Answer: -Ask friends and family for recommendations of lenders in your area that they have used and appreciated the service.If that doesn't work, go to 3 lenders in your area. Ask about everything, interest rate, transaction fees, appraisal fees, closings costs (get a good faith estimate), pre-payment penalties, late fees, anything that could potentially cost you money. Compare the whole package, not just interest rate. Don't go to internet lenders, they won't know about local programs that you may qualify for. -Actually, multiple credit checks within a short period of time don't really hurt your credit. The reporting agencies figure you are shopping for something and it usually only counts as one instance.But to answer your real question: I would recommend Quicken Loans - they are the #1 online mortgage lender in the the country, and have extremely high client satisfaction (they say 9 of 10 clients refer their friends and family). They refinanced my mortgage in August, right when other mortgage companies were melting down, and it couldn't have gone more smoothly. They approved me quickly over the phone, and I closed in under three weeks.You can check them out at quickenloans.com, play with the mortgage calculators to see how much house you can afford, and chat with a banker online. You can also pick up the phone to call them if you want. When my loan was in process my banker even gave me her cell phone, and I used it to ask her some questions when she was out of the office. Their service is great! -Most loans are based on your credit. NACA bases their loans on your character. They will check your credit and spend lots of time helping you fix it and getting you ready so they can give you a loan that is based on your character. They will start by seeing if you can save. Don't listen to heresy, go to one of their 4 hour classes and find out. They will require you to pay a $50 mo fee for 5 or 7.5 years, but they will save you between $100-$300 a month. They only have one loan and one rate and everyone gets the same. Right now the interest rate is 5.625%. Don't look skin deep, study about it and see if it is true. I studied the web site, went to their 4 hour class, did internet research about them and will meet with them tomorrow night. So far, I think it is an excellent deal.