You don’t need to travel to Switzerland to get a mortgage, but you can visit Geneva Financial. It’s a lot closer.

Their motto is “Home Loans Powered by Humans,” and more specifically “good humans” who should have your best interests in mind.

They believe if their employees are doing the right thing, their customers will benefit and wind up with home loans that actually suit them.

That makes a lot of sense, and may explain why they come so highly-rated. Let’s dig into the details.

Geneva Financial Fast Facts

• Retail direct-to-consumer mortgage lender
• Founded in 2007, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona
• Offers home purchase financing, refinance loans, and reverse mortgages
• Currently licensed to do business in 42 states and D.C.
• 500+ employees and 130+ branch locations nationwide

Geneva Financial Home Loans is an independent mortgage lender based out of Chandler, Arizona, which is a suburb of Phoenix.

The company was founded in 2007 by mortgage veteran Aaron VanTrojen, right around the time the housing bubble began to burst.

But somehow they managed to navigate that very difficult period, and today are a billion-dollar originator and one of the fastest growing companies in Arizona.

As you might expect, they are most active on their home turf, with about 20% of total volume coming from the Copper State.

They also do a good amount of lending in California, Florida, Oregon, and Washington.

Geneva is a purchase-heavy lender, with such transactions accounting for about 80% of their business, with the rest split between refinance loans and reverse mortgages.

That means they cater to home buyers, whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned one.

At the moment, they are licensed in 42 states and the District of Columbia, with Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, New York, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming the exceptions.

How to Apply for a Mortgage with Geneva Financial

• To get started use their loan officer directory to find someone to work with
• Then you can click on the “Apply Now” button to launch the application
• They offer a digital mortgage loan experience powered by Ellie Mae
• Allows you to complete most tasks remotely/paperlessly from any device

Your first step is to find a licensed loan officer to work with, which you can do by visiting the Geneva Financial website.

They list all their branches by city and state so you can find someone nearby that is licensed in the state where your property is located.

Once you find someone you like, you can request a consultation or simply click “Apply Now” to start the mortgage loan process.

Their digital application is powered by Ellie Mae, one of the leaders in the mortgage fintech space.

It allows you to link your financial accounts using login credentials, scan/upload documents, eSign disclosures, and check loan status 24/7.

Geneva Financial has both in-house underwriting and an operations team on site, so they should be able to offer fast turn times.

But you may want to talk to a loan officer about pricing before you proceed to ensure they offer attractive interest rates and closing costs.

You may also be able to visit a local brick-and-mortar branch or simply call them up on the phone to get the ball rolling.

Regardless, you’ve got options, and they seem to offer the right combination of technology and the human touch, similar to Nations Lending, which also leans on the human narrative.

Loans Programs Offered by Geneva Financial

• Home purchase loans (including down payment assistance)
• Refinance loans: rate and term, cash out, and streamline
• Home renovation and construction loans
• Conventional home loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• Jumbo home loans up to $3 million loan amounts
• FHA loans, VA loans, and USDA loans
• Manufactured home loans
• Physician home loans
• Self-employed borrower mortgages
• Hero mortgage programs
• Reverse mortgages
• Foreign national mortgages
• No-credit score and low-credit score options
• Home equity line of credit (HELOC)
• Fixed-rate mortgages: 15-year fixed, 30-year fixed
• Adjustable-rate mortgages: 5/1 ARM, 7/1 ARM

As noted, Geneva Financial is big on home purchase loans, including manufactured home loans.

But they also offer mortgage refinances, renovation loans, construction loans, and reverse mortgages.

In terms of refinancing, you can get a rate and term refinance, a cash out refinance, or a streamline refinance.

Geneva also appears to offer a home equity line of credit product per their website.

They offer all the major types of loans, including conventional loans backed by Fannie/Freddie, and government-backed loans such as FHA loans, USDA loans, and VA loans.

Those purchasing or refinancing a loan above the conforming limit can also obtain a jumbo home loan with loan amounts as high as $3 million.

But that’s not all – they also offer physician mortgages, home loans for self-employed borrowers, foreign national mortgages, and no-credit score and low-credit score options.

They are also a Homes for Heroes approved lender, and offer 2% down payment assistance to first responders, veterans and active duty military, teachers, and doctors and nurses.

In other words, no matter what you need, they should have a home loan to suit you.

With regard to specific loan programs, you can get a fixed-rate mortgage such as a 15-year or 30-year fixed, or a hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage like a 5/1 or 7/1 ARM.

Geneva Financial Mortgage Rates

Sadly, they do not post their mortgage rates on their website like some other lenders. Instead, if you click on “Today’s Rates” you’ll simply be ported to a short contact form.

Once you fill out the form, a licensed loan officer will get in touch to discuss loan rates and lender fees.

While it’s not necessary for lenders to openly publicize their mortgage rates, it can be nice to get a feel for their pricing.

Instead of filling out the form, you can simply call them to get in touch with a loan officer and discuss mortgage rates and lender fees.

Yes, take the time to get both interest rates and fees, which together amount to the mortgage APR, which is key for shopping your home loan.

While customer service and an easy-to-use website are great features, price should also be a big driver in determining which mortgage lender to work with.

Geneva Financial Reviews

Geneva Financial has an impressive 4.9-star rating on Google from more than 1,300 customer reviews, which is pretty close to perfect.

And on Zillow, they’ve got a 4.89-star rating out of 5 from just under 100 reviews. So they appear to be consistently making their customers happy.

While they aren’t an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau, they do have an “A+” rating at the moment.

I’d like to see more reviews, but at least they’ve got solid numbers thus far.

All in all, Geneva Financial comes highly-rated and offers a ton of loan programs that other lenders may not.

They appear to have good relationships with real estate agents based on their high share of home purchase loans, and may also be well-suited for a mortgage refinance.

Take your time to compare their rates/fees with others lenders to ensure they offer good value along with stellar customer service.

Geneva Financial Pros and Cons

The Good

• Can apply for a home loan via their website from any device
• Offer a digital mortgage experience powered by Ellie Mae
• Tons of loan programs to choose from
• Lots of physical locations nationwide
• Excellent customer reviews
• A+ BBB rating
• Free Wayfair Pro account
• Free mortgage calculators and mortgage glossary on site

The Not-so-Good

• They aren’t licensed in all 50 states
• Do not publicize their mortgage rates
• Unclear what lender fees they charge
• They do not service loans

(photo: Xavier)