Mortgage lender · Louisville, KY · LEI 54930008MKP7T81OVK54

Fair Way Lending review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Fair Way Lending earns a B, better than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 2.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 85th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.50 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 29th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

296Applications2025
86.8%Originatedof applications
2.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$63MLoan volume6 states

Fair Way Lending at a glance, 2025

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

2.4%Denial rate (all applications)-15.62 pts vs national
2.7%Denial rate (decided applications)-19.94 pts vs national
86.8%Origination rate+28.79 pts vs national
10.5%Withdrawn by applicant
0.3%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.50Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.25 pts vs national
$225,000Median loan amount
$6,090Median total loan costs
$80kMedian applicant income
90%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 1,883 small mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

85th2.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

29th0.50 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

54th10.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

25th2.71% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233292534.0%4.9%6.88%$57M
20243052492.0%2.3%6.88%$56M
20252962572.4%2.7%6.75%$63M

What Fair Way Lending 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 229 77% · 2.6% denied
Refinance 42 14% · 0.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 23 8% · 4.4% denied
Home improvement 2 1% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 156 53% · 1.9% denied
FHA 105 35% · 3.8% denied
VA 9 3% · 0.0% denied
USDA / RHS 26 9% · 0.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 10 manufactured homes, 11 investment properties.

Why Fair Way Lending denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 7 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Other 6 86%
Employment history 1 14%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Fair Way Lending

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k382516.7%
$50k – $100k1491340.7%
$100k – $150k64580.0%
$150k – $250k33300.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2523220.0%
25–3482743.9%
35–4466611.6%
45–5465561.8%
55–6433247.7%
65–7424170.0%

Where Fair Way Lending lends

6 states and 66 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Indiana1821681.1%6.75%#210
Kentucky58445.2%6.50%#252
Georgia38342.6%6.81%#482
Illinois1390.0%6.63%#648

Frequently asked questions

Fair Way Lending denied 2.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 85th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Fair Way Lending gave in 2025 was "other", cited on 85.7% 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 Fair Way Lending originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.50 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 77% of its applications were for home purchases, 22% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 1% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 53% conventional, 35% FHA, 3% 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 Fair Way Lending. Data sources · Methodology