Wachovia Again Tops JD Power HE Rankings

For the second year in a row, Wachovia ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction among home equity lenders in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Home Equity Line/Loan Origination Study, according to the marketing information firm.The company said the study measures customer satisfaction with home equity line/loan lenders among 3,871 consumers who had obtained a home equity loan or line of credit from July 2006 to April 2007. J.D. Power reported that Wachovia scored 831 on a 1,000-point scale, performing well in all three factors contributing to customer satisfaction: the closing process, loan officer/representative or banker, and application/approval process. SunTrust ranked second, with a score of 794, and U.S. Bank finished third, at 787. "Wachovia manages to do everything well across the board -- from the application process to closing -- and it shows in the results," said Tim Ryan, senior research director of the company's finance and insurance practice. J.D. Power, headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., can be found online at http://www.jdpower.com,