Wealthfront Home Lending Launches in California with Rates ~0.50% Below the National Average
PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wealthfront Corporation (Nasdaq: WLTH), a tech-driven financial platform helping digital natives turn their savings into wealth, today announced the expansion of Wealthfront Home Lending to California. This rollout expands the footprint of the company’s digital-first mortgage offering—which aims to offer rates 50 basis points or more below the national average—to clients across California, Colorado, and Texas. Wealthfront Home Lending is currently licensed in 28 states and plans to expand to Florida, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington in the coming months, and continue scaling nationally over time.
Wealthfront is expanding its mortgage offering as buyers and refinancers navigate a challenging housing market shaped by high rates, rising prices, and low inventory. While legacy lenders rely on manual processes that add cost and friction, Wealthfront Home Lending is making homeownership more accessible by modernizing home financing—replacing manual workflows with software to lower operational overhead, and passing those savings to borrowers through a self-serve digital experience with upfront fees and rates around 50 basis points below the national average. For California buyers purchasing a $1,000,000 home, that 50 basis point reduction saves them $262 per month and $94,400 over a 30-year fixed term compared to national averages (as of August 7, 2026).
"We're excited to bring Wealthfront Home Lending to California, which is home to our largest client base," said David Fortunato, CEO of Wealthfront. "Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions people make, yet the mortgage process has remained unnecessarily complex and costly. We believe affordability is as much a technology problem as an economic one, and it’s been rewarding to see how our self-serve experience is helping clients access lower rates that allow them to save hundreds each month."
Since launching in November 2025, Wealthfront Home Lending has helped clients access lower mortgage rates consistent with its goal of 50 basis points or more below the national average. Across all purchase and refinance clients to date, Wealthfront has financed homes with an average value of $892,500 and an average loan size of $546,400. By securing Wealthfront's lower rates, these borrowers are saving an estimated $183 per month — or approximately $56,000 over the life of their mortgage — compared to national benchmarks.
Wealthfront has continued to add new features that bring greater automation and savings to home financing, including:
- A self-service scenarios tool: Allows borrowers to explore custom loan options and lock in their rate online without needing to speak to a loan officer, though licensed support remains available if needed.
- A personalized rate calculator: Delivers upfront personalized rate estimates early in the process to help prospective borrowers explore their options.
- Smarter RSU verification: Captures stock-based compensation upfront so borrowers with restricted stock units (RSUs) can quickly understand their full purchasing power and get a faster pre-approval. This is particularly important for Wealthfront’s client base; 20 percent of Wealthfront borrowers to date have RSU income, a number that increases to 30 percent for borrowers in California.
- Streamlined intake: Pre-fills data directly from clients’ Wealthfront profiles and linked accounts to minimize manual entry.
"We're delivering on our vision of building the first mortgage product designed to be handled entirely in a mobile app," said Dave Myszewski, VP of Product at Wealthfront. "That means making it simple for clients to explore options on their own schedule, without sales pitches or playing phone tag with a loan officer. We're excited by our progress so far, and we look forward to shipping more updates that help modernize home financing and save our clients time and money.”
Today’s Home Lending expansion exemplifies Wealthfront’s focus on using technology to help digital natives earn more on their savings, borrow at lower rates, and keep more of their returns. It follows the recent launch of Wealthfront's Custodial Account, which grows the company’s family wealth management suite alongside existing 529 Education Savings Plans, Joint Accounts, and Trust Accounts. Looking ahead, Wealthfront plans to bring its mortgage offering to additional states, enhance its investing products, and continue expanding features within its Cash Account, where for a limited time, cash can earn up to a 4.20% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) for new clients who direct deposit $1,000 per month and maintain an investing account. (The account offers a 3.30% base APY provided by program banks, subject to change).
To learn more about Wealthfront Home Lending and get started, visit: https://www.wealthfront.com/home-lending
About Wealthfront
Wealthfront is a tech-driven financial platform helping digital natives turn their savings into wealth. Since pioneering the automated investing category in 2011, the company has grown into a leading consumer fintech that helps clients achieve their financial goals with innovative saving, investing, borrowing, and lending products. Wealthfront’s expanding suite of high-quality, low-cost offerings helps digital natives earn more on their savings, borrow at lower rates, and keep more of their returns. To learn more and get started, visit www.wealthfront.com or download the Wealthfront app.
Media: press@wealthfront.com
IR: ir@wealthfront.com
Disclosures:
All mortgage products are offered by Wealthfront Home Lending, LLC NMLS 2358115 NMLS Consumer Access. Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law License.
Rates, APRs, payments and estimated costs shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not a commitment to lend. Home loan availability will be subject to credit approval and applicable state and federal licensing requirements. Rates vary based on credit profile, loan terms and market conditions. Not all applicants will qualify for the lowest advertised rates. This communication is for information purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for a loan or an offer to lend or extend credit. Equal Housing Opportunity. Disclosures and Licenses.
*Rate comparison based on Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® average for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages as of August 07, 2026. Rate available to qualified borrowers meeting the following criteria: 780+ FICO score, $750,000 purchase price, primary single-family residence in Austin, TX, 20% down payment, and payment of 1 discount point. Actual rates may vary. APR and additional terms apply. Not all borrowers will qualify.
Estimated monthly payment savings are for informational purposes only and represent the monthly payment difference between Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey ® average for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages as of August 07, 2026 and Wealthfront Home Lending’s rate estimate based on 0.5% below the national average* rate benchmark. Calculations are based strictly on the monthly Principal and Interest (P&I) payments. They do not include property taxes, homeowners insurance, private mortgage insurance (PMI), or other applicable fees/escrow items which will increase your actual monthly obligation.
The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of January 30, 2026, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. References to the APY for the Wealthfront Cash Account, including any APY increase, are to the APY paid by insured depository institutions that participate in our cash sweep program (the "Program Banks”). Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where it earns the variable APY.
New clients are eligible to receive a one-time 0.65% APY increase for 3 months on up to $150,000 in their Cash Account. In addition, the Direct Deposit Plus Investing Program (“DDI Program”) from Wealthfront Advisers LLC and Wealthfront Brokerage LLC collectively, “Wealthfront” provides eligible clients a 0.25% APY increase that can apply to the full Cash Account balance if you direct deposit $1,000 per month into the Cash Account plus fund and maintain an investing account. Wealthfront may change or end the program at any time and determines eligibility at its discretion. See full Terms and Conditions for both promotions at wealthfront.com/promo-terms.
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Securities investments are not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. Investment management and advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser
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