Here’s an interesting story about a tiny mortgage lender becoming a billion-dollar producer in less than 20 years.
Gateway Mortgage was founded back in the year 2000 by J. Kevin Stitt, who claimed he only had $1,000, a computer, and lofty dreams.
Today, the company he started refers to itself as one of the largest privately held mortgage lenders in the country.
And Stitt now serves as the 28th Governor of Oklahoma, in office since January 2019.
I can’t think of many other mortgage lenders that were launched by a politician, but here we are.
About Gateway Mortgage
- Founded in 2000 by J. Kevin Stitt, now the Governor of Oklahoma
- Headquarters located in Jenks, Oklahoma
- The mortgage lending arm of a full-scale bank (a division of Gateway First Bank)
- Funded more than $2 billion in mortgages in 2024
- Roughly one-third of volume comes from the state of Texas
- Also very active in home state of Oklahoma, New Jersey, and South Carolina
- 80 mortgage branch locations and 600+ mortgage employees nationwide
- Services more than $17 billion in home loans
Gateway Mortgage got started in the state of Oklahoma, initially focusing on FHA loans, and later expanded to additional states while also expanding its loan product menu.
The company was able to weather the Great Recession and even gained approval during the crisis to begin servicing mortgage loans and issuing securities backed by Ginnie Mae and Fannie Mae.
In 2019, Gateway Mortgage Group merged with a 100-year old bank to create Gateway First Bank, which offers a full slate of checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, personal loans, auto loans, and more.
Today, they have over 600 mortgage employees and more than 80 mortgage branches nationwide.
The company also runs a correspondent lending division that serves smaller mortgage banks and credit unions. They say they’ve been a top-25 correspondent investor for several years.
And they service more than $16.5 billion in home loans, which aligns with their motto of “Win Customers 4 Life.”
Some of their more unique offerings include piggyback second mortgages, no credit score mortgages, and no maximum DTI on conventional, FHA, and VA loans with AUS approval.
Where Gateway Mortgage Is Licensed
One slight negative, assuming it affects you, is Gateway Mortgage isn’t licensed to do business in all 50 states.
While they are growing year after year, and gaining new licenses, they still only lend in 41 states.
Those approved states include: AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY.
Some of the bigger states absent from the list include California and Massachusetts, and New York, along with the usual missing suspects, Alaska and Hawaii.
They also don’t lend in Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and DC.
Stay tuned though, because their list is expected to expand in the near future. The map above is from their latest annual report.
Note that the states where they have bank branches, such as California, don’t mean they originate home loans in those states.
How to Apply for a Home Loan with Gateway Mortgage
You have two main options here.
You can either look up an “expert” via the directory on their website, or simply apply on the website without selecting a specific individual.
Either way, you first need to create a profile on their website. Once you input key details about yourself and the property, they’ll let you know what you can afford.
You will be presented with personalized mortgage rates and loan options that you can compare.
The loan officer (chosen or assigned) will be your guide throughout the process, though with their new digital loan tool, you can probably complete much of it on your own.
If you live by a Gateway Mortgage branch, you can also meet a loan officer in person or give them a call directly.
LinkStep Is Gateway’s Digital Mortgage Application
- They recently launched a digital mortgage application known as LinkStep
- It is powered by leading mortgage fintech company Blend
- Allows borrowers to link financial accounts, check status, and upload documents from any device
- Much of the loan process can be paperless (though you can work face-to-face if preferred)
This is their exclusive web-based digital loan tool, which allows you to complete a loan application on a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. It was built by Blend’s technology.
Similar to other digital mortgage solutions, like Rocket Mortgage, it is integrated with lots of financial instructions, so you can link accounts for automated income, asset, and employment verification.
Additionally, you can take photos of documents with your phone and upload them on the go. this method is also more secure than emailing or faxing documents.
You can use it to check loan status and receive automatic reminders to make sure you complete all steps and documentation requests.
