Looking for a good national lender/credit union for Mortgage

[Elvis Tam]

I am starting to expand out of the northeast into other markets further away. I'd prefer to work with a national lender instead of having to start new relationship with local lenders. Anyone have any advice/recommendations for me? 

To state the obvious I am looking for a lender who:
- offer loans in multiple markets across the country, or at least in the eastern side of the US
- has reasonable terms
- easy underwriting process 

Please recommend based off personal experience. Thanks!

[Robin Simon]

Quote from @Andrew Freed:

@Elvis Tam - No offense but this does not make sense to me. You will find the best loan products from small local credit union and/or banks that specialize in those markets (aka portfolio lenders). Debt is the highest line item when it comes to owning real estate hence I would rather go through the work of identifying local lending partners, getting the best debt hence best returns on my properties. As opposed to going with a national provider who takes a larger spread and does not offer as competitive terms. I've seen local players offer 75% LTV for properties vs. national lenders offer 60% LTV and much lower interest rates. That is a large variance in how much funds you have to bring hence I'd rather do the boots on the ground work and get the best debt possible.

Some strategies I utilize when it comes to finding good debt in a new market is posting on the local facebook investor groups, asking them who they use. Also, attending local meetups and/or identifying the largest landlords in the area and finding out who they utilize for debt. 

 This is just not accurate - a blanket statement that you "will find the best loan products from small local credit union and/or banks" is false in 2024 - sure its accurate in some areas, but there has never been an era where it was easier to shop and compare all the options - Banks, Credit Unions, Local or National Mortgage Brokers, National Direct (non-bank) Lenders etc.

And I would also argue (yes all of this should be opinions rather than blanket black or white which is better) that @Elvis Tam is in fact on the right track - it generally does make sense to start with local lenders when getting started and then when scaling a large out-of-state nationwide portfolio, switch over to a national lender with a consistent platform, process and rep in all the available markets