Why PBT Bancorp Is a Trusted Partner for Your VA Loan

What makes a VA lender worth trusting

Most VA lenders will tell you they specialize in veterans, but the VA loan is only as good as the company that brokers it for you, and that is where the right partner makes a real difference. At PBT Bancorp we are an FDIC member bank and a wholesale broker with access to more than 35 wholesale lenders, which means we are not stuck offering you one set of rates from one shop. We can shop your loan across all of those lenders and find the best deal for your situation, and for almost every veteran we work with that flexibility shows up as a lower rate, lower closing costs, or both.

We have decades of experience working with veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and surviving spouses, and we have helped more than 3,000 families find their home or refinance and save money. That track record is the foundation of everything below.

Why the lender you pick matters more than you think

This may be a surprise to a lot of veterans, but oftentimes the larger the lender, the higher the closing costs are. The big national names spend heavily on advertising and call centers, and those costs tend to get passed along to you in the form of higher fees. Because we shop your loan through more than 35 wholesale lenders, we work hard to keep your closing costs down and we always make sure you know about any cost upfront before you commit to anything.

Speed matters too, particularly when you are buying in a competitive market or trying to lock a rate before it moves. Many lenders take up to 30 days to close your loan or longer, while at PBT Bancorp we are able to close most loans in 2 to 3 weeks from start to finish, sometimes faster if your timeline requires it. When you are racing the clock on a purchase or watching rates day to day on a refinance, those extra weeks are the difference between getting the deal and missing it.

Flexible credit when other lenders say no

The VA itself does not set a minimum credit score, but every lender sets its own floor, and this is where we are genuinely different from the bigger shops. Most lenders want to see a 640 or higher before they will even talk to you. We have lenders who accept credit scores as low as 500 on VA purchase and cash-out loans, which means we can often help families that a national lender already turned away. Of course, the higher your credit score is, the better your pricing will typically be, but a lower score does not automatically close the door the way it does at most companies.

On VA IRRRL loans we go even further with our No Score program, which does not require a credit score at all. Qualifying is simple, no more than 1x 30 days late on your mortgage in the past 12 months. Something many veterans may not realize is that this lets us close streamline refinances that most other lenders simply are not able to, and it often gives you better pricing than you would receive by leaning on your existing score.

The full range of VA loan products under one roof

A trusted partner should be able to handle whatever your situation calls for, not just the easy files. We offer the complete VA lineup, from VA purchase loans with $0 down for veterans with full entitlement and no monthly mortgage insurance (PMI), to VA cash-out refinances, to the VA IRRRL streamline for lowering your rate and payment. We also handle the loans a lot of lenders shy away from, including one-time close construction loans for building from the ground up and VA loans on manufactured homes.

Because we are licensed in all 50 states, you get the same products and the same hands-on service whether you are buying near a base, in a quiet rural county, or in the middle of a busy city. Your loan officer works with you through the entire process and you always have their direct number, so you are never passed off to a stranger in a call center who does not know your file.

What working with us actually looks like

We have streamlined our process so the whole thing feels simple from the first phone call. We can usually tell you whether you qualify in about 15 minutes, and we pull your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for you so that is one less thing on your plate. Once you complete your online application we move you through as fast as possible, keeping you updated at every step and answering questions in plain English instead of underwriter jargon. Our goal is for this to be the easiest loan you have ever completed, and we treat that as the standard rather than the exception.

If you are weighing your options and want to see what a true partner can do for your VA benefit, give us a call at 800-697-4371 or fill out our online pre-qualification form to get started. We are happy to walk you through where you stand and what your best path looks like, with no pressure and no obligation.

Questions people ask about working with us