New American Funding Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Mortgage Servicers

As a recession seems increasingly likely and mortgage loan delinquencies are on the rise, customers want to be assured their mortgage servicers are on their side. According to the redesigned J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, customer satisfaction suffers when there is a lack of trust in the servicer.

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2022 U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study (Graphic: Business Wire)

"Mortgage servicing has always been an opaque experience for customers with the firms originating, owning and servicing the loans often being different and changing over time,” said Craig Martin, executive managing director and global head of wealth and lending intelligence at J.D. Power. “In a time when brand reputation, customer trust and customer satisfaction are going to be even more critical for attracting and retaining business, different business models will be put to the test in different ways. Managing to the average is dangerous. Firms that are selling the value of the end-to-end relationship and working to build customer advocates will not succeed if they are satisfied with only being technically proficient. Even for firms primarily focused on sub-servicing—an area where compliance, efficiency and resource optimization are paramount—it’s critical to realize that customer perceptions heavily influence actions and, as a result, affect the bottom line.”

Following are some key findings of the 2022 study:

• Loan transfers hurt satisfaction, erode trust for all parties: Overall customer satisfaction for mortgages that are originated and serviced by the same company is 646 (on a 1,000-point scale). That number drops 133 points to 513 when the mortgage is transferred to a servicer that is different from the originator. Likewise, customer trust in the mortgage servicer falls 145 points to 511 when a loan is transferred vs. those that are originated and serviced by the same company. Critically, the originating firm that made the transfer is affected, too, with only 15% of transferred customers saying they are “very likely” to consider using the original lender in the future.

• Going paperless? Trust matters: More than half (52%) of mortgage servicing customers get a paper statement, but 43% of those customers say their primary means of reviewing their statement is via digital channels, so the paper bill isn’t used. The disconnect often goes back to trust. Among customers who have gone paperless, brand image attributes are rated significantly higher, including “can rely on lender to keep promises” and “lender provides honest communication,” compared with those who do not receive paperless statements. Among those who say they “never will” go paperless, the same brand image attributes are rated significantly lower. Servicers need to understand which customers are open to going paperless and what it will take to convert them.

• Transfers create administrative headaches for customers: More than four in 10 mortgage customers who had a loan transferred say the transfer process was not “very easy.” Among this group, problem incidence is substantially higher (27%) than the problem incidence among customers who say the process was “very easy” (12%). When the transfer process is perceived as “very easy,” satisfaction is 183 points higher than when the process is “somewhat easy,” “somewhat difficult” or “very difficult,” these customers are significantly less likely to need to interact with a live representative. Servicers need to be sure sufficient servicing information is sent from the beginning to better ensure a “very easy” transfer process to improve the customer experience and reduce call volume.

“Transparency has become the financial services industry’s favorite buzzword for a reason: customers respond favorably when brands communicate their intentions and provide clear guidance on what is happening and why,” said Tom Lawler, head of consumer lending intelligence at J.D. Power. “The complexity of the mortgage industry creates challenges in customer understanding, particularly when it comes to mortgage transfers. We’re entering a market environment where customer satisfaction is going to play a critical role in the success of mortgage brands, and transparency will be a big part of creating the trust that will determine business success.”

Study Ranking

New American Funding ranks highest among mortgage servicers with a score of 695. Rocket Mortgage (672) ranks second and Huntington National Bank (669) ranks third.

The U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, formerly known as the U.S. Primary Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, was redesigned in 2022. The study measures customer satisfaction with the mortgage servicing experience in six factors (in order of importance): level of trust; makes it easy to do business with; keeps me informed and educated; people; resolving problems or questions; and digital channels. The study is based on responses from 8,098 customers who have been with their current mortgage loan servicer for at least one year. The study was fielded in March-April 2022.

For more information about the U.S. Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/financial-services/us-mortgage-servicer-satisfaction-study.

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2022092.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

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