Are you considering buying a home in Alaska? You’re not the only one. Alaska is an adventurous place to buy a home with almost 320,000 housing units and a homeownership rate of 66%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey.
Alaska’s median housing value is $276,100, which is slightly above the national median of $229,700. Even so, home values vary by region. Some areas have higher priced homes, while other areas have lower housing costs.
U.S. News selects the Best Loan Companies by evaluating affordability, borrower eligibility criteria and customer service. Those with the highest overall scores are considered the best lenders.
To calculate each score, we use data about the lender and its loan offerings, giving greater weight to factors that matter most to borrowers. For mortgage lenders, we take into account each company’s customer service ratings, interest rates, loan product availability, minimum down payment, minimum FICO score and online features.
The weight each scoring factor receives is based on a nationwide survey on what borrowers look for in a lender.
To receive a rating, lenders must offer qualifying loans nationwide and have a good reputation within the industry. Read more about our methodology.
Homefinity launched in 2018 as the online lending division of Fairway Independent Mortgage. It offers a variety of mortgage products, including conventional mortgages, Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Affairs mortgages, and mortgage refinancing.
Caliber Home Loans of Coppell, Texas, offers mortgage products nationwide. Options include conventional, adjustable-rate, jumbo, refinancing, Federal Housing Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Veterans Affairs loans. Caliber has been in business since 2008, and is solely focused on home lending products.
Carrington Mortgage Services, founded in 2007, offers an array of mortgage and refinancing options to borrowers seeking conventional or government-backed loans. Its California-based parent company, Carrington Holding Co., was established in 2003 and provides a range of real estate services. Carrington Mortgage Services is based in California and also has offices in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana and Maryland.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union, widely known as PenFed, offers borrowers access to many types of mortgages: conventional, adjustable rate, jumbo and Department of Veterans Affairs, plus refinancing loans and home equity lines of credit. The financial institution, which serves 2.5 million members, was established in 1935 and is based in McLean, Virginia.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist Bank was formed in 2019 after SunTrust and BB&T banks merged. Truist Bank offers a variety of mortgage products, including refinancing and home equity lines of credit.
AmeriSave Mortgage Corp. is an online lender that has been in business since 2002. It was one of the first to offer an offsite, digital mortgage experience for customers. The company says it has financed more than 664,000 borrowers since it began operating. With headquarters in Atlanta, AmeriSave services loans in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
Veterans United Home Loans offers mortgages in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and specializes in Department of Veterans Affairs loans. Since 2016, Veterans United Home Loans has generated the largest number of VA purchase loans per year in the nation. The lender was founded in 2002 and is based in Columbia, Missouri.
PNC Bank is one of the largest banks in the United States, serving more than 9 million customers in all 50 states. A full-service mortgage lender, PNC offers most mortgage loan product types.
PrimeLending is a Dallas-based mortgage lender in operation since 1986. The company offers several mortgage loan options, including conventional loans, jumbo loans, government-backed loans and refinance loans. The lender is a subsidiary of PlainsCapital Bank.
Real Genius is a division of FirstBank, a publicly traded bank based in Nashville, Tennessee. Real Genius, formerly known as ConsumerDirect Mortgage, offers both home purchase and refinance loans.
Home interest rates range from 2.5% to 2.75% in Alaska.
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Alaska homebuyers can get interest rate reductions as well as help with down payments and closing costs from these Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) programs.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers who have not owned a primary residence in the last three years, unless the house is within a targeted area or if the homebuyer is a qualified veteran, along with other conditions such as acquisition cost limits.
- Income limits: Vary by area and household size (see income limits for non-targeted areas and targeted areas).
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Lower interest rates to eligible homebuyers.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers who have not owned a primary residence in the last three years.
- Income limits: None.
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Reduced interest rate for qualified homebuyers.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers purchasing a primary residence who have not owned a primary residence in the last three years and do not own other residential property within 50 miles of the home being purchased.
- Income limits: Vary by area and household size (see income limits).
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Interest rate reduction of 0.5% or 1%, depending on family income, on the first $180,000 of the loan amount.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers purchasing a manufactured home in a mobile home park or on land, not on a permanent foundation.
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Ability to finance this particular type of home.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers occupying the purchased property within 60 days of loan closing.
- Income limits: None.
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Competitive interest rate.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers with a minimum credit score of 640 purchasing an owner-occupied residence.
- Income limits: None.
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: Closing cost or down payment assistance of up to 4% of the initial principal balance of the loan, depending on credit qualifications.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers who are qualified veterans.
- Income limits: Vary by area and household size (see income limits).
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: A 1% interest rate reduction on the first $50,000 of the loan amount.
- Available to: Eligible Alaska homebuyers buying an energy-efficient property or improving the energy efficiency of an existing property they’re purchasing.
- First-time homebuyers only?: No.
- Benefits: An interest rate reduction of up to 0.750% based on energy efficiency standards on the first $200,000 of the loan amount.
Guild Mortgage is a San Diego-based lender established in 1960 and focused on residential home loans. Guild Mortgage offers buyers in 43 states a full suite of mortgage products, including conventional loans, government-backed mortgages and jumbo loans.
SoFi is an online lender founded in 2011 and headquartered in San Francisco that offers fixed-rate mortgages. Refinance, jumbo and home equity loans are also available.
CMG Financial is a privately held mortgage banking firm operating nationwide with localized support, founded in 1993 and based in San Ramon, California. The lender offers a range of products, including conventional, government and specialty mortgages, like jumbo loans.
Founded in 1990, Freedom Mortgage is one of the country’s largest loan originators and services, operating in all but two states plus the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Freedom Mortgage was named No. 1 Veterans Affairs lender and No. 1 Federal Housing Administration lender by the industry publication Inside Mortgage Finance. Freedom Mortgage offers a range of mortgage loans, including conventional, adjustable-rate, refinance, FHA, VA and U.S. Department of Agriculture. But what Freedom Mortgage is known for is its mission to help American military personnel purchase a home.
LoanDepot is a mortgage lender that operates nationally with more than 200 branches and delivers both a digital experience and face-to-face service. The lender offers fixed- and adjustable-rate conventional mortgages, Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs loans, as well as refinance and renovation loans. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Foothill Ranch, California.
Alliant Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that serves customers in all 50 states. Alliant offers products such as conventional, jumbo, refinancing and home equity line of credit loans, but specific mortgage products may not be available in certain states.
Rocket Mortgage, the largest mortgage lender in the nation, was founded in 1985. The Detroit-based company is best known for its fully digital experience of buying or refinancing a home. Rocket Mortgage changed its name from Quicken Loans in the summer of 2021.
Bank of America serves roughly 67 million customers in all 50 states. The lender offers conventional, Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs and jumbo loans as well as home equity lines of credit and mortgage refinancing.
Guaranteed Rate, founded in 2000 and based in Chicago, offers mortgage options including conventional loans, Federal Housing Administration loans, jumbo loans and interest-only loans to customers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Borrowers can take advantage of specialized loan products and Guaranteed Rate’s online application, documentation and loan payment options.
U.S. Bank is a national bank based in Minneapolis that provides various banking products and services as well as a handful of mortgage options. The lender offers conventional loans, Federal Housing Administration loans, Department of Veterans Affairs loans, jumbo loans and more.
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where offers appear on the site but do not affect any editorial decisions,
such as which loan products we write about and how we evaluate them. This site
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