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.
The Best VA Loan Lenders of March 2023
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
The best VA loan lenders offer military borrowers a variety of loan options insured by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as an online experience that includes detailed rate and product information. From a pool of LendingTree’s 35 lender reviews and an analysis of each lender’s VA programs, our picks for the top four VA lenders offer best-in-class service to veterans and service members looking to achieve the dream of homeownership.
On this page
- Best overall VA lender: Rocket Mortgage
- Best online experience: Flagstar Bank
- Best for VA rate transparency: Veterans United
- Best for VA loans with bad credit: Carrington Mortgage Services
- Summary of the best VA mortgage lenders of 2023
- How we chose our picks for the best VA lenders
- Current mortgage rates
- Frequently asked questions
Best overall VA lender: Rocket Mortgage
| Rocket Mortgage at a glance
- Minimum credit score (VA loans): 580
- Available VA loan programs: Purchase, streamline refinance (IRRRL), cash-out refinance
- Additional loan products: Conventional, FHA, jumbo, home equity loans
- LendingTree rating:
Why we chose Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage is one of the largest mortgage lenders in the game and was among the first to take mortgage lending online — and it shows. When it comes to VA loans, the company offers all of the essential VA programs we look for: purchase, cash-out refinance and streamline refinance, also known as an interest rate reduction refinance loan (IRRRL). On top of that, military borrowers looking for a robust online loan experience will find that Rocket Mortgage offers excellent digital features like an online application, rate information that’s updated regularly, detailed loan information and resources to help you navigate the complex world of mortgage lending.
Best online experience: Flagstar Bank
| Flagstar Bank at a glance
- Minimum credit score (VA loans): Not disclosed
- Available VA loan programs: Purchase, streamline refinance (IRRRL)
- Additional loan products: Conventional, FHA, jumbo, HELOC
- LendingTree rating:
Why we chose Flagstar Bank
Flagstar, headquartered in New York, is the third-largest savings bank in the U.S. With nationwide reach, Flagstar issues home loans in all 50 states. Offering both VA purchase loans and VA streamline refinances (IRRRLs), Flagstar can meet the needs of a large swath of VA borrowers. But where the company really shines is in its online experience. Flagstar publishes rates online, offers helpful product information and resources about mortgage lending on its website and has a convenient online application. And if you think a stellar online experience can only be had with an online bank, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that Flagstar operates branches in several states.
Best for VA rate transparency: Veterans United
| Veterans United at a glance
- Minimum credit score (VA loans): 620
- Available VA loan programs: Purchase, streamline refinance, cash-out refinance
- Additional loan products: Conventional, FHA, jumbo
- LendingTree rating:
Why we chose Veterans United
Veterans United specializes in tailoring mortgage lending to the needs of military borrowers. And while the company does offer conventional loans and other products that don’t require military service, over 90% of its customers come specifically for a VA loan. The website shines when it comes to making a variety of VA loan rate information available and allowing price shoppers to tailor that information to their credit score. The lender’s attention to the details and needs of military borrowers also shines through in its rate information, which is updated daily and includes VA funding fees.
Best for VA loans with bad credit: Carrington Mortgage Services
| Carrington Mortgage Services at a glance
- Minimum credit score (VA loans): 500
- Available VA loan programs: Purchase, refinance, streamline refinance
- Additional loan products: Conventional, FHA, jumbo, USDA
- LendingTree rating:
Why we chose Carrington Mortgage Services
Although the VA doesn’t set a credit score minimum for the loans it backs, if you’re looking for a VA loan and you have a low credit score, you’ve undoubtedly discovered that lenders do. Carrington’s minimum credit score is set at 500, which is a whopping 218 points below the average for VA loans. There’s no arguing with that — no other VA lenders we reviewed are willing to lend to a borrower with a credit score lower than 580.
Summary of the best VA mortgage lenders of 2023
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.
| Lender | LendingTree rating and best of category | Minimum credit score (VA loans) | Minimum down payment | Lender review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  Best overall VA lender | 580 | 0% with full entitlement | Read our review |
 | Best for online experience | Not disclosed | 0% with full entitlement | Read our review |
 | Best for rate transparency | 620 | 0% with full entitlement | Read our review |
 |  Best for VA loans with bad credit | 500 | 0% with full entitlement | Read our review |
How we chose our picks for the best VA lenders
To determine the best VA loan lenders, we reviewed data collected from 35 lender reviews completed by the LendingTree editorial staff for 2023.
Each lender review gives a rating between zero and five stars based on several features including digital application processes, available loan products and the accessibility of product and lending information. To evaluate VA-specific factors, we awarded extra points to lenders that publish VA mortgage rates online, offer at least three VA loan types (VA purchase loans, VA streamline refinances, VA cash-out refinances) and accept credit scores at or above 620.
Our editorial team brought together all of the data about lenders in our lender reviews, as well as the scores awarded for VA-specific characteristics, to find the lenders with a product mix, information and guidelines that best serve the needs of VA loan borrowers. To be considered for our “best overall” pick, lenders had to be able to issue mortgages in over 35 states.
Current mortgage rates
2022 was not an easy time to be in the market for a new home. Between rapidly rising mortgage interest rates, inflation and supply-chain disruptions, most Americans found themselves facing a very hot housing market with less financial power than they may have hoped for.
However, as of early 2023, the forecast for mortgage rates is fairly sunny, or at least partly cloudy: Interest rates have started to decline and are expected to continue on that path. Inflation, which threw a wrench into the gears of the financial plans of many Americans in 2022, looks like it’s receding. All of this has the potential to make reaching homeownership just a little bit easier for veterans who may have struggled to meet VA loan requirements in the past.
Here’s a look at mortgage rates today:
Frequently asked questions
Applying online for your certificate of eligibility (COE) is the fastest way to find out whether you’re eligible for VA financing. You’re typically eligible if you served 90 consecutive days of active duty or you are the surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty or from a service-related disability.
Yes. VA borrowers can use their VA loan entitlement as many times as they’d like and can even have two or more VA loans at once. As long as you still have enough entitlement left to support another loan, you can continue using your loan entitlement.
If you don’t meet the minimum military service requirements and you aren’t an eligible spouse, VA financing is not an option. Qualified borrowers must also meet minimum VA mortgage requirements.
In most cases, you don’t need a down payment for a VA loan. However, there are exceptions if you don’t have enough VA loan entitlement left because you already used your VA benefits previously.
VA rates vary based on your credit score, down payment, location and loan amount. Average VA loan rates stayed above 6%, with a national average of 6.43% at the end of the week of March 6th, according to data collected by ICE Mortgage Technology, a real estate data company.