Mortgage lender · Medina, OH · LEI 254900BMXWPEHXG4LF21

SmartFi Home Loans review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

SmartFi Home Loans earns a D, weaker than most reverse-mortgage lenders. It turned down 24.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 0th percentile for approval odds. Compared against 8 reverse-mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.6kApplications2025
67.9%Originatedof applications
24.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
8.98%Median ratenational 6.63%
$360MLoan volume35 states

SmartFi Home Loans at a glance, 2025

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

21.7%Denial rate (all applications)+3.74 pts vs national
24.1%Denial rate (decided applications)+1.48 pts vs national
67.9%Origination rate+9.85 pts vs national
8.9%Withdrawn by applicant
0.9%Closed for incompleteness
8.98%Median interest rate+2.36 pts vs national
Median rate spread (pts over APOR)
$215,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$32kMedian applicant income
Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 8 reverse-mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

0th24.1% denied

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

86th9.8%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202316913411.8%12.8%9.69%$51M
202442929820.5%22.5%9.69%$120M
20251,6441,11621.7%24.1%8.98%$360M

What SmartFi Home Loans 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 81 5% · 9.9% denied
Refinance 1,201 73% · 23.6% denied
Home improvement 137 8% · 13.9% denied
Other / HELOC 225 14% · 20.9% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,020 62% · 19.0% denied
FHA 624 38% · 26.1% denied

Also: 627 home-equity lines, 1,644 reverse mortgages, 42 manufactured homes, 0 investment properties.

Why SmartFi Home Loans denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 357 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Insufficient cash 105 29%
Collateral 92 26%
Debt-to-income ratio 56 16%
Unverifiable information 54 15%
Credit history 48 13%
Incomplete application 2 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at SmartFi Home Loans

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1,16977425.4%
$50k – $100k29621022.1%
$100k – $150k301351.9%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
55–6418410338.0%
65–7464543125.7%
Over 7481558219.6%

Where SmartFi Home Loans lends

35 states and 377 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
California50836119.3%8.98%#259
Florida43530220.0%8.99%#258
Texas1357231.9%8.98%#497
Washington916217.6%7.87%#246
Arizona724831.9%8.98%#271
Colorado583920.7%8.98%#283
Michigan352717.1%8.99%#371
Oregon352231.4%7.76%#258
Georgia331239.4%8.98%#512
Pennsylvania33259.1%8.98%#540
Utah272114.8%8.99%#220
Illinois191510.5%8.98%#598
New Jersey171229.4%8.99%#470
Ohio17941.2%8.99%#553
Idaho16146.3%8.99%#240
New Mexico161125.0%6.25%#219
Oklahoma14814.3%6.38%#370
Montana11736.4%6.38%#175
Tennessee11636.4%6.13%#621
Indiana1090.0%8.99%#539
Maryland9522.2%6.50%#489
Alabama8450.0%6.31%#499
South Carolina8625.0%8.98%#572
North Carolina5420.0%6.75%#745

Frequently asked questions

SmartFi Home Loans denied 24.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 0th percentile of reverse-mortgage lenders.

The most common reason SmartFi Home Loans gave in 2025 was "insufficient cash", cited on 29.4% 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 SmartFi Home Loans originated in 2025 was 8.98%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.00 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 5% of its applications were for home purchases, 73% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 22% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 62% conventional, 38% 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 SmartFi Home Loans. Data sources · Methodology