NBKC Bank VA Loans Review

Founded in 1999, NBKC Bank offers a wide range of services, from checking and savings accounts to auto loans and mortgages. It also offers VA loans for qualifying customers (veterans, active military personnel or surviving spouses of military personnel) and specialty loans meant just for pilots.

In this NBKC Bank VA loans review, we’ll examine the company’s range of loan products, pricing, offerings, customer experience and accessibility. Continue reading to determine if an NBKC Bank VA loan suits you.

Best VA loan for pilots

One unique feature of NBKC Bank is its Pilot Home Loans program, which is meant to meet the needs of commercial, private and military pilots.

Pilots often have unique needs when securing a loan, such as complicated income streams that make qualifying for traditional mortgage products difficult. NBKC has a team of experienced loan experts who can examine their eligibility for a mortgage.

Some of its pilot-specific qualification proceedings include:

• Accurately assessing income for retired military pilots, starting with a commercial airline

• Establishing income minimums for newly hired pilots

• Immediately re-calculating income after a pilot starts their year two pay rate

• Re-calculating income when a pilot is promoted from First Officer to Captain

NBKC Bank VA loans pros and cons

Pros explained

Specialized loans for pilots

NBKC Bank offers specialized loans for pilots by catering to the unique aspects of their income and career trajectory. While underwriters unfamiliar with the aviation industry may struggle to assess a pilot’s income, NBKC Bank has specialized loan experts who can accurately assess a pilot’s loan eligibility.

Available in all 50 states

NBKC Bank is one of only a few lenders that provides VA and FHA loans in all 50 states. This is especially helpful if you’re a veteran in a state with only a few VA loan options.

$5K Close-on-time Guarantee

NBKC Bank promises to pay $2,500 to both the seller and the buyer if your loan is not closed on time. This guarantee can help protect you and the seller in the event of unexpected delays.

Cons explained

Not transparent about fees

While many other lenders detail the fees associated with their loan products, NBKC Bank doesn’t list any fees on its website. This can make it difficult to determine the actual cost of your loan before applying.

Limited loan information available without applying

Similar to the lack of information about fees, NBKC Bank doesn’t provide various loan details, such as eligibility criteria, on its website. Instead, you must go through the application process to receive this information.

Only a few brick-and-mortar locations

NBKC Bank has only a few brick-and-mortar locations around Kansas City. This may be a serious drawback if you prefer in-person service and don’t live near these locations.

NBKC Bank offerings

NBKC Bank offers a robust selection of standard loan products, including conventional, FHA and VA loans. It also provides more specialized products, such as construction and pilot loans. Unfortunately, NBKC’s website doesn’t list eligibility criteria, so you’ll have to apply to receive this information.

NBKC provides fixed-rate mortgages for 10-, 15-, 20-, 25- and 30-year terms. It also offers adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) that feature an initial fixed-rate term, after which the rate will adjust according to market conditions.

VA loans

The VA offers loans exclusively to veterans, active military personnel and qualifying surviving spouses to provide affordable financing for qualified veterans and their families. The U.S. government insures these loans, allowing you to obtain a loan without making a down payment or purchasing PMI. NBKC offers VA loans in all 50 states for home purchases and refinancing. Its VA loans feature fairly competitive fixed rates and terms of up to 30 years.

Pilot loans

These are by far the most unique of NBKC’s loan products. Due to the unique aspects of pilot contracts and income, pilots sometimes struggle to qualify for traditional mortgage products or stand up to scrutiny from underwriters unfamiliar with the industry.

NBKC’s Pilot Home Loans program features customized underwriting guidelines so you can more easily qualify for a mortgage. NBKC offers the specialized loan product either as a VA, conventional or refinance loan.

Construction loans

NBKC offers a construction loan program to help you build your dream home. This loan product may be a good fit if you plan to construct a primary residence with your own labor and materials or have a general contractor build the home for you. NBKCs Construction loans come as VA, FHA or construction-to-permanent loans.

Construction-to-permanent loans are a type of loan that allows you to obtain both construction financing and permanent financing in one loan. Once the construction is complete, the loan converts from a construction loan to a standard mortgage.

Conventional loans

Conventional loans are mortgage loans that are not federally insured, meaning the government doesn't back them in any form. NBKC offers conventional loans for both purchase and refinance loans. NBKC lists very little information on its website about eligibility and loan requirements. Furthermore, you’ll need to put down at least 20% to avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI).

