How Are Gold, Silver, and Bronze Filter Rankings Determined?

How are the Gold, Silver, and Bronze filter rankings determined? The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) assigns those levels based on the number of households who used a CHFA loan program while working with a listed loan officer in the previous calendar year or the most recent rolling twelve-month period. This article explains how the ranking system works, who it applies to, and how Colorado homebuyers — including military families around Colorado Springs — can use it.

How the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels are determined

CHFA loan programs are delivered through a statewide network of Participating Lenders, and CHFA’s lender-search page includes an optional “Top Loan Officers” filter. Loan officers are ranked purely by production: how many CHFA loans they completed in the prior calendar year.

Gold is the highest position in the system and represents the top slice of loan officers by CHFA households served. Silver is the next tier down, and Bronze is the lowest level of the three, covering a wider group of producers. CHFA publishes the exact percentile cutoffs in the filter key on its site.

Because the levels are relative, the number of loans needed to enter a particular tier can change from year to year. It depends on the total number of CHFA loans originated statewide, so the bar to place in Gold, Silver, or Bronze moves with overall program volume.

One important caveat comes straight from CHFA: the rankings do not constitute an endorsement or referral by CHFA, and they do not guarantee quality of service, outcomes, or results. A Bronze or unranked loan officer at a CHFA Participating Lender can complete the same programs a Gold producer can.

That leads to the next question — who these rankings actually apply to.

Who the rankings apply to and how the other filters work

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels apply only to loan officers working for CHFA Participating Lenders. CHFA does not lend money directly to consumers; approved lenders qualify borrowers and make all mortgage loans.

The Top Loan Officers filter sits alongside several other optional filters. The County filter shows loan officers who helped a household purchase a home in a specific county in the previous twelve months — useful if you want someone with recent activity in El Paso County. The Households Served filter highlights loan officers with high production serving certain demographic groups, the Language filter identifies those who reported speaking languages other than English, and a separate filter flags members of CHFA’s Lender Advisory Group, which helps guide affordable housing efforts in Colorado.

Placement under any filter does not mean a loan officer only serves that county or population. A homebuyer may choose to work with any loan officer on the list — the filters exist as a convenience, not a requirement. That flexibility matters in a market like Colorado Springs, where a PCS move can compress a home search and you may simply want a loan officer familiar with your situation.

If you want to verify how the ranking system works, go to the source itself.

Where to read the official explanation

CHFA spells all of this out on its Find a Participating Lender page, including the filter key, the ranking methodology, and its disclaimer. Click through the expandable questions on that page for additional information on how filter results are determined and what each filter means. Reading the official page helps you understand exactly what a Gold, Silver, or Bronze badge does — and does not — tell you.

What to do next

Use the filters to create a short list, but remember the rankings measure volume, not fit. Talk with a loan officer at a CHFA Participating Lender about which CHFA loan programs match your income, county, and down payment situation, and ask them to walk you through the process from application to closing. The team at 719 Lending can help Colorado Springs buyers sort out where CHFA programs fit in their plans.

Frequently asked questions

What do Gold, Silver, and Bronze mean on CHFA’s lender search?

They are production tiers in CHFA’s Top Loan Officers filter. Gold is the highest tier of loan officers ranked by CHFA households served, Silver is the middle tier, and Bronze is the broadest tier, all measured over the previous calendar year or most recent rolling twelve-month period.

Does a Gold ranking mean CHFA endorses that loan officer?

No. CHFA states that filter results are determined solely by households served and do not constitute an endorsement or referral, nor do they guarantee quality of service, outcomes, or results.

Do I have to pick a Gold, Silver, or Bronze loan officer to get a CHFA loan?

No. A homebuyer may work with any loan officer employed by a CHFA Participating Lender. The filters are optional conveniences, and unranked loan officers can offer the same CHFA loan programs.

Can the number of loans needed for each ranking level change?

Yes. Because the tiers are based on relative production, the number of CHFA loans needed to reach a particular status may change from year to year depending on the total number of CHFA loans originated statewide.

Does CHFA lend money directly to homebuyers?

No. CHFA does not lend directly to consumers. Its approved Participating Lenders qualify customers and make all mortgage loans under CHFA programs.

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719 Lending Inc. is not affiliated with or endorsed by HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, CHFA, the CFPB, or any government agency.

Last updated: September 2026