Study: Servicers Own the Customer

When it comes to wooing customers, mortgage brokers and loan officers may be the first in line, but a recent study suggests that servicers are the ones who win the customers' loyalty in the long run.According to the J.D. Power & Associates 2005 Home Mortgage Study, a far greater number of consumers name their mortgage servicer as "their" mortgage company than name the originator. When asked, "Which do you think of as your mortgage company?", 76% of consumers named their mortgage servicer, while 24% named their mortgage originator. The survey also finds some areas of concern for servicers. Jeremy Bowler, a director at J.D. Power who spoke at the MBA National Mortgage Servicing Conference in Orlando, Fla., said that only 18% of mortgage servicing customers reported being "delighted" overall with their lender. Just 16% said they were delighted with their originator. Mr. Bowler said the stakes are high for achieving customer satisfaction, because satisfied customers are much more likely to recommend doing business with a lender. By contrast, dissatisfied customers can become word-of-mouth "brand terrorists," he said.