Home financing in Racine County.
County-by-county financing guides. No paperwork. No social. No ID.
2 institutions are headquartered inside the Racine County line, and 1 more keep a branch here. Below, we say which is which.
Not this lane? Business FinancingPersonal Financing
The doors in Racine County.
The CDFIs, credit unions, and microlenders that actually say yes — county by county, in two languages. We are not a lender. Nobody paid to be listed. And where a county has no good doors, we say so.
- 3
- DOORS HERE
- 2
- BASED HERE
- 47
- WI COUNTIES WITH DOORS
- Lane
- Home Financing
- People
- 198Kresidents of Racine County
- Elsewhere in WI
- Milwaukee County →18 doors — the biggest list of any other county in Wisconsin
- State
- Wisconsin →47 of 72 counties hold a door in this lane
- Educators Credit UnionPersonal · Home · Business capital
- Racine Municipal Employees Credit UnionPersonal · Home
Based elsewhere, with a member-facing office inside the Racine County line. You can walk in.
- Marine Credit UnionPersonal · Home · Business capital
- Mission Asset FundAccepts ITIN
Zero-interest lending circles and credit building. SSN or ITIN accepted. Works through nonprofit partners across the country.
Personal - Accion Opportunity FundAccepts ITIN
Nonprofit small-business lender. Accepts ITIN in place of SSN. Serves most states, in English and Spanish.
Business capital - Grameen AmericaAccepts ITIN
Microloans for women entrepreneurs. Requires photo ID and proof of address — no SSN requirement. Branches in major metro areas.
Business capital
How to read this list.
We do not ask for your name, your email, or your number. Nothing on this page changes based on who you are.
A door is headquartered here when its head office sits inside the county line. The rest are based elsewhere and keep a branch you can walk into. We list both, and we label which is which.
Every institution on this page comes from public federal data — the CDFI Fund certified list (Aug 2026), NCUA credit union data (Jun 2026), and the SBA microloan intermediary list (Sep 2026) — plus a short national tier we verified by hand. We refresh each list as its agency publishes. No listing is paid.
Who actually approves home loans in Racine County.
home-purchase applications that reached a decision were turned down: 173 of 2,139.
- Applications
- 2,436
- Loans made
- 1,876
- Median rate
- 6.5%
- Too much debt for the income40.5%
- The home's value or condition18.5%
- Credit history16.8%
- Educators Credit Union4953709.8%6.4%
- Johnson Financial Group2622124%6.6%
- Landmark Credit Union29619420.8%6.5%
- Rocket Mortgage23317720.3%6.4%
- Fairway Independent Mortgage1541255.3%6.6%
- United Shore Financial Services1509219.7%6.1%
- American Pacific Mortgage111924.2%6.8%
- Bank Five Nine106840%6.4%
- JPMorgan Chase Bank1137815.2%6.5%
- North Shore Bank986822.8%6.8%
The 10 lenders that made the most home loans in Racine County in 2025, buying and refinancing together. The mark on each bar is the whole county's denial rate (15.6%). Home loans only: first-lien, owner-occupied, one-to-four-unit homes, as reported under the federal HMDA law. Small lenders below its reporting threshold — many of the credit unions above — don't report, so their loans aren't counted here. Rates are for loans made. Source: HMDA 2025 public loan records (FFIEC).
Racine County's homes run from older bungalows, duplexes, and two-flats in the city of Racine to suburban neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant and Caledonia and farmhouses and lake homes around Burlington, Waterford, and Union Grove. Much of the housing is older, which brings both affordability and repair costs. This guide explains how home financing works here, who tends to qualify, what lenders ask for, which credit unions are based in or branch into the county, Wisconsin's homebuyer programs, and the traps that cost families the most.
It's a process, not a rejection.
Home financing includes a purchase mortgage, a refinance, a home equity loan or line of credit against what you own, and repair or renovation loans for a roof, furnace, windows, or basement. Small investors use the same tools to buy or fix a duplex or a few rental doors.
Racine County's housing reflects its history. The city of Racine has many older homes — bungalows, cottages, and the upper-and-lower duplexes common in southeastern Wisconsin cities. Those homes can be more affordable than newer ones, but they often need work: furnaces, roofs, windows, foundations, and older wiring or plumbing.
Homes built before the late 1970s may contain lead-based paint, which matters if you have young children.
Mount Pleasant, Caledonia, and Sturtevant have more suburban and newer housing, and growth along I-94 has added demand. Western county towns and the lakes area around Waterford and Burlington mix older town homes, farmhouses, and lake properties, some with wells and septic systems.
That makes renovation and repair financing especially relevant here. A duplex in Racine can be a path to homeownership where rent from one unit helps pay the mortgage, but you need to plan for the repairs.
Forget what the banks say.
