Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

Independent analysis of official mortgage recordsHMDA 2025 · 7,155,718 applications

Indiana · Fort Wayne, IN

Wells County, IN: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Wells County actually borrowed, earned and paid in 2025, from the official Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records — plus the 2026 conforming and FHA loan limits.

HMDA 2025 data released June 23, 2026 · Loan limits for calendar year 2026

In 2025, lenders reported 309 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Wells County, IN. The median buyer borrowed $205,000 on a home valued at $245,000 and reported a household income of $76,000.

Buyers financed a median 92.8% of the home's value (roughly 7.2% down), paid a median 6.75% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $3,130.

Lenders denied 4.4% of completed home-purchase applications.

Conforming limit 2026
$832,750
1-unit home · FHFA
FHA limit 2026
$541,287
1-unit home · HUD
Buyer income
$76,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.75%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$3,130
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
4.4%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Wells County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($76,000) is 16% lower than the Indiana median ($90,000).
  • The median 30-year fixed conventional rate here was 13 basis points above the U.S. median (6.625%).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($3,130) were 44% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (31.7% of purchase loans).
  • 55.0% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 1732nd · median home-purchase loan 1465th · median conventional loan costs 1768th · purchase application denial rate 1891st. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Wells County

PropertyConforming 2026vs 2025FHA 2026vs 2025
1 unit $832,750 +$26,250 $541,287 +$17,062
2 units $1,066,250 +$33,600 $693,050 +$21,850
3 units $1,288,800 +$40,650 $837,700 +$26,425
4 units $1,601,750 +$50,500 $1,041,125 +$32,825

2026 limits for Wells County, IN: conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) from FHFA; FHA forward-mortgage limits from HUD. FHA limit is at the national floor for low-cost areas. Loans above the conforming limit are "jumbo" loans.

All Indiana counties: Indiana 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Wells County

Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.

Purchase loans
309
of 340 applications
Buyer income
$76,000
Middle half $55,000–$108,000
Home value
$245,000
Middle half $175,000–$325,000
Loan amount
$205,000
Middle half $155,000–$275,000
Down payment
7.2%
35.1% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
55.0%
No co-applicant

Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.

Loan type

Conventional 73.1% 226
FHA 16.2% 50
VA 6.8% 21
USDA 3.9% 12

What the homes were for

Primary residence 98.5% 337
Second home 0.3% 1
Investment property 1.2% 4

All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.

Borrower age

Under 25 20.1%
25–34 31.7%
35–44 23.3%
45–54 11.7%
55–64 8.1%
65–74 3.2%
75 and over 1.9%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 4.1%
20–29% 19.7%
30–35% 19.0%
36–42% 25.9%
43–49% 25.9%
50–60% 5.1%
Over 60% 0.3%

Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.

What borrowing cost in Wells County

Medians for 2025 home-purchase loans. Total loan costs are section D of the Loan Estimate/Closing Disclosure (lender and third-party loan charges, excluding taxes, prepaids and escrow). FHA and VA costs include the upfront mortgage insurance premium or VA funding fee, so compare like with like.

MeasureWells CountyIndianaU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.750%6.625%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.500%6.500%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA—6.250%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.875%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.33 pts+0.24 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$3,130$3,350$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$6,460$8,150$11,310
Total loan costs · VA—$4,230$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$1,570$1,570$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points44.0%48.7%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.25%0.70%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits14.0%29.5%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages5.5%5.7%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)0.3%1.1%3.8%

Medians are shown only when at least 30 loans report the field. Rates are those reported at closing; market rates changed during 2025, which the rate spread (APR minus the average prime offer rate on the lock date) adjusts for.

Approvals and denials

Wells County: 15 of 340 completed home-purchase applications were denied (4.4%).

