Mortgage lender · Corte Madera, CA · LEI 549300PL8ER6H23P0Z91

Bay Equity review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Bay Equity earns a B, better than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 4.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 74th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.17 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 65th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

6.6kApplications2025
67.8%Originatedof applications
4.9%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$1.9BLoan volume47 states

Bay Equity at a glance, 2025

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

3.5%Denial rate (all applications)-14.50 pts vs national
4.9%Denial rate (decided applications)-17.74 pts vs national
67.8%Origination rate+9.78 pts vs national
27.8%Withdrawn by applicant
0.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.17Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.08 pts vs national
$365,000Median loan amount
$6,165Median total loan costs
$139kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

74th4.9% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

65th0.17 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

12th28.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

73rd1.69% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202313,4639,1824.5%6.1%6.63%$3.5B
202413,9949,7513.6%4.9%6.63%$4.0B
20256,5524,4433.5%4.9%6.63%$1.9B

What Bay Equity 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 6,221 95% · 3.3% denied
Refinance 153 2% · 5.9% denied
Cash-out refinance 178 3% · 7.9% denied

By loan type

Conventional 5,018 77% · 2.9% denied
FHA 1,010 15% · 6.4% denied
VA 505 8% · 3.8% denied
USDA / RHS 19 0% · 5.3% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 94 manufactured homes, 376 investment properties.

Why Bay Equity denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 228 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 75 33%
Employment history 65 29%
Collateral 60 26%
Credit history 24 11%
Insufficient cash 4 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Bay Equity

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1719015.6%
$50k – $100k1,6551,1206.4%
$100k – $150k1,7701,2503.3%
$150k – $250k1,8601,2734.0%
Over $250k1,0757034.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 251981338.3%
25–341,7901,2423.3%
35–441,9651,3504.5%
45–541,1997986.2%
55–647885226.7%
65–744823233.9%
Over 74130756.2%

Where Bay Equity lends

47 states and 625 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Washington6874763.2%6.63%#82
Illinois6714702.1%6.75%#108
California6694262.7%6.75%#214
Maryland5183684.1%6.63%#85
Texas4773022.9%6.63%#266
Colorado4152573.1%6.75%#118
Florida2921806.9%6.63%#308
Virginia2711901.9%6.63%#174
Oregon2441803.3%6.63%#99
North Carolina2341473.4%6.62%#218
Arizona2301584.8%6.63%#167
Kentucky2171665.1%6.75%#139
Massachusetts1801214.4%6.63%#173
Minnesota1791482.8%6.93%#143
Georgia159885.7%6.49%#275
Pennsylvania1561201.9%6.50%#317
New Jersey129853.9%6.63%#241
Nevada102745.9%6.63%#143
Indiana89602.3%6.63%#290
South Carolina72475.6%6.62%#292
Tennessee69492.9%6.63%#371
Ohio65463.1%6.63%#374
Idaho62520.0%6.75%#150
Utah54370.0%6.75%#164
Wisconsin38292.6%6.88%#364
District of Columbia36225.6%6.63%#91
Michigan34250.0%6.63%#373
Oklahoma28203.6%6.63%#310
New Hampshire261515.4%6.75%#172
Missouri241412.5%6.63%#419
Hawaii2055.0%6.88%#129
Connecticut19120.0%6.63%#310
Kansas161112.5%6.75%#313
Delaware1170.0%6.38%#229
Alabama8412.5%6.38%#508
Louisiana7414.3%6.31%#401
Rhode Island740.0%6.49%#215
West Virginia750.0%6.88%#278
Maine640.0%6.87%#260
Wyoming650.0%6.49%#181
Montana520.0%6.75%#237

Frequently asked questions

Bay Equity denied 4.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 74th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Bay Equity gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 32.9% 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 Bay Equity originated in 2025 was 6.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.17 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 95% of its applications were for home purchases, 5% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 77% conventional, 15% FHA, 8% 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 Bay Equity. Data sources · Methodology