Mortgage lender · Marshfield, WI · LEI 254900IER2H3R8YLBW04

Forward Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Forward Bank earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 4.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 77th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.25 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 52nd percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

463Applications2025
82.5%Originatedof applications
4.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$91MLoan volume4 states

Forward Bank at a glance, 2025

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

4.1%Denial rate (all applications)-13.88 pts vs national
4.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-18.38 pts vs national
82.5%Origination rate+24.48 pts vs national
2.6%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.00%Median interest rate+0.38 pts vs national
0.25Median rate spread (pts over APOR)0.00 pts vs national
$185,000Median loan amount
$2,272Median total loan costs
$97kMedian applicant income
79%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A 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%

77th4.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

52nd0.25 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

87th2.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

77th1.23% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233903226.9%6.9%6.75%$57M
20244623677.4%7.4%7.55%$68M
20254633824.1%4.2%7.00%$91M

What Forward Bank 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 270 58% · 1.9% denied
Refinance 55 12% · 10.9% denied
Cash-out refinance 119 26% · 6.7% denied
Home improvement 10 2% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 9 2% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 463 100% · 4.1% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 8 manufactured homes, 69 investment properties.

Why Forward Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 19 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 7 37%
Debt-to-income ratio 6 32%
Incomplete application 4 21%
Collateral 2 11%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Forward Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k53445.8%
$50k – $100k1561234.7%
$100k – $150k98812.1%
$150k – $250k57473.6%
Over $250k40352.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2561531.7%
25–34102804.1%
35–44109903.7%
45–5476569.5%
55–6445354.6%

Where Forward Bank lends

4 states and 39 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Wisconsin4473713.8%7.00%#94
Minnesota14107.1%7.13%#429

Frequently asked questions

Forward Bank denied 4.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 77th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Forward Bank gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 36.8% 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 Forward Bank originated in 2025 was 7.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.25 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 58% of its applications were for home purchases, 38% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 4% 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 Forward Bank. Data sources · Methodology