Mortgage lenders look at steady income, credit history, monthly debts compared with income, and cash for the down payment and closing.
In Racine County, buyers often look like this:
- Manufacturing, warehouse, and plant workers with steady W-2 paychecks
- Health care, school, and public employees
- Self-employed contractors and trades workers with seasonal income
- Restaurant and small business owners with cash-heavy income
- Families pooling more than one income, sometimes across mixed immigration status
- First-time buyers looking at a duplex, living in one unit and renting the other
Self-employed borrowers usually need two years of tax returns, and lenders count income after deductions. If much of your income is cash and not fully reported, a lender cannot count it.
If you have an ITIN rather than a Social Security number, some lenders offer ITIN mortgages, usually with a larger down payment. Ask directly. If your credit is thin, building it first can open better terms.
Get your papers in order.
- 01Government-issued photo ID
- 02Social Security number or ITIN
- 03Pay stubs and W-2s for the last two years if employed
- 04Personal tax returns for the last two years
Plus business returns and 1099s if self-employed
- 05Two or more months of statements for every account, showing the down payment source
- 06Letters explaining large deposits, and a gift letter if family is helping
- 07Proof of on-time rent if useful
- 08For a duplex or rental
Current leases and rent records for each unit
- 09For a repair or renovation loan: contractor estimates
- 10For a rural property: details on the well and septic system
- MISSING ONE?Ask Iris which one you're missing.ASK A QUESTION ↓
The doors worth knowing.
Racine County has two credit unions headquartered here and one more with a branch. Membership rules come first.
ALL 3 DOORS, BY NAME AND BY TOWN- 3
- DOORS HERE
- 39
- ACROSS WI
Based in Racine, Wisconsin. A credit union — owned by its members rather than by shareholders, which is exactly what changes the conversation after a bank has said no.
BEST FORA personal loan, or building a credit file from nothing, and buying, repairing or refinancing a home.Based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. A member-owned credit union, which means the people deciding on your file answer to depositors in the same towns you work in.
BEST FORBuying, repairing or refinancing a home, and working capital, equipment and payroll for a small business.Based in Racine, Wisconsin. A credit union: no shareholders to satisfy, and a habit of reading a whole story rather than a single score.
BEST FORA personal loan, or building a credit file from nothing, and buying, repairing or refinancing a home.
Don't fall into these traps.
Land contracts are common in Wisconsin. Some work, but a contract that lets the seller keep everything you paid after one missed payment is a trap. Have it reviewed before you sign.
Older homes can hide expensive problems. Skipping the inspection to save money can cost far more.
Turning card debt into debt secured by your home puts the house at risk.
Anyone asking for upfront money to stop a foreclosure, or for your deed, is a red flag. Call a HUD-approved counselor; it is free.
Door-knockers who want big deposits before starting are a known problem.
In Wisconsin, a notario público is not a lawyer and cannot advise you on a purchase or loan.
Everything below is set by Wisconsin, and it reads the same in every county in it. The 3 marks above are this county's own doors — who opens one is decided by them, not by the state.
The rules where you are.
The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority offers first-time homebuyer mortgages and down payment assistance through participating lenders. Limits and funding change; ask a participating lender or counselor what is current.
Federal rules require sellers and landlords to disclose known lead-based paint hazards in homes built before the late 1970s. Take it seriously if you have young children.
Wisconsin property taxes are set locally and vary by municipality. Ask for the actual tax bill on any home.
If you buy a duplex and rent one unit, lenders may count part of the expected rent toward your income. Ask how they calculate it.
For permitted work on one- and two-family homes, hire a contractor with a Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor credential.
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions licenses mortgage lenders and brokers. You can also check any loan officer through the NMLS consumer lookup.
The short version.
- 01
Racine County's older housing can be a real path to ownership, especially duplexes, but plan for repairs. Educators and Racine Municipal Employees are based here, and Marine keeps a branch; check membership at each. A HUD-approved counselor can walk you through WHEDA's programs.
- 02
Gather two years of income records, get an inspection, and read any land contract carefully. If you use an ITIN, ask each lender directly about ITIN mortgages and build credit first.
- 03
Origen Capital is a directory, not a lender. We do not collect your information or sell you any financial product. Use this guide as a starting point, and work directly with a licensed lender, credit union, or housing counselor when you are ready.
Same county, another question.
Business FinancingLoans, lines of credit, and capital for small businesses and contractorsSEE IT IN RACINE COUNTY →
Personal FinancingPersonal loans, credit building, and ITIN-friendly financing optionsSEE IT IN RACINE COUNTY →47WI COUNTIES WITH DOORSThe whole stateEvery county in Wisconsin, in this same lane.39 institutions fund homes and repairs inside Wisconsin county lines.OPEN THE STATE →Still don't see your situation?
Ask Iris. She'll explain it the way it should have been explained the first time.