Mortgage lender · Saint Petersburg, FL · LEI 549300DMI3W6YLDVSK93

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

BayFirst National Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 31.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 29th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.30 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 34th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

781Applications2025
59.3%Originatedof applications
31.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$86MLoan volume10 states

BayFirst National Bank at a glance, 2025

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

29.7%Denial rate (all applications)+11.73 pts vs national
31.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+9.15 pts vs national
59.3%Origination rate+1.25 pts vs national
4.0%Withdrawn by applicant
2.4%Closed for incompleteness
7.50%Median interest rate+0.88 pts vs national
0.30Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.05 pts vs national
$125,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$136kMedian applicant income
78%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

29th31.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

34th0.30 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

83rd6.4%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,02572021.8%22.2%8.50%$132M
20241,12371323.1%23.3%8.50%$132M
202578146329.7%31.7%7.50%$86M

What BayFirst National 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 65 8% · 40.0% denied
Refinance 68 9% · 23.5% denied
Cash-out refinance 1 0% · 0.0% denied
Home improvement 337 43% · 26.4% denied
Other / HELOC 310 40% · 32.6% denied

By loan type

Conventional 781 100% · 29.7% denied

Also: 641 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 1 manufactured homes, 12 investment properties.

Why BayFirst National Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 232 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 122 53%
Other 45 19%
Collateral 38 16%
Incomplete application 12 5%
Credit history 10 4%
Unverifiable information 5 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at BayFirst National Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k561864.8%
$50k – $100k1699734.2%
$100k – $150k18312624.9%
$150k – $250k16812319.4%
Over $250k1359124.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34833648.8%
35–4419010732.6%
45–5420512828.1%
55–641508933.1%
65–74956917.2%
Over 74432535.0%

Where BayFirst National Bank lends

10 states and 31 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Florida76846328.7%7.50%#186

Frequently asked questions

BayFirst National Bank denied 31.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 29th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason BayFirst National Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 52.6% 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 BayFirst National Bank originated in 2025 was 7.50%, 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, 8% of its applications were for home purchases, 9% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 83% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 100% conventional, 0% FHA, 0% 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 BayFirst National Bank. Data sources · Methodology