[5] Guaranteed Rate was founded in Chicago in 2000 by Victor F. Ciardelli III, a native of Oak Brook, Illinois, who now serves as chairman and CEO.

[16] In December, Guaranteed Rate announced plans to sell a minority stake of the company to an affiliate of Boston-based private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.

[18] Also in December, a former loan officer sued Guaranteed Rate claiming that he was owed $2 million and that executives at the company were manipulating and misreporting financial information for their own benefit.

[19] In January 2018, Guaranteed Rate announced that its employees' and customers' personal information was in hackers' hands as the result of an email phishing attack.

[22] The company also announced a partnership with Marcus by Goldman Sachs to help customers consolidate debt and fund home improvement projects.

[24] In April 2020, Guaranteed Rate was required to pay the federal government a $15 million fine to settle a lawsuit brought by a former employee whistleblower who alleged the company pushed its underwriters into endorsing ineligible loans for FHA and VA loan programs and making false statements to "induce the government" to extend insurance coverage.

According to the Chicago Tribune, as part of the settlement, Guaranteed Rate admitted that it failed to adhere to self-reporting requirements and certified loans for government insurance that were not eligible.

[29] In June 2024, the Chicago Tribune reported that 80 ex-employees interviewed by the paper said they had experienced or witnessed persistent verbal abuse, a "sex-driven" culture, and a misogynistic atmosphere at the firm and from Victor Ciardelli.

[39] In November 2018, Guaranteed Rate announced that it would acquire some assets of Honolulu HomeLoans and its affiliate Hawaii Lending Alliance, in order to expand further into the state.

[48] In August 2020, the company signed a 12-race sponsorship deal with Roush Fenway Racing, to fund Ryan Newman's car through the remainder of the 2020 NASCAR season.

[50] In October 2020, the company became the title sponsor of a third-tier college football bowl game played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

[55] Guaranteed Rate ran a 60-second spot during the Super Bowl LV broadcast on February 7, 2021, featuring mixed martial artist Dustin Poirier, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, and Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to climb to the top of Mount Everest.