Borrowers want original lender to keep mortgage

What annoys homeowners the most? Lenders who resell mortgages or outsource customer service.

That's according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates, which asked 13,000 homeowners about their lenders' service.

The responsibility for loan servicing -- collecting payments, handling problems -- changes hands at least once in half of all mortgages. That leads to lower satisfaction scores compared with mortgages that are serviced by their originators throughout.

Borrowers who pay online -- now nearly 50 percent of mortgage holders -- are more satisfied than those who pay by check. The survey asked homeowners about how their accounts are handled and how they contact their lender if need be.

USAA Federal Savings Bank was the best, followed by BB&T and Citizens Bank. Some of the nation's most recognized names -- Wells Fargo, Bank of America, SunTrust, Fifth Third, Chase and Washington Mutual -- beat the industry average.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.