Types of Loans Offered by Gateway Mortgage
- Alt-Doc loans
- Conventional loans
- Doctor loans
- Expanded DTI loans
- FHA loans
- Foreign national loans
- Jumbo loans
- Lot loans
- Manufactured home loans
- Non-QM loans
- One-Time Close loans
- Piggyback second mortgages
- Renovation loans
- Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program
- USDA loans
- VA loans
One huge plus to using Gateway Mortgage is their vast array of loan programs.
You can use them for a home purchase, a mortgage refinance (rate and term or cash-out), to renovate a home, buy an investment property, or even just a lot.
You can get a conventional loan backed by Fannie or Freddie Mac, or a government home loan backed by the FHA, USDA, or VA.
Those short on cash can take advantage of their bond and down payment assistance (DPA) programs, and those worried about their down payment can consider their down payment protection.
In terms of individual loan programs, they’ve got lots of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage options, including 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, and 10/1 ARMs.
They also offer a so-called “Jumbo Buster” loan that keeps the first mortgage at/below the conforming loan limit and tacks on a piggyback second mortgage to extend total financing.
Those looking to build a home can take advantage of their one-time close (OTC) loan that combines a construction loan with permanent financing, including for jumbo loan amounts.
Gateway also originates lot loans if you’re not quite ready to build, but found your ideal plot of land.
Lastly, their Investor’s Advantage loan allows you to finance an investment property with zero down, make improvements, and then refinance into a 30-year fixed if the as-completed loan-to-value (LTV) is not greater than 75%.
Gateway Mortgage Rates and Fees
While they’ve got virtually every loan program under the sun, Gateway Mortgage doesn’t advertise their mortgage rates on their website.
This is always a slight negative because we don’t know how competitive they are. They could have amazing mortgage rates, but without sharing them, we can only guess.
Additionally, there’s no mention of lender fees on their website, so again, no idea what they charge (loan origination fee, underwriting, processing, etc.) or how much they charge.
Today, transparency is big in the mortgage industry, with companies like Better Mortgage charging no lender fees.
If Gateway did the same, they’d likely make it known.
Gateway Mortgage Reviews
They come very highly rated on Zillow, with a 4.96 star rating out of 5, which is basically as close to perfection as you can get.
And that’s based on nearly 5,000 customer reviews as of the time of this writing. So clearly they’re consistently making their borrowers happy.
Conversely, Gateway has a more questionable 2.5/5 rating with ConsumerAffairs based on about 700 reviews.
While they aren’t accredited with the Better Business Bureau, they do currently hold an ‘A+’ rating with the BBB.
They’ve had less than 10 complaints filed with the BBB over the past three years, which is a plus in terms of customer satisfaction.
To summarize, Gateway Mortgage has a very large menu of loan programs on offer, though they don’t appear to offer home equity loans or HELOCs, which is a slight negative.
At the same time, they offer a digital lending process and have physical branches in many locations as well.
The only question is do they offer competitive pricing to bring it all together? That’s the biggie you need to determine on your own by comparing their quote to other banks, lenders, brokers, etc.
Without knowing that, it’s hard to say whether Gateway Mortgage is a winner or a lender you might want to give a pass.
Pros and Cons of Gateway Mortgage
The Good
- Tons of loan programs available
- Fast loan approvals (underwriters generally issue decision in 1 business day)
- Digital loan application powered by Blend
- Very highly rated on Zillow
- Lock & Shop program (lock your rate before finding a home)
- They service the loans they originate
- Free mortgage calculators on their website
The Potential Bad
- Not available in all states (only 40 at the moment)
- Mixed reviews on other ratings websites
- No home equity products
- Do not advertise mortgage rates
- Do not disclose lender fees on website
- Mortgage Rates Rise After Latest Fed Rate Cut. Here’s Why - September 17, 2025
- Mortgage Rates See Unexpected Drop Night Before Fed Rate Cut Decision - September 16, 2025
- Will Mortgage Rates Bounce Higher on the Expected Fed Rate Cut? - September 16, 2025
Gateway Mortgage does not allow contact with their mortgage department. The department does not reply to emails either. Very frustrating.
I would like to know what credit scores you look at when people applying for a loan? Experian website Fico 8? Credit karma?
Shawn,
All mortgage lenders typically use tri-merge reports (including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) and older versions of each, such as FICO Score 2, 4, and 5.