Where our numbers come from
Updated November 9, 2026
We only quote numbers we could trace to the organization that published them. Here's each one, where it comes from, and what it does and doesn't measure.
8 in 10 Americans don't answer calls from numbers they don't know
Pew Research Center found that 80% of U.S. adults say they don't generally answer their cellphone when an unknown number calls. 19% say they generally do.
Pew Research Center, "Most Americans don't answer cellphone calls from unknown numbers," December 14, 2020. Survey of 10,211 U.S. adults, July 13–19, 2020. This measures phone calls only. It says nothing about how often texts are read or answered.
About 9 in 10 homebuyers pick their lender through a referral or someone they already know
STRATMOR Group reports that nearly 90% of homebuyers selected their lender through a referral or an existing relationship. Referrals from real estate agents alone accounted for 49.4% of lender selections.
STRATMOR Group, "Protect Your Turf: The AI Battle Starts Now," June 2026, citing its MortgageCX borrower surveys. This measures how purchase borrowers chose a lender. It isn't a share of any one loan officer's business.
2 in 3 refinancing borrowers went to a new lender
ICE reports that in the fourth quarter of 2025, mortgage servicers kept about one in three borrowers who refinanced, the strongest retention in more than eight years. That means about two in three went elsewhere.
ICE Mortgage Monitor, press release, March 9, 2026 (fourth quarter 2025 data). This measures retention by the company servicing the loan, not by the loan officer who originated it.
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