DES MOINES, Iowa, June 24, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced the 2025 Lenders of the Year today, to recognize the work of its top lending partners supporting rural homeownership. These lenders helped rural families and individuals buy homes across the nation, including in Iowa last year through USDA Rural Development’s Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program.
“At USDA Rural Development, we encourage investment in rural communities and design our programs to help open the door to homeownership for Iowans who might not otherwise qualify for traditional home financing,” said Deputy State Director Henry Kummerer. “Today, we recognize the work of our top lending partners in supporting rural homeownership here in Iowa.”
The top five lenders in Iowa were:
1. Residential Mortgage Network Inc.
2. Flanagan State Bank
3. Neighbors Bank
4. United Bank of Iowa
5. Castle & Cook Mortgage, LLC
USDA Rural Development’s national office also presented awards to the following lenders:
USDA 2025 Top Local Lender Champion Award
1st - HR Mortgage Corp, based in Puerto Rico
2nd - Gum Tree Mortgage, based in Mississippi
3rd - Jersey Shore State Bank, based in Pennsylvania
4th – Metroplex Mortgage Svcs, based in Florida
5th – Bangor Savings Bank, based in Maine
A full list of national awardees are available in the national news release.
USDA is a proud partner to all lenders who work with the agency to support rural homeownership. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery subscriber page.
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