21st Mortgage vs. Triad Financial: The 2026 Comparison

The two biggest names in manufactured-home financing. Different rates, different footprints, different approval curves.

If you're buying a manufactured or modular home in 2026, 21st Mortgage and Triad Financial are the two largest specialty lenders in the space. Both underwrite chattel loans, land-home packages, and refinances. The differences matter more than most buyers realize.

Why this makes sense right now

Manufactured Housing Institute reports 21st Mortgage handles ~34% of specialty MH originations; Triad handles ~22%. Cascade handles ~14%. Together the three lenders finance over 70% of US manufactured home purchases.

The layout — head-to-head

Parent company

• 21st: Clayton Homes / Berkshire Hathaway
• Triad: Independent (Sun Capital Partners)

Loan types

• 21st: chattel, land-home, refinance, land-in-lieu
• Triad: chattel, land-home, refinance

Credit floor

• 21st: 575 typical
• Triad: 600 typical

Rate range 2026

• 21st: 7.5%-10.5%
• Triad: 7.75%-11%

Down payment minimum

• 21st: 5% with strong credit; 10-20% typical
• Triad: 5-10% with strong credit; 10-20% typical

Loan terms

• 21st: 15-25 years
• Triad: 15-23 years

Closing time

• 21st: 30-60 days
• Triad: 25-50 days

Modular financing (IRC-code)

• 21st: yes, land-in-lieu construction available
• Triad: yes but less common

Speed of decisioning

• 21st: 5-15 business days typical
• Triad: 5-10 business days typical

Financing math

$180K manufactured land-home loan, 720 FICO:

• 21st: 8% for 20 years = $1,505/month
• Triad: 8.5% for 20 years = $1,562/month

$180K same borrower with 620 FICO:

• 21st: 10% for 20 years = $1,738/month
• Triad: 10.5% for 20 years = $1,798/month

21st wins on both rate and monthly for both credit scenarios in this example. Real quotes vary.

Choose 21st if...

• Credit is below 620
• Buying a Clayton, Freedom, or CMH Homes product (Clayton ecosystem)
• Land-in-lieu construction needed
• Modular financing needed

Choose Triad if...

• Credit is 640+
• Buying a non-Clayton manufactured home
• Faster decisioning matters
• Land-home structure with existing land preferred

The quiet part.

21st Mortgage is Clayton's captive lender. It's incentivized to close Clayton deals — which sometimes means better terms for Clayton-branded homes and less flexibility for others. Triad is independent — it competes on rate and closing speed across brands.

For a Clayton-family purchase, 21st is almost always the right first call. For any other manufacturer, get quotes from both.

Related guides

• Cascade vs. 21st Mortgage Comparison (2026)
• Vanderbilt vs. 21st Mortgage Comparison (2026)
• Chattel Loan vs. Mortgage Comparison (2026)

The waitlist is open

The PERCH Financing Finder surfaces both 21st and Triad along with other specialty MH lenders. Eight questions, real quotes.

Two biggest names. Different strengths. Always get quotes from both. The salesperson's default lender is not always yours.