Denial rate

ApplicationWells CountyIndianaU.S.
Home purchase4.4%7.4%8.5%
Conventional4.4%5.9%7.1%
FHA7.4%11.7%12.5%
VA—8.4%8.0%
USDA—9.1%12.5%
Refinance12.0%16.1%17.9%
Cash-out refinance37.4%32.6%33.6%

Denial rate = denied ÷ (originated + approved but not accepted + denied). Withdrawn and incomplete applications are excluded. Differences between places reflect who applies, not only lender behavior.

Refinancing in Wells County

Refinances
63
Median loan $235,000
Refi rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$3,650
Conventional
Cash-out refis
62
Median loan $175,000
Cash-out rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$76,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Wells County

71 lenders originated at least one home-purchase or refinance loan here in 2025. The table ranks them by loan count; pricing columns compare conventional purchase loans only.

#LenderLoansShareDenial rate30-yr rate*Spread*Costs*
1 Ruoff Mortgage Company, Inc. 69 15.9% 1.4% 6.625% +0.32 $3,150
2 Stockton Mortgage Corporation 62 14.3% 1.9% 6.875% +0.49 $3,440
3 Three Rivers Federal Credit Union 35 8.1% 12.5% — +0.20 $2,920
4 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 20 4.6% — — — —
5 DHI Mortgage Company, Ltd. 18 4.2% 10.0% — — —
6 Profed Credit Union 18 4.2% — — — —
7 First Bank of Berne 18 4.2% — — — —
8 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 12 2.8% — — — —
9 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 12 2.8% — — — —
10 GVC Mortgage, Inc. 11 2.5% — — — —
11 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 11 2.5% — — — —
12 First Merchants Bank 11 2.5% — — — —
13 The Farmers & Merchants State Bank 9 2.1% — — — —
14 Fifth Third Bank, N.A. 8 1.8% — — — —
15 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 8 1.8% — — — —
16 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 7 1.6% — — — —
17 Veterans United Home Loans 5 1.1% — — — —
18 First Federal Savings Bank 5 1.1% — — — —
19 Lower, LLC 5 1.1% — — — —
20 Everwise Credit Union 5 1.1% — — — —
21 PNC Bank, N.A. 5 1.1% — — — —
22 1st Source Bank 5 1.1% — — — —
23 Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC 4 0.9% — — — —
24 Flagstar Bank, N.A. 4 0.9% — — — —
25 MidWest America Federal Credit Union 3 0.7% — — — —

Lenders in Wells County, IN. Loans = home-purchase, refinance and cash-out originations (2025); share = share of those loans here; denial rate = home-purchase applications. *Medians for conventional home-purchase loans, shown with at least 20 loans; spread = APR minus the average prime offer rate at rate lock (percentage points); costs = total loan costs (section D).

Check a quote for Wells County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.54% = median real estate taxes ÷ median home value, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Nearby counties

CountyDistancePurchase loansMedian loanBuyer incomeConforming limitFHA limit
Adams County, IN15 mi284$185,000$67,000$832,750$541,287
Huntington County, IN15 mi354$175,000$73,000$832,750$541,287
Blackford County, IN19 mi104$125,000$62,000$832,750$541,287
Jay County, IN24 mi127$145,000$58,000$832,750$541,287
Allen County, IN26 mi4,692$225,000$83,000$832,750$541,287
Grant County, IN28 mi493$155,000$66,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Wells County?

$832,750 for a one-unit home (FHFA). Two- to four-unit limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, $1,601,750. Loans above the limit are jumbo loans and are not eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Wells County?

$541,287 for a one-unit home (HUD). This is the national floor for low-cost areas.

How much do home buyers in Wells County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $76,000; the middle half of buyers reported $55,000 to $108,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Wells County get in 2025?

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.75%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.50%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Wells County?

4.4% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025.

Sources: FFIEC/CFPB HMDA 2025 public loan/application register (Snapshot as of June 1, 2026); FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits; HUD 2026 FHA forward-mortgage limits; U.S. Census Bureau. Figures describe typical 2025 loans, not your offer. Methodology