Mortgage lender · Fargo, ND · LEI 549300OHXNUMVE33Q475

American Federal Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

American Federal Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 12.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 38th percentile for approval odds. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

255Applications2025
72.9%Originatedof applications
12.5%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
Median ratenational 6.63%
$62MLoan volume7 states

American Federal Bank at a glance, 2025

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

11.4%Denial rate (all applications)-6.61 pts vs national
12.5%Denial rate (decided applications)-10.09 pts vs national
72.9%Origination rate+14.91 pts vs national
7.8%Withdrawn by applicant
1.2%Closed for incompleteness
Median interest rate
Median rate spread (pts over APOR)
$225,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$110kMedian applicant income
Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 1,883 small mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

38th12.5% denied

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

63rd9.0%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232422007.0%7.6%$63M
20242622006.5%7.2%$68M
202525518611.4%12.5%$62M

What American Federal Bank 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 178 70% · 10.1% denied
Refinance 28 11% · 7.1% denied
Cash-out refinance 29 11% · 17.2% denied
Home improvement 20 8% · 20.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 246 96% · 10.6% denied
FHA 5 2% · 40.0% denied
VA 4 2% · 25.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 5 manufactured homes, 52 investment properties.

Why American Federal Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 29 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 14 48%
Collateral 6 21%
Credit history 5 17%
Insufficient cash 4 14%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at American Federal Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k724817.9%
$100k – $150k483018.4%
$150k – $250k41345.6%
Over $250k291911.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34543812.8%
35–44443110.0%
45–54322413.8%
55–64221813.6%
65–74321923.1%

Where American Federal Bank lends

7 states and 41 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Minnesota16012311.3%#156
North Dakota895811.2%#53

Frequently asked questions

American Federal Bank denied 12.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 38th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason American Federal Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 48.3% of its denials. Lenders report up to four reasons per denial to the CFPB; the full breakdown is on this page.

In 2025, 70% of its applications were for home purchases, 22% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 8% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 96% conventional, 2% FHA, 2% 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 American Federal Bank. Data sources · Methodology