Mortgage lender · Green Bay, WI · LEI ZF85QS7OXKPBG52R7N18

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

Associated Bank earns a B, better than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 27.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 43rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.02 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 57th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

10kApplications2025
64.9%Originatedof applications
27.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.88%Median ratenational 6.63%
$2.1BLoan volume21 states

Associated Bank at a glance, 2025

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

24.9%Denial rate (all applications)+6.96 pts vs national
27.2%Denial rate (decided applications)+4.64 pts vs national
64.9%Origination rate+6.85 pts vs national
6.6%Withdrawn by applicant
1.8%Closed for incompleteness
6.88%Median interest rate+0.25 pts vs national
0.02Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.24 pts vs national
$135,000Median loan amount
$2,639Median total loan costs
$98kMedian applicant income
70%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

43rd27.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

57th0.02 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

73rd8.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

80th1.95% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20239,8976,11628.4%31.0%7.63%$1.6B
202410,2576,53226.1%28.5%7.50%$2.0B
202510,4886,80524.9%27.2%6.88%$2.1B

What Associated 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 3,965 38% · 12.6% denied
Refinance 2,040 19% · 23.9% denied
Cash-out refinance 329 3% · 26.4% denied
Home improvement 2,394 23% · 38.4% denied
Other / HELOC 1,760 17% · 35.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 10,186 97% · 25.1% denied
FHA 239 2% · 21.3% denied
VA 62 1% · 12.9% denied
USDA / RHS 1 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 5,973 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 93 manufactured homes, 279 investment properties.

Why Associated Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 2,616 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 1,417 54%
Credit history 633 24%
Collateral 291 11%
Other 78 3%
Unverifiable information 71 3%
Incomplete application 63 2%
Employment history 53 2%
Insufficient cash 9 0%
Mortgage insurance denied 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Associated Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1,45264051.1%
$50k – $100k3,6282,31728.0%
$100k – $150k2,0811,42423.0%
$150k – $250k1,5831,10321.1%
Over $250k1,30798516.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2531123214.8%
25–341,5861,12519.9%
35–442,0841,37226.1%
45–542,0561,31729.0%
55–642,0871,33229.2%
65–741,60899731.0%
Over 7467537734.4%

Where Associated Bank lends

21 states and 256 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Wisconsin7,4514,97423.7%6.88%#5
Illinois1,7581,06028.7%6.88%#48
Minnesota89855327.1%6.75%#53
Missouri18410032.1%6.13%#194
Michigan814935.8%6.63%#294
Florida483216.7%6.50%#607
Arizona171117.7%6.50%#438
Ohio870.0%6.50%#642
Texas830.0%6.33%#998
Indiana7328.6%5.75%#601
Colorado650.0%5.25%#586

Frequently asked questions

Associated Bank denied 27.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 43rd percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Associated Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 54.2% 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 Associated Bank originated in 2025 was 6.88%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.02 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 38% of its applications were for home purchases, 23% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 40% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 97% conventional, 2% FHA, 1% 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 Associated Bank. Data sources · Methodology