One of the top-35 retail mortgage companies in the country goes by the name “American Pacific Mortgage,” or APM for short.
The NorCal-based mortgage company is big on experience, whether it’s the many years of work history their loan advisors have, or their goal in providing the best possible outcome for their customers.
They are also actively involved with hundreds of charities, and have donated more than $1.4 million via their APMCares non-profit division.
Additionally, American Pacific Mortgage has an Office of Diversity and has been named a Top Employer by Diversity Jobs, and features some of the top female originators in the country.
So it appears they’re a progressive mortgage company that also cares about social causes. Let’s learn more.
American Pacific Mortgage Fast Facts
- Independent direct-to-consumer retail mortgage lender
- Founded in 1996, headquartered in Roseville, CA
- Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia
- Has roughly 350 branches and 2,500 loan advisors nationwide
- Funded more than $7 billion in home loans last year
- A top-35 mortgage company in the country by loan volume
- Did a near-90% share of home purchase lending last year
- Most active in the states of California, Washington, and Illinois
- Own a large subsidiary called True North Home Loans
American Pacific Mortgage is an independent employee-owned direct-to-consumer retail mortgage lender that has been around since 1996.
They are headquartered in Roseville, California, which is located just Northeast of the state capital Sacramento.
APM has about 350 physical branches located throughout the country, along with a team of about 2,500 loan advisors.
So they act as kind of a team of local loan originators in towns across America to provide a more personal touch to prospective home buyers and existing homeowners.
Many of those branches operate under DBAs, such as Advanced Mortgage Group, Aligned Mortgage, Big Valley Mortgage, Element Mortgage, Guarantee Mortgage, Old Republic Mortgage, Preferred Rate, and several others.
The company is also the parent of Georgia-based lender called True North Home Loans.
In 2024, APM mustered over $7 billion in total production, with about 90% of it home purchase lending and the rest refinance loans. You can thank high mortgage rates for that…
They were most active in their home state of California, where nearly 30% of overall volume was originated. But also busy in Washington State, Illinois, Florida, and Arizona.
Roughly two-thirds of their production was made up of conventional loans, with FHA loans accounting for 25% and VA loans about 10%. And the rest USDA loans.
How to Apply at American Pacific Mortgage
- They offer a digital mortgage application powered by ICE Mortgage Technology
- Can apply online in minutes and complete most tasks electronically
- Allows you to pause and resume where you left off and get status updates along the way
- Borrowers can link financial accounts, scan/upload files, and eSign documents on the fly
To begin, you can either visit a physical American Pacific Mortgage branch if one is located near you, or simply call a local office.
It’s also possible to apply directly from their website if you’ve been referred already and/or know who you’d like to work with.
Additionally, their website features a branch directory where you can enter your location and find both offices and loan advisors near you.
From there, it’d be wise to get a mortgage rate quote to determine how competitive they are, and also if they have the specific loan program you’re looking for.
Regardless of how you get in touch, they offer a digital mortgage application that is powered by ICE Mortgage Technology (formerly Ellie Mae).
It allows you to fill out an app electronically and pause and resume where you left off so you can complete it on your own schedule.
Borrowers can link their financials like a bank account using login credentials, scan/upload necessary files, and eSign documents on the fly.
Once submitted, you’ll receive status updates as your loan progresses to the finish line.
Those looking to buy a home can take advantage of their Keys on Time program, which provides a full pre-approval before you shop for a home.
Then you can shop around knowing your financing is in place, and perhaps stand out among other offers if in a bidding war.
In fact, if you don’t close on time and have the Keys on Time approval, APM will give you or the seller $2,000 for your trouble.
Loan Programs Offered by American Pacific Mortgage
- Home purchase financing
- Refinance loans: rate and term, cash out, and streamline
- Home renovation loans: FHA 203(k) and Fannie Mae HomeStyle
- Construction loans
- Reverse mortgages
- Conforming loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- Jumbo home loans
- FHA loans
- USDA loans
- VA loans
- Specialty loans: self-employed borrowers and stated income
- Fixed-rate and adjustable-rate options available
One plus to going with American Pacific Mortgage is their wide array of available loan programs.
