Satisfaction scores rise industry-wide, but one 11-year champion just lost its crown
For more than a decade, one name had claimed the top spot in JD Power's US mortgage servicer satisfaction rankings more times than any other lender. In 2026, that changed.
Chase has claimed the number one spot in the JD Power 2026 US Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, posting a score of 694 on a 1,000-point scale and ending Rocket Mortgage's run of dominance that stretched back more than a decade.
Rocket Mortgage follows at 690 — close, but no longer leading — with Bank of America (672), Huntington National Bank (654), and Regions Mortgage (652) rounding out the top five.
The study, based on responses from 14,118 customers surveyed between May 2025 and May 2026, recorded an overall industry average of 607, an 11-point gain from 2025 and the strongest year-over-year improvement in recent memory.
Satisfaction up, financial health down
The rebound in satisfaction scores does not tell the full story of where borrowers stand. Just 41% of borrowers are currently classified as financially healthy, down from 52% four years ago.
Thirty percent now say they fear losing their home, nearly double the 17% who said the same in 2022.
Late fees are becoming more common, and more than half of the 75% of customers with escrow accounts reported an escrow payment increase this year.
Bruce Gehrke, senior director of lending intelligence at JD Power, framed the improvement as servicers finally meeting the moment rather than rising conditions lifting all boats.
"The servicing industry is entering a trust economy where the customer relationship after origination is more important than ever," Gehrke said.
"Servicers that continue to support customers through financial uncertainty and deliver a trusted experience will be best positioned to earn their business when the market shifts."
The study found that customers who received clear explanations for basic servicing fees were significantly more likely to rate their trust as excellent, and 33 percentage points more likely to say they would definitely reuse their lender. That clarity, not rate levels, is becoming the primary loyalty driver.
Who's above the line — and who isn't
Depositories claimed seven of the top 10 spots in the 2026 rankings, a signal of the structural advantage banks carry when customers already have a broader financial relationship with them.
Earlier this year, Gehrke told Mortgage Professional America that bank servicers were outperforming independent mortgage banks by 68 points on average in servicing satisfaction, a gap he called the most significant data point in the 2026 cycle.
Among names with direct broker-channel ties, United Wholesale Mortgage scored 608, one point above the study average.
New American Funding posted 636 and CrossCountry Mortgage came in at 586.
At the bottom of the table, SPS (Select Portfolio Servicing) scored 458, Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing posted 487, and PHH Mortgage (including Onity) finished at 513. These servicers typically acquire loans after origination, leaving borrowers with no pre-existing relationship, a dynamic Gehrke has previously identified as one of the sharpest predictors of low satisfaction.
What the rankings mean for brokers
The competitive stakes in servicer satisfaction have never been higher for originators. Tom Davis, chief sales officer at Deephaven Mortgage, has told MPA that servicer recapture rates now exceed 70%, up from roughly 25% seven years ago, as servicers deploy second-lien products and early-intervention outreach to lock in borrowers before refinance windows reopen.
Poor customer service was identified as the leading reason borrowers consider switching servicers, cited by 43% of respondents. That gap is where brokers can compete.
For originators tracking the long-running divergence between servicer and originator satisfaction scores, the 2026 data confirms that knowing where a client's loan lands and how that servicer performs is now as strategically important as closing the deal.
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