As a bank or credit union, home loans aren’t your only service offering, but they likely do make up a significant chunk of your business. Ideally, that piece of the pie would grow. 

In fact, you might want to buy mortgage leads to help there. As you explore this option, you probably have a sense that all lead generation platforms are not created equal. You want to find the best option for quality mortgage leads that convert. 

We can help. Here, we’ve teed up quick overviews and key details about nine of the biggest players in the game, listed alphabetically. 

Bankrate

Bankrate has been in the mortgage lead generation business for more than two decades, and that experience shows. One of the bigger names on this list, this publication provides editorial content about home buying and refinancing along with rate tables to help consumers shop their options.

If you’re looking for bank or credit union mortgage leads, getting on those rate tables can go a long way. Bankrate gets a lot of web traffic, which means that it can often offer a large quantity of quality mortgage leads. 

Be advised, though, that those leads come at a cost. Getting featured in Bankrate rate tables isn’t necessarily affordable, and getting them to review your company costs even more. Generally, they’re one of the most expensive options on this list.  

BestMoney

Natural Intelligence runs BestMoney, which functions a lot like Bankrate, providing would-be homebuyers and refinancers with useful information and current rates. They offer different lead generation opportunities, too. Beyond getting featured alongside competitors in their rate tables, BestMoney offers a “featured lender” option, which can be a meaningful way to buy mortgage leads. 

Partnering with a company like Natural Intelligence to get featured on BestMoney could be a good way to get credit union or bank mortgage leads with a lower barrier to entry than some of the bigger players on this list. 

Bundle Loans

As a newer player in the game, Bundle Loans is trying to shake things up. Rather than having consumers provide their contact information — which they then offer up to credit unions, banks, and other lending institutions for a price — they keep the consumer’s information anonymous. Instead, they match them with the right lenders for their unique needs, then connect them via a quote and chat feature. 

This way, the consumer can interface directly with your credit union or bank through Bundle Loans without sharing their personal details. That definitely attracts potential mortgage leads, but it means your team needs to land their contact information from the quote or chat. Still, though, because the consumer will have voluntarily provided that information, you’ll know you’re getting quality mortgage leads. 

Credit Karma

Like other companies that provide credit union and bank mortgage leads, Credit Karma uses their rate tables and lender reviews as lead generation tools. This option is a little newer than Bankrate or Lending Tree (more on them below), but they’re still a well-established option if you’re looking to buy mortgage leads. 

LendingTree

Another player with two decades of experience providing bank and credit union mortgage leads, LendingTree leads generally cost less than leads from Bankrate, Zillow, or NerdWallet. Be advised, though, that you and your team will need to work fast to turn them into mortgage leads that convert.

Usually, LendingTree doesn’t consider a lead to be exclusive. That means you can buy mortgage leads from this company, but so can your competitor. Following up on the lead quickly can help you edge out any other players who get that lead’s info from LendingTree.  

Money

Money operates like a lot of the other companies on this list, running a website that provides consumer information alongside rate tables that help to create mortgage leads. Getting on their rate tables and best-of mortgage lender page can help you tap into their big ad spend to get more users to their site. 

Mortgage Research Center

You might be more familiar with this option by its alternative names: I Can Buy or Informa. 

Another rate table-based tool for trying to capture mortgage leads that convert, the Mortgage Research Center (MRC) doesn’t put as much money into promoting its own website. Instead, this company seeks out partnerships with prominent websites that feature its rate tables. And it works. Those rate tables have been leveraged by high-ranking sites like MSN or Realtor.com, and currently get featured on VAloans.com, FHAloans.com, USDAloans.com, and more. 

NerdWallet

Another one of the biggest names on this list, NerdWallet has even forayed into TV ads with major networks. You might have seen them yourself. 

While NerdWallet initially got its start as a credit card comparison website, the company has expanded into home loans, too. And that means they could be a good option for bank and credit union mortgage leads. 

Like other options of this list, they provide several ways to buy mortgage leads, from getting listed in their rate tables to being featured on their best-of mortgage lender pages. NerdWallet mortgage leads generally cost more lead than LendingTree but less than Bankrate. 

Zillow

One last stop for quality mortgage leads from a trusted player in the real estate game: Zillow. 

This company offers a few options for credit union and bank mortgage leads. First, you can get featured on their rate tables, just like so many other lead generation tools on this list. But you can also choose a geographic area in which to become a sponsored lender. 

Zillow does have its own mortgage branch, Zillow Home Loans, which means you’ll be competing with them for quality mortgage leads. Still, though, with such a significant web presence, Zillow usually has more than enough to go around. Per lead, Zillow generally costs about as much as NerdWallet. 

What to do with leads once you get them

If you buy mortgage leads from any of these options, time is of the essence. 

For starters, you might be competing against other lending institutions since so many of these lead generation companies don’t sell exclusive leads. 

Just as importantly, though, if a consumer is looking at a mortgage website, they’re looking for information now. Reaching out to them while the matter is top of mind goes a long way. Make sure you only invest in mortgage leads if your sales team has the bandwidth to engage quickly.

If your sales staff is primed and ready, these options are just the beginning. To further explore quality mortgage leads that convert, consider a BankingBridge demo.