Mortgage lender · Madison, WI · LEI 549300MGPZBLQDIL7538

Fairway Independent Mortgage review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Fairway Independent Mortgage earns a B, better than most large mortgage lenders. It turned down 6.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 87th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.36 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 41st percentile on pricing. Compared against 101 large mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

101kApplications2025
73.5%Originatedof applications
6.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$25BLoan volume51 states

Fairway Independent Mortgage at a glance, 2025

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

4.8%Denial rate (all applications)-13.20 pts vs national
6.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-16.53 pts vs national
73.5%Origination rate+15.45 pts vs national
20.3%Withdrawn by applicant
0.7%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.36Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.11 pts vs national
$295,000Median loan amount
$6,804Median total loan costs
$108kMedian applicant income
90%Median loan-to-value
2High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 101 large mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

87th6.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

41st0.36 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

42nd21.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

67th2.31% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
2023117,80086,3345.3%6.6%6.75%$27B
202499,84674,4014.8%6.0%6.75%$24B
2025101,31974,4504.8%6.1%6.63%$25B

What Fairway Independent Mortgage 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 82,671 82% · 3.9% denied
Refinance 9,498 9% · 6.2% denied
Cash-out refinance 5,802 6% · 11.2% denied
Home improvement 850 1% · 11.1% denied
Other / HELOC 2,498 2% · 12.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 69,351 68% · 4.3% denied
FHA 22,554 22% · 6.7% denied
VA 8,434 8% · 3.4% denied
USDA / RHS 980 1% · 6.2% denied

Also: 2,243 home-equity lines, 1,473 reverse mortgages, 3,030 manufactured homes, 5,228 investment properties.

Why Fairway Independent Mortgage denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 4,845 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 1,359 28%
Credit history 794 16%
Incomplete application 630 13%
Collateral 625 13%
Other 594 12%
Unverifiable information 427 9%
Insufficient cash 236 5%
Employment history 177 4%
Mortgage insurance denied 3 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Fairway Independent Mortgage

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k7,1614,66113.4%
$50k – $100k36,39527,0926.7%
$100k – $150k25,18618,8154.8%
$150k – $250k19,33914,5353.6%
Over $250k10,2827,4944.2%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 256,8835,3715.5%
25–3431,30223,7754.8%
35–4425,68418,7996.2%
45–5416,95612,1027.2%
55–6411,4928,1457.5%
65–746,3274,4556.5%
Over 742,6751,8037.0%

Where Fairway Independent Mortgage lends

51 states and 2,324 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas10,3127,4683.9%6.63%#21
Arizona6,7294,7245.6%6.63%#5
Illinois6,1514,2156.0%6.88%#14
Georgia5,1473,6313.8%6.63%#20
Indiana4,8133,6657.4%6.75%#8
Florida4,4683,1537.3%6.63%#46
California4,0032,8673.8%6.63%#52
North Carolina3,8932,9934.0%6.63%#29
Wisconsin3,7542,9474.1%6.63%#13
Ohio3,5092,6853.4%6.75%#30
Washington3,3862,4804.4%6.63%#21
Minnesota3,3272,6573.2%6.75%#10
Colorado3,2992,2975.1%6.63%#17
Missouri3,0342,3633.7%6.63%#18
Massachusetts2,6581,9546.1%6.63%#17
Alabama2,4941,9024.1%6.63%#21
Kansas2,3601,8762.0%6.63%#5
Tennessee2,3591,5934.0%6.50%#32
Virginia2,3051,7575.0%6.50%#37
Arkansas1,8641,3356.0%6.49%#14
South Carolina1,7681,3265.2%6.75%#34
Oregon1,6131,1755.5%6.63%#23
Pennsylvania1,5421,2313.8%6.63%#60
Maryland1,5261,1214.8%6.63%#34
Utah1,3049342.7%6.63%#24
New Jersey1,2138444.7%6.75%#59
Wyoming1,1068854.2%6.49%#3
New York1,0137496.7%6.63%#91
Connecticut9957376.1%6.63%#35
Idaho9937076.5%6.49%#16
New Hampshire9447076.0%6.63%#13
Nebraska8856874.8%6.13%#17
Kentucky8535738.7%6.63%#50
Nevada6204604.4%6.75%#47
Maine5093903.5%6.63%#30
North Dakota4973823.0%6.40%#10
South Dakota4903752.2%6.25%#17
Michigan4553365.3%6.63%#136
Iowa4283483.5%6.75%#54
Oklahoma4173002.6%6.75%#70
Louisiana3942793.8%6.64%#69
Mississippi3912469.5%6.69%#51
Delaware3743003.5%6.63%#35
Montana2962074.4%6.13%#28
District of Columbia1711242.9%6.63%#25
Vermont16711910.2%6.75%#29
Rhode Island1521026.6%6.75%#60
Hawaii1378511.7%6.63%#45
New Mexico112834.5%6.63%#102
Alaska56481.8%6.75%#60
West Virginia33283.0%7.06%#170

Frequently asked questions

Fairway Independent Mortgage denied 6.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 87th percentile of large mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Fairway Independent Mortgage gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 28.0% 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 Fairway Independent Mortgage originated in 2025 was 6.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.36 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 82% of its applications were for home purchases, 15% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 3% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 68% conventional, 22% FHA, 8% 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 Fairway Independent Mortgage. Data sources · Methodology