FHA loans

FHA loans are a type of mortgage loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). They help low-to-moderate-income borrowers qualify for a home loan, which they then use to purchase or refinance a primary residence.

FHA loans feature lower down payment requirements and more flexible credit and income qualifications than traditional mortgage loan programs. NBKC offers FHA loans in all 50 states for purchases and refinancing. It requires down payments as low as 3.5% as well as both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loan options.

NBKC Bank pricing

Aside from brief mentions of low fees and closing costs, there’s little to no information about the cost of taking out a home loan with NBKC. While there’s a handy estimate tool, having more detailed information about fees associated with taking out an NBKC loan (e.g. appraisal fees, origination fees, etc.) would make comparing NBKC’s home loan offerings to other banks much easier.

NBKC Bank’s financial stability

None of the three major business credit rating agencies (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch) have issued a rating of NBKC Bank. This makes it difficult to evaluate the bank’s financial stability. However, the Kansas City Business Journal ranked NBKC Bank as Kansas City’s strongest large bank.

Data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) found that the bank had more than $1 billion in assets and a core capital ratio — a measure of the total reserves a bank has to back up its lending — of 17.12%. These are all positive signs regarding the lender’s financial stability.

NBKC Bank accessibility

Availability

As one of only a few banks offering VA and FHA loans in all 50 states, NBKC Bank is extremely accessible for regions served. One notable downside is its lack of branches. Only a few physical NBKC locations exist in Missouri and Kansas. While this isn’t ideal if you prefer branch banking, NBKC Bank still offers a variety of online and mobile services to make up for it.

Contact information

There are a few different ways to contact NBKC’s customer service for assistance with home loan-related inquiries. For assistance with obtaining a home loan or refinancing a home loan, the following customer service options are available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT:

• Phone number: 800-375-8096
• Email: mortgage@nbkc.com

If you need assistance regarding an existing home loan, the following customer service options are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT:

• Phone number: 855-230-0480
• Email: homeloansservicing@nbkc.com

Finally, if you want to speak to a mortgage banker in person, NBKC Bank has four physical locations in Kansas and Missouri.

User experience

Overall, NBKC Bank provides its customers a great user experience regarding home loans. The online application process is straightforward, the customer service representatives are easily accessible and you can access the bank’s online services from your home loan account. There are also several helpful tools available on the website, such as calculators, loan comparison charts and a blog section with a variety of home loan and VA loan tips.

The one notable downside is the lack of loan eligibility criteria listed on the website, which makes it difficult to determine if you’re eligible for a loan before applying.

NBKC Bank customer satisfaction

NBKC Bank has exceptionally high customer satisfaction ratings. With very few negative reviews, the bank receives generally high customer praise for its friendly customer service, competitive interest rates, convenient online services and fast loan processing times.

The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and maintains an A+ rating. Of the few negative reviews left by customers, NBKC has responded quickly and successfully closed out customer complaints on its BBB page.

How we evaluated NBKC Bank

The following are the most important criteria that we used to evaluate NBKC Bank’s services:

• Variety of home loan products: We assessed the range of home loan products offered by NBKC Bank, such as conventional loans, FHA and VA loans, pilot loans and construction loans.

• Customer reviews: We looked at customer ratings of NBKC Bank on popular online review websites to gauge customer satisfaction.

• Accessibility: We evaluated the number of states where NBKC Bank currently offers loan products.

• User experience: We took into the user-friendliness of NBKC Bank’s website and the ease of applying for a loan.

• Rates and fee transparency: We looked at the transparency of NBKC Bank’s loan rates and fee structure.

Summary of Money’s NBKC Bank review

Whether you’re trying to figure out how to refinance a VA loan or are already searching for the best VA loans, it’s important to carefully evaluate lenders before making a decision.

With well over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, NBKC Bank has proven itself to be a reliable lender for home loans and refinancing. From standard loan products, such as conventional, FHA and VA loans, to more specialized offerings, such as construction loans, NBKC Bank should be able to satisfy most customers’ home financing needs.

Aside from a lack of transparency about the loan fees it charges, customers have expressed high levels of satisfaction regarding NBKC Bank’s customer service and loan process. NBKC Bank’s Pilot Home Loan program makes the company an especially attractive option if you’re a pilot looking for a lender that understands your unique needs.