US: One in three Americans think mortgage criteria are “unfair”

Buying a house can be a life-altering decision – and for some, just getting in the door can be a fairly arduous process.

YouGov Direct data shows that while a third of Americans (32%) consider mortgage approval criteria to be fair, an equal proportion consider them to be unfair (32%). A fifth (19%) say it’s neither fair nor unfair, and a similar percentage say they simply don’t know (17%).

But has this had a knock-on effect on consumer loyalty? When asked whether they would go with their current bank or shop around for a better deal, three in ten Americans say they’d stick with their existing provider (29%), while three in five (61%) say they’d be more likely to shop around different banks for the best deal. This may suggest that banks could work harder to incentivize consumers to stick with them. Data from YouGov Profiles indicates that over half (53%) of Americans think “all banks are basically the same”, while 46% actively believe banks try to trick them out of their money.

If a smart institution can turn these perceptions around, they might find that more customers treat them as a one-stop shop for their other financial needs – including mortgages.

Methodology

YouGov polled 1,500 US adults online on 21 June 2021 between 15:06 BST and 17:59. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, political affiliation, and ethnicity. Results are nationally representative of adults in the United States. The margin of error is 3.4% for the overall sample. Learn more about YouGov Direct.

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