Mortgage lender · Indianapolis, IN · LEI 549300TKFZR4QBNE5D40

1st Signature Lending review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

1st Signature Lending earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 6.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 62nd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.30 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 41st percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.6kApplications2025
63.0%Originatedof applications
6.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
5.88%Median ratenational 6.63%
$264MLoan volume17 states

1st Signature Lending at a glance, 2025

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

4.6%Denial rate (all applications)-13.38 pts vs national
6.8%Denial rate (decided applications)-15.78 pts vs national
63.0%Origination rate+5.01 pts vs national
32.4%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
5.88%Median interest rate-0.75 pts vs national
0.30Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.04 pts vs national
$245,000Median loan amount
$14,837Median total loan costs
$78kMedian applicant income
97%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 581 mid-size mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

62nd6.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

41st0.30 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

7th32.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

2nd6.06% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,21675610.5%14.5%6.88%$189M
20241,3028397.3%10.2%6.50%$227M
20251,5649864.6%6.8%5.88%$264M

What 1st Signature Lending 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 1,472 94% · 4.4% denied
Refinance 77 5% · 6.5% denied
Cash-out refinance 15 1% · 13.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 41 3% · 4.9% denied
FHA 1,142 73% · 4.5% denied
VA 295 19% · 4.8% denied
USDA / RHS 86 5% · 5.8% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 1,261 manufactured homes, 1 investment properties.

Why 1st Signature Lending denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 72 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 20 28%
Credit history 19 26%
Collateral 12 17%
Employment history 11 15%
Other 8 11%
Unverifiable information 1 1%
Insufficient cash 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at 1st Signature Lending

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1889915.4%
$50k – $100k9476075.6%
$100k – $150k3132075.5%
$150k – $250k101647.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 251286910.4%
25–344833006.3%
35–443902507.8%
45–542621678.2%
55–641851283.8%
65–7490594.8%
Over 7426130.0%

Where 1st Signature Lending lends

17 states and 10 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
South Carolina3211915.3%5.88%#133
North Carolina3081973.3%5.88%#193
Florida2201333.2%5.88%#353
Tennessee1771323.4%6.00%#232
Georgia129708.5%5.88%#301
Kentucky80571.3%5.88%#225
Texas76514.0%5.88%#618
Indiana67419.0%5.88%#317
Alabama48286.3%5.88%#318
Ohio45364.4%5.88%#418
Virginia37228.1%6.00%#416
Oklahoma1995.3%5.88%#336
Mississippi1320.0%5.75%#272
Pennsylvania13107.7%5.88%#648
West Virginia7314.3%5.88%#292

Frequently asked questions

1st Signature Lending denied 6.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 62nd percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason 1st Signature Lending gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 27.8% 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 1st Signature Lending originated in 2025 was 5.88%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.30 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 94% of its applications were for home purchases, 6% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 3% conventional, 73% FHA, 19% 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 1st Signature Lending. Data sources · Methodology