new, bigger loan, paying you the difference between the amount borrowed and the amount owing on the house in cash.

With cash-out refinancing, you obtain a new home loan for a greater amount than you currently owe on your property. The downside is that you’ll be repaying a larger loan with new conditions, so assess the benefits and drawbacks before committing to a cash-out refinance.

• Streamline Refinancing

This mortgage refinancing process for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages reuses paperwork from the original loan to speed up refinancing. The FHA has launched a program to help expedite the home refinancing process and reduce the time of refinancing a property from months to weeks by recycling previous loan documents. 

Streamlined refinancing is becoming more popular, as reusing an appraisal of the original home may be the only option for refinancing an underwater property.

• USDA Loans

A USDA home loan is a low-interest mortgage alternative that makes homeownership more attainable for low-income people living in specified rural regions. 

The USDA backs these loans in the same manner that VA loans are backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for qualifying individuals, including veterans and their families.

• Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)

You use a HELOC to borrow the available assets of your home, which serves as security for the loan. Available credit is restored when you redeem your outstanding debt, similar to a credit card. 

If necessary, you can borrow against your home equity again, and you can receive close to or the exact amount over your drawdown period (usually 10 years), up to the line of credit you ultimately set. The payback period (usually 20 years) begins after the exit period ends.

• Construction and Renovation Loans

Construction loans are short-term and used to finance new home construction projects. After the home is built, the borrower must refinance into a permanent home loan.

Renovation loans are used to finance home improvements such as renovations, repairs, and remodels. These home loans are a great option if you’re looking to renovate an existing home or buy a home that needs lots of remodeling. 

There are several renovation loan options, the most common of which are the FHA 203 (k) loan and the FNMA Homestyle loan.

• Reverse Mortgage

A reverse mortgage’s security hinges on a residential property. This loan allows the borrower to access the property’s unencumbered value. The loans are primarily offered to senior citizens and don’t require monthly mortgage payments.

However,  borrowers must still pay property taxes and homeowners’ insurance. Reverse mortgages allow seniors (aged 62 and older) to access the built-up equity in their houses while deferring loan payments until they die, move out, or sell. Since reverse mortgages don’t require mortgage payments, interest is added to the mortgage loan total each month.

 

Online Services

CrossCountry’s website is simple, informational, functional, and combines articles, videos, and FAQs to provide borrowers with the knowledge they need regarding home loans.

However, you’re required to provide personal information before accessing content on the website’s surface. 

As a borrower interested in a CrossCountry Mortgage loan, you can prequalify online by completing a form. After that, a loan officer will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your options.

Also, you can use the lender’s digital platform for mortgage applications. There, you can securely submit papers and e-sign disclosures. You also have a co-pilot option, which allows loan originators to offer real-time help. Furthermore, the lender’s website offers numerous services, including mortgage calculators, a glossary, etcetera.

Pros of CrossCountry Mortgage

• Numerous loan programs are available

• Free mortgage calculators, mortgage dictionaries, and support articles on the website

• Licensed in all 50 states in the US

• Highly rated on Zillow

• You can apply for a mortgage online in most branches

Cons

• CrossCountry Mortgage rates aren’t advertised on their website

• The CCM website doesn’t mention the lender fee

• There’s no online approval procedure; you must first speak with a loan officer

 

 

How Can You Use CrossCountry Mortgage?

CrossCountry Mortgage requires applicants to have suitable income and credit history otherwise, they aren’t eligible for a term loan. So, you must have a credit line equal to or higher than 620 and a down payment of at least 3%. Additionally, lenders require a debt-to-income ratio (DTI) of less than or equal to 43%.

For jumbo loans, you must have a credit score of at least 660, a 10% down payment, and a low DTI ratio. CrossCountry provides huge loans of up to $5 million.

FHA loans require a down payment of at least 3.5 percent, but there’s no DTI ratio limit. Credit scores of 620 and above and a lower DTI ratio are acceptable for VA loans. USDA loans have no credit restrictions, but you must fulfill income standards and live in an eligible rural region to apply.

 

Conclusion

If you value personalized service, CrossCountry may be the perfect mortgage lender. Consumers have praised the lender’s customer service, and the organization prioritizes developing strong borrower-loan officer connections. Furthermore, the firm offers borrowers numerous loan types.

You can get a custom mortgage rate quote and compare it to loan estimates from some other businesses. Also, read numerous CrossCountry Mortgage reviews on highly rated real estate websites like Zillow before deciding to go with the mortgage company.

Buying or selling a home may be a time-consuming and stressful process, but there is a solution. With Ardor Homes Massachusetts, a real estate company that aims to simplify the process of buying and selling properties, you can easily sell or buy properties through the company’s website.

Visit our website today and let us ease your real estate concerns.