Not many mortgage companies have been around since the 1980s, but “Sun West Mortgage” has.
However, that doesn’t mean they operate their business like a dinosaur. Quite the contrary.
They employ the latest digital technology and offer numerous tools to make your mortgage experience a pleasant one, and also a fast one.
The SoCal based lender refers to itself as a “mortgage factory,” in the sense that they’re a well-oiled machine that has been honed to perfection over decades.
And their thousands of customer reviews seem to back that up. Read on to learn more about them.
Sun West Mortgage Fast Facts
- Direct-to-consumer retail mortgage lender
- Offers home purchase loans, refis, and renovation loans
- Founded in 1980, headquartered in Buena Park, CA
- Licensed in 48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Funded more than $11 billion in home loans last year
- Most active in home state of California (35% of total loan volume)
- Also operate wholesale and correspondent divisions and LowRates.com
Sun West Mortgage Company, Inc. is a direct-to-consumer retail mortgage lender based out of Buena Park, California.
They got started all the way back in 1980, and today are a $10 billion+ a year mortgage originator.
The company refers to themselves as “minority-owned” and says it focuses on underserved communities.
In 2021, their physical branch count surpassed 80, which means you can apply in person or online depending on your preference.
They are mostly a refinance lender, with such loans accounting for about three-quarters of overall production.
And they are active in FHA lending, with those loans making up about 20% of their volume.
Aside from their home state of California, they have a strong presence in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, and Texas.
At the moment, they are licensed in every state other than Georgia or Massachusetts, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
How to Apply with Sun West Mortgage
To get started, you can visit their website or visit a local branch. Those who opt to go online can hit “Apply Now” to begin.
You’ll be asked if you were referred to a specific loan officer. If so, enter their name. If not, you can search for loan officers by location, then read bios about them before you continue.
Sun West Mortgage prides itself on excellent customer service and fast turn times. That means getting your loan to the finish line in weeks, not months.
The company refers to its business as a “mortgage factory,” with a “manufacturing process” that has been engineered over 40 years to get your loan funded on time.
They offer a digital mortgage application that allows you to complete most tasks electronically, whether it’s the app itself, eSigning disclosures, or scheduling your signing date.
You can also securely upload documentation and conditions via their website, with document requests clearly listed to avoid any confusion.
Once your loan is submitted, you can check status 24/7 via the SeeMyLoanStatus website by entering in your login credentials.
There you’ll see an application checklist, along with estimated dates for events to take place, such as when docs will go out, and when your loan will fund.
They say they offer “near instantaneous underwriting,” which includes guaranteed 8am approvals and 4-hour conditions review.
And most recently, said loan underwriting review times have been lowered to just 40 minutes, thanks to their AI-based technology known as “Morgan.”
In other words, they’re fast, so as long as you hold up your end of the deal, they should be able to get your loan funded quickly and easily.
If you have questions along the way, your lending team (loan officer and processor) will be able to help.
All in all, they seem to have a very well organized, proprietary system for closing loans, and the latest technology to take the headache out of obtaining a mortgage.
Loan Programs Available at Sun West Mortgage
- Home purchase loans
- Home renovation loans: FHA 203k and HomeStyle Renovation
- Refinance loans: rate and term, cash out, streamline
- Conforming loans backed by Fannie and Freddie
- Jumbo loans
- FHA loans
- VA loans
- USDA loans
- Down payment assistance
- Non-QM loans
- Reverse mortgages
- Manufactured home loans
- Small Business loans
- Fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans in various loan terms
Sun West Mortgage offers an extensive menu of home loan programs, whether you’re a home buyer or existing homeowner looking to refinance a mortgage.
They also offer home renovation loans, including both the FHA 203k and Fannie Mae HomeStyle Renovation.
You can get your hands on all the basics, such as conforming loans, FHA/VA/USDA, along with jumbo loans.
But they go a step further in offering portfolio loans including non-QMs, reverse mortgages, manufactured home loans, and even Small Business Loans for properties with five or more residential units.
They lend on all major property types, including single-family homes, condos/townhomes, 2-4 investment properties, and more.
Both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans are available in a wide variety of loan terms to fit all borrower needs.
Sun West Mortgage Rates
Sun West provides a list of daily mortgage rates on their website for conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA loans.
Simply click on “My Loan Info” to see today’s rates, then toggle between the different loan types as needed.
If you like what you see, you can click on the desired rate and fill out a short contact form to nail down pricing for your exact loan scenario.
From what I saw, their pricing appeared pretty competitive, which makes sense given their position as a large independent mortgage bank.
But you won’t know for sure unless you run your loan scenario by a loan officer first.
Once you do, be sure to inquire about any fees, such as a loan origination fee, processing, and underwriting.
Then you can shop their mortgage APR with other banks, lenders, and mortgage brokers to see where they stand.
Sun West Mortgage Reviews
Sun West Mortgage has an excellent 4.74-star rating out of 5 on Experience.com from about 5,000 customer reviews.
Be sure to filter by loan originator to find someone truly exceptional to work with based on customer satisfaction.
They also have a solid 4.8-star rating from more than 3,000 Google reviews, which is very impressive given the large sample size.
Over at Zillow, they’ve got an even better 4.87-star rating out of a possible five from about 500 customer reviews.
Many of the customer reviews on Zillow indicate that interest rates and fees/closing costs were lower than expected.
Additionally, they have a 4.4-star rating on Facebook from about 300 reviews, which is a great rating as well.
Lastly, they are an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2018 and currently hold an ‘A+’ rating based on customer complaint history.
Sun West Mortgage Pros and Cons
The Good
- Can apply for a home loan online from any device
- Offer a digital mortgage application that is mostly paperless
- Quick turn times for both approvals and satisfying conditions
- They offer 20-day loan closings and one hour underwriting review times
- No processing fees
- Display their daily mortgage rates online
- Wide selection of loan programs to choose from
- Excellent reviews from thousands of past customers
- A+ BBB rating, accredited business since 2018
- Free mortgage calculators and mortgage glossary online
The Perhaps Not
- Aren’t accepting applications in Georgia or Massachusetts
- Do not list lender fees online
(photo: Bruce Fritz)