Fairway Home Mortgage is expanding its Non-QM platform and loan officer training as the retail lender reports growing demand from borrowers whose income does not meet traditional agency documentation requirements.
Fairway’s expanding product menu allows qualified borrowers to document income through bank statements, 1099 forms, profit-and-loss statements and asset-depletion calculations. The programs are designed for self-employed professionals, business owners, retirees, real estate investors and certain borrowers recovering from previous credit events.
“Fairway’s mission is to be best in class in the mortgage industry—and we bring that same standard to Non-QM,” said Paola Kielblock, Fairway’s president of products. “At Fairway, we underwrite, close and fund Non-QM transactions with the same speed and level of service as traditional mortgages.”
Fairway said it has invested in its platform through strategic lender partnerships, additional loan officer education and a broader menu of products. The company is also training LOs to identify borrowers who may qualify using alternative documentation, rather than turning away applicants who fall outside agency guidelines.
“We’ve built a structure that empowers our loan officers to confidently educate borrowers on qualifying outside traditional guidelines,” Kielblock said. “Leading in this space requires deep lender relationships, specialized training and an ongoing commitment to helping loan officers identify when Non-QM is the right solution for their clients.”
Fairway Broadens Its Non-QM Menu
Fairway has been building out the platform in the past year. In 2025, the company said it was “aggressively expanding” its Non-QM offerings.
Fairway says it works with multiple Non-QM investors and has delegated authority for many of the programs it offers. That allows the company to originate, underwrite and close many of the loans in its own name using dedicated underwriters.
The lender is positioning those internal capabilities as an advantage for LOs who may otherwise be reluctant to recommend a product with unfamiliar documentation or underwriting requirements.
“When you combine the speed and service of Fairway with our in-house Non-QM capabilities, it gives loan officers a true competitive advantage,” said Trevor Higgins, a Fairway branch sales manager.
Fairway Targets Additional LO Production
Fairway Branch Manager Tim Schnautz said the products can help originators serve financially capable borrowers whose income does not fit neatly within agency underwriting.
“Non-QM has completely changed the landscape for a lot of LOs,” Schnautz said. “These aren’t borrowers with poor credit or people who can’t afford a home. More often, they’re financially strong individuals whose income simply doesn’t fit within agency guidelines.”
Business owners represent one of the clearest use cases. Tax deductions can reduce an entrepreneur’s taxable income, potentially making it more difficult to qualify through conventional underwriting even when the business generates sufficient cash flow.
“Many entrepreneurs follow their CPA’s advice and maximize tax deductions, which lowers their taxable income but can create challenges when qualifying for a conventional mortgage,” Higgins said. “Being able to qualify using bank statements, profit and loss statements or 1099 income can be a game changer.”
Fairway is also presenting Non-QM as a source of incremental production, rather than a product used only to rescue an occasional loan.
“When marketed effectively, Non-QM can add two to three additional loans per month to a loan officer’s pipeline,” Higgins said. “It’s a tremendous growth opportunity, and with Fairway’s product offerings, operational support and speed to close, I believe our platform is unmatched.”
The expansion gives Fairway’s originators more ways to work with borrowers whose earnings, assets or investment income do not conform to standard documentation requirements — and keeps the LO growth opportunity at the center of the lender’s Non-QM strategy.
*This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by a human editor before publication.
