Find your starting point.

No two paths to buying a home are identical, but understanding your current financial strengths is a solid first step. U.S. Bank offers a financial assessment that asks eight questions about saving, spending, borrowing and planning. Answering the questions may help you decide what to do next.

Take the assessment

Connect with a professional.

Preparing to buy a home is a big deal. Luckily there are professionals ready to help answer questions and provide direction, no matter the stage you’re at.

Goals coaches

U.S. Bank offers free, personalized goals coaching to help you explore what you want and how to get there, through in-person or virtual conversations. If homeownership is your chosen destination, your coach can guide you wherever you are along the way.

Learn more about goals coaching

Mortgage loan officers

If you’re ready to find the best mortgage for you, it may be time to find a mortgage loan officer (MLO). An MLO can help you determine which mortgage will best suit your needs — and guide you from your application all the way to your home’s closing.

Find a mortgage loan officer

We’re opening doors to greater access.

New MLOs take a selfie with Chief Diversity Officer Greg Cunningham

In 2021 we launched U.S. Bank Access Commitment™, our long-term approach to helping build wealth while redefining how we serve racially diverse communities and provide opportunities to racially diverse employees.

As part of Access Commitment, we’ve kicked off a first-of-its kind MLO Development Program: a year-long training program for 12 specially selected Black MLOs, pictured here, from across the United States.

Over the course of a year, these MLOs will:

  • Learn about the industry and train on tools they’ll need to do their jobs
  • Work with a mentor on the complexities of becoming a successful MLO
  • Participate in sessions on succeeding in their own communities
  • Prepare to help their neighbors build wealth and close the gap in Black homeownership

Build your financial foundation.

Our Financial IQ articles offer strategies and inspiration for your financial growth.

Saving: Turn it into a habit.

Your end goal might be buying a house, but if saving money is a regular part of your daily life, you’ll be prepared for the little things that come after the purchase, too.

Learn about building your savings

Budgeting: Know where your money goes.

Keeping track of how much you earn and spend might not sound like fun. But when you create a budget that works with your lifestyle, you can buy the things you want with financial confidence.

Learn about making a budget

Building credit: Make credit work for you.

Understanding how credit works is your first step in building it, improving it and using it efficiently. It’s an important part of buying a house, and your financial life in general.

Learn about building credit

Managing debt: Tackle debt with wisdom.

Debt doesn’t have to be a bad word. Its most common forms are auto loans, credit cards, personal loans and — mortgages. When it comes to debt, keeping it under control is key.

Learn about managing debt

Homebuying truths that might surprise you

There’s a lot of information out there about buying a home. If you haven’t had much experience with it, there are a few truths you need to know.

Truth 1: You can have as little as 3% for a down payment.

Having a higher down payment on a home can help you save money in the long run. But you can have as little as 3% of the home’s purchase price for a down payment. And there are homebuying resources and grants to help you get there.

Save for a down payment

Truth 2: For some mortgages, the minimum FICO® Score you need is 620.

You don’t have to have “excellent” credit to qualify for a mortgage, though a higher score can help you get a lower interest rate. That said, there are government-backed mortgages like Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans that have even lower credit requirements.

Credit help for homebuyers

Truth 3: You can have debt and purchase a home.

Lenders do look at how much you owe against how much money you bring in (known as your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI). And a general rule for lenders is that borrowers try to maintain a DTI of 36% or less. Having flexibility in your budget is important.

Debt management tips and tools

Check out our homebuying resources.

What is down payment assistance?

Learn about down payment assistance and how it can help make your dream of homeownership a reality.

Learn about down payment assistance

What credit score do you need for a house?

Get insights on credit scores, why they matter for mortgages, and how to maximize yours.

Understand how to maximize your score

Eight steps to take before you buy a home

Before you start to home shop, check these steps off your homebuying to-do list.

Tackle these eight steps before you buy

How much house can you afford?

Crunch some numbers with our mortgage affordability calculator.

Calculate how much mortgage to take on

Can you buy a house with low income?

There are options and programs that may make it possible.

What you can do with low income

Quiz: How prepared are you to buy a home?

Check your grasp of homebuying lingo and responsibilities with this short quiz.

Take the homebuying quiz

Our ongoing commitment to you

Our commitment to customer satisfaction may not be unique, but our approach to doing what’s right puts us a step above the rest. We continue to be recognized for our ethical and inclusive culture, digital capabilities and more. Notable recent honors include:

Digital mortgage tools

U.S. Bank earned the top honor for digital mortgage lending tools, and was named the top lender for ages 18 to 24 by Kiplinger.1

Mobile banking

Industry benchmarking firm Keynova Group ranked U.S. Bank #1 overall in mobile banking, including #1 for the mobile app.2

Dedication to ethics

U.S. Bank has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute for the eighth year in a row.3

Culture of empowerment

Fortune named U.S. Bank one of the 2021 World’s Most Admired Companies.4

Know your mortgage options.

One type of mortgage does not fit all. You may have heard about conventional fixed-rate mortgages or adjustable-rate mortgages. But there are other options that might work better with your financial background.

U.S. Bank American Dream loan

Works with other down payment and grant programs

  • Down payment as low as 3% of purchase price
  • Assistance funds available
  • Mortgage insurance paid by U.S. Bank
Learn more Find a mortgage loan officer

FHA loan

Lower credit score requirements

  • Down payment as low as 3.5% of purchase price
  • Backed by Federal Housing Administration
  • Requires mortgage insurance
Learn more Prequalify

USDA loan

No down payment or mortgage insurance required

  • Loan rates comparable to conventional mortgages
  • Works for lower-income families
  • Property must be in rural area (population less than 35,000)
Learn more Find a mortgage loan officer
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Disclosures

Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Mortgage, home equity and credit products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC.

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  1. Gerstner, L 2020, ‘Financial Service Firms That Treat You Like a Star’, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, pp. 65-71.

  2. Digital financial services benchmarking firm Keynova Group ranked U.S. Bank #1 for mobile banking apps in its Q3 2023 Mobile Banker Scorecard.

  3. U.S. Bank named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies®” Ethisphere Institute, February 2024 (also 2015–2023); for more information about the ‘World’s Most Ethical Company’ designation and scoring methodology, please visit www.worldsmostethicalcompanies.com.

  4. Industry executives, directors, and analysts from 680 companies, including 12 superregional banks, with a minimum of $10 billion in annual revenue were surveyed by Korn Ferry in collaboration with Fortune Magazine. Survey responders rated their industry peers who paid a fee to be considered on nine criteria: management quality, people management, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, investment value, social responsibility, innovation, quality of products/services, and global competitiveness. Rankings were determined by an aggregate of how peers ranked the company in each of the key attribute categories. Companies that scored in the top half of their industry were recognized. More detail about the selection methodology.

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