Better is a fully digital mortgage lender, a nonbank home loan provider that was founded in 2014. Headquartered in New York City, Better Mortgage was founded by Vishal Garg, with the goal of reengineering the mortgage process by using algorithms and third-party data to digitally provide applicants a pre-approval in just a few minutes. It provides mortgage, real estate, title and homeowner’s insurance services for consumers.

Better Mortgage participates in the retail lending channel and is ranked as one of the 20 largest overall lenders in the country, as of the third quarter of 2021. Better Mortgage received the No. 1 ranking for LinkedIn’s top startups in 2020 and 2021, and Forbes ranked the company as the best online mortgage lender of 2021.

According to Better, around one-third of its borrowers are first-time homebuyers. Better says it works with borrowers who have student loan debt, and that it will take into account some out-of-the-ordinary income, such as restricted stock units, Airbnb earnings and self-employment.