They appear to offer just about anything you could ask for, and lend on all property types, whether it’s your first home, a vacation home, or 1-4 unit investment property.
You can get your hands on anything from a conforming loan backed by Fannie Mae to a jumbo loan or even a reverse mortgage, along with everything in between.
APM also offers a slew of different options in both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate varieties, such as a 30-year or 15-year fixed, or a 5/1 or 7/1 ARM, and temporary rate buydowns.
There are even programs tailored to self-employed borrowers and those with unconventional loan scenarios who might prefer to state their income or use assets to qualify.
Their construction lending offers a lot of flexible options, including one year to build and the ability to build before you move out of your old property.
Ultimately, you shouldn’t face too many restrictions when it comes to loan choice with APM.
American Pacific Mortgage Rates
One area that keeps us guessing a bit is their mortgage rates. They talk about mortgage rates, as in how they work, but don’t feature daily rates on their homepage or elsewhere on their website.
The same goes for lender fees. So ultimately we don’t know where they stand pricing-wise.
As such, you’ll need to get in touch with a loan officer to discuss loan pricing and overall eligibility.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to ask about any applicable lender fees, such as a loan origination fee or an application fee.
Once you take the time to shop around with APM and other lenders, you can determine if their pricing is in-line with or better than the competition.
As an independent mortgage company, they may best the big banks but perhaps price slightly higher than the fully-online mortgage lenders. But I can’t say with certainty.
Only way to know for sure is to compare a rate quote from APM to other banks, lenders, brokers, etc.
American Pacific Mortgage Reviews
Since inception, American Pacific Mortgage says more than 137,000 customers have rated them “5 stars,” a testament to their focus on exceptional service/experiences.
It didn’t say where those reviews were from, so I dug around to find them and they seem to live up to the hype.
On Zillow, American Pacific Mortgage has a nearly-perfect 4.98-star rating out of 5 from roughly 4,400 customer reviews.
That’s doubly impressive given the large number of reviews and their ability to maintain such a high score.
Many of the reviews on Zillow indicated an interest rate and/or closing costs below what had been expected, which gives us a clue about their loan pricing.
You can also check out individual loan officer reviews on Zillow, so take a moment to filter if you want to see how a particular advisor has performed in the past.
On Facebook, they have a 4.5-star rating from over 100 reviews, and on Google a 4.9-star rating from over 800 reviews.
They’ve also got a 4.9/5 rating on Birdeye from nearly 1,700 customer reviews, along with a 5-star rating on Reach150 from over 700 reviews.
And they’ve been named a top mortgage lender by Scotsman Guide and a Best Military Lender by National Mortgage Professional Magazine.
There’s just one wrinkle at the moment. While not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, they do have an ‘F’ rating based on complaint history.
Specifically, for failure to respond to three complaints filed against the business, which seems somehwat harsh and perhaps could be temporary while they work it out.
In any event, American Pacific Mortgage could be a solid choice for both first-time home buyers and those looking to refinance an existing mortgage given their extensive lending menu.
Their mix of technology and physical branch locations may appeal to those who prefer to know who they’re working with, as opposed to simply interacting with a website.
They’ve made it clear they care a lot about creating an incredible experience for their customers, a lofty goal given we’re talking about boring old mortgages. But I digress.
American Pacific Mortgage Pros and Cons
The Good
- Offer a digital mortgage application powered by ICE Mortgage Technology
- Lots of physical branches located throughout the country for those who prefer in-person consultation
- Keys on Time program offers a full mortgage approval before you shop for a home
- Tons of loan programs to choose from including reverse mortgages and specialty loans
- Excellent customer reviews from thousands of past clients
- Free smartphone app
- Free mortgage calculators and how-to guides online
The Perhaps Not
- Aren’t licensed to do business in New York
- Do not publicize mortgage rates or lender fees
- They may not service your loan after closing
- Currently hold an ‘F’ rating with the BBB for failure to respond to complaints
(photo: David Fulmer)
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