Mortgage lender · Basking Ridge, NJ · LEI 5493004UNRG4PWDF2K60

Affinity review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Affinity earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 32.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 26th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 2.28 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 96th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

3.4kApplications2025
55.9%Originatedof applications
32.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
4.90%Median ratenational 6.63%
$434MLoan volume44 states

Affinity at a glance, 2025

Every figure is from the lender's own HMDA filing. "vs national" compares with all lenders combined.

28.0%Denial rate (all applications)+10.06 pts vs national
32.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+10.10 pts vs national
55.9%Origination rate-2.12 pts vs national
8.3%Withdrawn by applicant
5.9%Closed for incompleteness
4.90%Median interest rate-1.72 pts vs national
-2.28Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-2.53 pts vs national
$135,000Median loan amount
$5,320Median total loan costs
$151kMedian applicant income
61%Median loan-to-value
4High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

26th32.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

96th-2.28 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

41st14.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

30th3.94% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232,2981,03635.3%40.6%8.25%$204M
20242,2291,02537.2%43.6%8.50%$166M
20253,4341,92028.0%32.7%4.90%$434M

What Affinity lends

Applications by purpose and loan type in 2025, with the denial rate for each. A lender's mix explains a lot of its headline rate: HELOCs and FHA loans are denied far more often than conventional purchase loans.

By loan purpose

Home purchase 464 14% · 15.7% denied
Refinance 152 4% · 17.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 1,052 31% · 30.0% denied
Home improvement 1,418 41% · 29.3% denied
Other / HELOC 348 10% · 37.9% denied

By loan type

Conventional 3,434 100% · 28.0% denied

Also: 2,970 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 35 investment properties.

Why Affinity denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 963 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 508 53%
Credit history 205 21%
Collateral 156 16%
Other 82 9%
Unverifiable information 6 1%
Employment history 4 0%
Mortgage insurance denied 1 0%
Incomplete application 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Affinity

Decision denial rate by applicant profile. Groups with fewer than 20 applications are omitted.

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1502779.6%
$50k – $100k71426853.5%
$100k – $150k79345431.5%
$150k – $250k98666121.5%
Over $250k72146918.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3425314030.1%
35–4479544233.4%
45–5489950635.0%
55–6484448031.8%
65–7446626729.1%
Over 741527335.0%

Where Affinity lends

44 states and 289 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New Jersey2,5061,47625.9%4.90%#30
New York25310640.7%4.90%#189
Connecticut1205335.8%4.90%#155
Pennsylvania1006024.0%4.90%#375
Florida964932.3%4.90%#487
California451928.9%4.90%#537
North Carolina392512.8%4.90%#432
Virginia311625.8%4.90%#437
Georgia27951.9%4.90%#536
South Carolina241329.2%4.90%#419
Maryland201125.0%4.90%#406
Massachusetts151026.7%5.45%#434
Delaware14914.3%4.90%#207
Minnesota14535.7%4.90%#432
Tennessee13830.8%4.90%#606
Illinois12450.0%4.90%#660
Ohio12650.0%4.90%#593
Washington11418.2%4.83%#444
Indiana10730.0%4.90%#542
Michigan7314.3%4.90%#544
Missouri6166.7%4.90%#577
Texas640.0%5.44%#1,062
Arizona5240.0%5.20%#608
Colorado540.0%5.14%#620

Frequently asked questions

Affinity denied 32.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 26th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Affinity gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 52.8% of its denials. Lenders report up to four reasons per denial to the CFPB; the full breakdown is on this page.

The median interest rate on loans Affinity originated in 2025 was 4.90%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -2.28 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 14% of its applications were for home purchases, 35% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 51% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 100% conventional, 0% FHA, 0% VA.

Every figure on this page comes from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Loan/Application Register published by the CFPB, which lenders are required by federal law to file. We add the grade and the comparisons; we do not add facts.

About this data. HMDA data is published once a year by the CFPB. The current release covers applications acted on in calendar year 2025. Figures describe applications the lender acted on, including loans it later sold. Interest rates and costs are medians on originated loans only; some depository institutions are exempt from reporting pricing fields, which is why a few cells read "—". MortgageGrades is not affiliated with Affinity. Data sources · Methodology