This review is for Mark Richards, the DC area senior loan officer for Citizens Bank / Citizens One…read morehome loans. Working with Mark Richards has been a most interesting and exasperating experience. On the one hand, you get the best rates on your mortgage in the DC area -- by a lot. The competition doesn't even come close to matching what he can offer. On the other hand, you'll spend 3 weeks banging your head against the wall in utter frustration as Mark's people skills and customer service are on par with a toddler. He won't respond to your email questions (or only partly respond), will give you timelines for receiving important documents that are mere suggestions, will keep shifting blame for tardiness to the underwriter or his processor, and will disappear from the office for long periods of time without giving you any notice. In my case, he went on vacation to Italy in the middle of our closing and failed to notify me or leave anyone in his office in charge of communication. I only found out several days later from his assistant when I didn't receive a timely response that was promised. To be fair, the issue here is communication not competence -- Mark did move along the closing process and we closed on time. But the communication is a challenge and ultimately its a tough call. You can deal with this anguish for 3 weeks and get it over with. Then you can enjoy up to 30 years of paying less interest on your mortgage. For most people, thats a worthy sacrifice. If that doesn't float your boat, I'd recommend looking at Chris Washburn at Caliber or Alex Jaffe at FirstHome. In my search, those two were extremely responsive and offered good rates. Ultimately, as far as Mark goes its a shame. If he can improve on his customer service, heck even hire someone to manage his clients, he'll make a killing in the DC area mortgage business with his rates. If you're a first time home buyer like I was, then dealing with Mark can be a real pain. If you've done this before and have a good sense of timelines and closing requirements, then its a no-brainer -- go with him. The savings are worth it!

Citizens home loans need to address the incompetence within its escrow department. Their employees…read moredon't know how to do basic addition and subtraction that a child in first grade can do. The customer service reps are absolutely horrible. I had to request one to pull up her calculator just so she could understand that there was an error when Citizens said I had a shortage on my account. They refunded me $600 when I was supposed to be refunded $2k. It's basic math that they can't do. Now I have to contact them for the fourth time for them to correct the error.

Working with First Heritage Mortgage was one of the best decisions I made as a first-time…read morehomebuyer. Adam Barns and the Jeffrey Stempler team made the entire process smooth, simple, and stress-free from start to finish. Adam was always available to answer my questions, even on weekends, and consistently went above and beyond to make sure everything stayed on track. At one point, we needed to complete and submit our package over the weekend, and Adam had everything finalized within the hour. His responsiveness and dedication played a huge role in helping me secure the home I wanted. I highly recommend First Heritage Mortgage to anyone looking for a reliable, knowledgeable, and responsive lender. I would absolutely recommend them to my friends, family or anyone looking to buy a home.

Nick Muro and Roger Zuniga made the two months leading up to the purchase of our new home so…read morestressful and needlessly complicated that what should have been one of the most joyful moments of our lives was turned into a nightmare that we simply wanted to end by the time settlement came. Every document we received from FHM contained mathematical errors which corresponded to wildly incorrect estimates regarding our monthly payment and cash to table. Five days before closing, we were able to have the VP of this location step in to provide some oversight and make sure the deal got done on time. If it weren't for my own vigilance--as well as that of my real estate agent and the settlement agent--I am certain that this deal would have been a disaster. It was clear that Nick did not care about his role in our transaction. His complete unwillingness to take responsibility for his missteps demonstrate that he will not improve in the future. I strongly caution anyone who has other options to steer clear of FHM and I recommend that anyone who must use FHM get any loan officer other than Nick Muro.

Brian was fantastic to work with throughout the mortgage process. He was responsive, knowledgeable,…read moreand took the time to explain every step clearly, which made a stressful process feel much more manageable. He shopped options, answered questions quickly, and was always transparent about rates, fees, and what to expect. What stood out most was how professional and steady he was from start to finish. I never felt pressured, and I always felt like he had my best interests in mind. If you're looking for a mortgage broker who is sharp, trustworthy, and easy to work with, I would absolutely recommend Brian.

Brian was absolutely outstanding, and guided us through the entire mortgage process (as buyers)…read morewith poise and humor. We would absolutely use Brian again if we needed to get another mortgage. Cannot recommand him highly enough!

We used Todd and his team for our first home. Being first time buyers, Todd was able to explain…read moreeverything to us and he was extremely responsive. Todd and his team were on top of it which is extremely important in an ultra competitive market. Each time we bid on a home, Todd had a pre-approval letter ready to go in with our offer on short notice. When we won our bid on our home, Todd and his team handled everything to ensure we could close in less than a month. They worked with us and we were still able to travel internationally while getting everything done for our closing date. You can shop around all you want, but nobody is more responsive and will get you the rates Todd will. His team was a pleasure to work with too. Highly recommend!

Todd and his team at First Home Mortgage went above and beyond in helping us with a complicated…read morerefinancing process. We received several referrals and Todd not only got us the best rate but even worked with us on additional ways to save some money as the process went along. Natasha on his team has amazing attention to detail and kept the wheels turning as the underwriters requested mountains of information. I would highly recommend Todd Pede and his team if you are buying a home or refinancing an existing loan.

Hillary Legrain and her talented team were proactive, efficient, and professional. They made our…read morenew home finance experience straightforward while maintaining our expectations throughout the process. We'd highly recommend First Savings Mortgage to others.

I was fortunate to be introduced to Hillary through my real estate agent. Upon first meeting…read moreHillary, her attention to detail, responsiveness, and thorough knowledge of the lending system and Washington, DC market was readily apparent. Hillary worked with me to answer every one of my questions, and as a first-time home buyer, I appreciated this attentiveness. Hillary also helped me close on a condo that had several competitive offers on it by ensuring I could close without financing contingencies in a few weeks. Indeed, I would not be living where I am today without Hillary's superior lending practice. I sincerely appreciate all of Hillary's hard work and plan to employ her services should I need to pursue another loan.