The Yahoo Finance View: As a leader in government loans, Pennymac is an obvious choice for borrowers seeking a mortgage lender with low- or no-down-payment loans. However, it requires a higher credit score than many FHA lenders. Pennymac is the second-largest FHA lender by loan volume in the nation. So, the company knows a thing or two about how to make home loans, no doubt. That may seem surprising because Pennymac doesn't have huge name recognition. The reason: Pennymac is behind the scenes, facilitati ...