FHA sets one rulebook, but every lender builds its wall in a different place. Across 11 major lenders in 2025, overall FHA denial ran from 6.5% to 52.3%. More importantly, the cliff — the point where denial suddenly jumps — sits at a different coordinate for each desk: the sharpest single-integer DTI step observed ranges from +9.8 points (Mr. Cooper, DTI 41→42) to +23.5 points (Rocket, DTI 44→45). On down payment the steps are larger still: from +5.1 points (CrossCountry) to +90.7 points (Freedom, at DTI 43 moving from the 80-84% band to 97%+).
Source: CFPB HMDA loan-level records, 310,592 FHA applications, 2018-2025; 2025 vintage surfaces. Cells with n<50 excluded — where a lender's cells are too thin, we publish no number rather than estimate one.
| # | Lender | 2025 denial | Sharpest DTI step | Size | Sharpest CLTV step | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrossCountry | 6.5% | DTI 45→46 0.8% → 17.3% @ CLTV 70-79 | +16.5pp | 70-79→80-84 4.7% → 9.8% @ DTI 41 | +5.1pp |
| 2 | Guild | 8.6% | DTI 44→45 22.6% → 39.1% @ CLTV 90-94 | +16.5pp | 90-94→97+ 32.5% → 80.4% @ DTI 38 | +47.9pp |
| 3 | Planet Home | 18.4% | not published (n<50) | — | not published | — |
| 4 | UWM | 21.8% | not published (n<50) | — | not published | — |
| 5 | Freedom | 24.2% | DTI 45→46 12.8% → 23.2% @ CLTV 80-84 | +10.4pp | 80-84→97+ 5.4% → 96.1% @ DTI 43 | +90.7pp |
| 6 | PennyMac | 24.5% | DTI 36→37 36.6% → 53.8% @ CLTV 85-89 | +17.2pp | 85-89→90-94 36.6% → 80.9% @ DTI 36 | +44.3pp |
| 7 | Mr. Cooper | 25.8% | DTI 41→42 3.1% → 12.9% @ CLTV 80-84 | +9.8pp | 90-94→97+ 6.8% → 54.3% @ DTI 49 | +47.5pp |
| 8 | Rocket | 31.0% | DTI 44→45 11.3% → 34.8% @ CLTV 80-84 | +23.5pp | 70-79→90-94 11.8% → 96.2% @ DTI 46 | +84.4pp |
| 9 | loanDepot | 37.8% | not published (n<50) | — | not published | — |
| 10 | Wells Fargo | 47.2% | not published (n<50) | — | not published | — |
| 11 | NewRez | 52.3% | not published (n<50) | — | not published | — |
Rocket vs Guild: in 2025, Rocket denied 31.0% of FHA applications and Guild denied 8.6% — a gap of 22.4 points, with Guild the lower-denial door overall. Their DTI walls sit in different places: Rocket steps +23.5pp between DTI 44 and 45, while Guild steps +16.5pp between DTI 44 and 45.
Rocket vs CrossCountry: in 2025, Rocket denied 31.0% of FHA applications and CrossCountry denied 6.5% — a gap of 24.5 points, with CrossCountry the lower-denial door overall. Their DTI walls sit in different places: Rocket steps +23.5pp between DTI 44 and 45, while CrossCountry steps +16.5pp between DTI 45 and 46.
Rocket vs Mr. Cooper: in 2025, Rocket denied 31.0% of FHA applications and Mr. Cooper denied 25.8% — a gap of 5.2 points, with Mr. Cooper the lower-denial door overall. Their DTI walls sit in different places: Rocket steps +23.5pp between DTI 44 and 45, while Mr. Cooper steps +9.8pp between DTI 41 and 42.
Guild vs PennyMac: in 2025, Guild denied 8.6% of FHA applications and PennyMac denied 24.5% — a gap of 15.9 points, with Guild the lower-denial door overall. Their DTI walls sit in different places: Guild steps +16.5pp between DTI 44 and 45, while PennyMac steps +17.2pp between DTI 36 and 37.
Freedom vs Mr. Cooper: in 2025, Freedom denied 24.2% of FHA applications and Mr. Cooper denied 25.8% — a gap of 1.6 points, with Freedom the lower-denial door overall. Their DTI walls sit in different places: Freedom steps +10.4pp between DTI 45 and 46, while Mr. Cooper steps +9.8pp between DTI 41 and 42.
It is not a recommendation to use or avoid any lender, and not an approval predictor. Denial rates reflect who applies to each lender as much as how strictly files are judged, and overlays are lawful business decisions. It is a historical observation of where, in 2025, the federal record shows each desk outcomes changing sharply.
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