Ideal mortgage approval rate & lending review
Ideal decided 1,246 mortgage applications and funded 904 loans across the 616 counties Fat Boy Data covers, 2023–2025.
These are the decisions Ideal reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, not its advertised interest rates.
Ideal at a glance
Approval is 15.5 points above the 70.6% national rate for the same mix of loan types.
Approval rates by loan type
| Loan type | Approval | Approved | Taken up | Typical loan | Loans made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage lenders | 93% | 272 / 292 | 81% | $315K | 221 |
| Home improvement loans | 84% | 636 / 758 | 87% | $65K | 552 |
| Refinance | 85% | 122 / 143 | 76% | $145K | 93 |
Ideal lending by state
Fat Boy Data covers 616 counties, 79.6% of the US population, not every county in every state. States with fewer than 20 decisions are not listed.Methodology.
Where Ideal lends most
| County | Loan type | Approval | Decided | Loans made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MN | Home improvement loans | 87% | 269 | 199 |
| Ramsey County, MN | Home improvement loans | 84% | 178 | 129 |
| Dakota County, MN | Home improvement loans | 83% | 121 | 86 |
| Washington County, MN | Mortgage lenders | 94% | 90 | 68 |
| Hennepin County, MN | Home improvement loans | 79% | 81 | 60 |
| Ramsey County, MN | Mortgage lenders | 95% | 75 | 58 |
| Washington County, MN | Refinance | 93% | 55 | 36 |
| Anoka County, MN | Home improvement loans | 75% | 53 | 35 |
| Ramsey County, MN | Refinance | 89% | 38 | 27 |
| Dakota County, MN | Refinance | 76% | 21 | 12 |
The county markets where Ideal made the most loans. Each link opens that market with every lender ranked.
Questions about Ideal
What is Ideal's mortgage approval rate?
Ideal approved 86.1% of the 1,246 mortgage applications it decided across the 616 counties Fat Boy Data covers, 2023–2025, 15.5 points above the 70.6% national rate for the same mix of loan types.
How often do borrowers take the loan Ideal offers?
Borrowers accepted 84% of the loans Ideal approved, against 93% for all home improvement loan lenders nationally. A low take-up usually means the approved terms were not competitive.
What size loans does Ideal make?
The typical home improvement loan loan Ideal made was $65K; across all loan types its typical loan ran from $65K to $315K. HMDA reports amounts in $10,000 brackets, so these are midpoints.
Where does Ideal lend?
Ideal decided applications in 5 of the states Fat Boy Data covers, most of them in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida.
Can I apply to Ideal directly?
Yes. Ideal is a bank or credit union with 6 branches in the FDIC and NCUA registries, and it takes mortgage applications directly.
Does this page show Ideal's interest rates?
No. HMDA filings record who applied, who was approved and how much was borrowed, not the rate offered. Use the approval rate and take-up here to judge how Ideal treats applications, then get a rate quote from the lender.