Mortgage lender · Storm Lake, IA · LEI 549300Q76VHK6FGPX546

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

Central Bank earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 5.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 69th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.09 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 74th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.6kApplications2025
80.3%Originatedof applications
5.5%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$380MLoan volume22 states

Central Bank at a glance, 2025

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

4.7%Denial rate (all applications)-13.29 pts vs national
5.5%Denial rate (decided applications)-17.09 pts vs national
80.3%Origination rate+22.23 pts vs national
14.3%Withdrawn by applicant
0.5%Closed for incompleteness
6.50%Median interest rate-0.13 pts vs national
0.09Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.16 pts vs national
$205,000Median loan amount
$4,602Median total loan costs
$98kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A 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%

69th5.5% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

74th0.09 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

61st14.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

51st2.24% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,3091,0506.1%7.0%6.75%$274M
20241,3311,0645.7%6.6%6.63%$250M
20251,6211,3014.7%5.5%6.50%$380M

What Central 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 1,056 65% · 1.2% denied
Refinance 182 11% · 4.4% denied
Cash-out refinance 109 7% · 11.0% denied
Home improvement 146 9% · 13.0% denied
Other / HELOC 128 8% · 18.8% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,393 86% · 5.1% denied
FHA 140 9% · 2.9% denied
VA 50 3% · 0.0% denied
USDA / RHS 38 2% · 2.6% denied

Also: 317 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 10 manufactured homes, 161 investment properties.

Why Central Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 76 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 41 54%
Credit history 22 29%
Collateral 9 12%
Other 1 1%
Insufficient cash 1 1%
Employment history 1 1%
Unverifiable information 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Central Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k17412016.6%
$50k – $100k5954604.6%
$100k – $150k3312715.2%
$150k – $250k2341925.0%
Over $250k1641383.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 251511242.3%
25–344193512.5%
35–443492767.1%
45–542692058.9%
55–641971478.7%
65–74110856.5%
Over 74362311.1%

Where Central Bank lends

22 states and 113 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Iowa1,1219164.5%6.63%#18
South Dakota3943045.1%6.50%#18
Nebraska50396.0%6.38%#143
Minnesota14117.1%6.13%#431
Arizona1070.0%6.63%#505
Missouri750.0%7.50%#546
Florida520.0%7.00%#1,131

Frequently asked questions

Central Bank denied 5.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 69th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Central Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 53.9% 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 Central Bank originated in 2025 was 6.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.09 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 65% of its applications were for home purchases, 18% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 17% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 86% conventional, 9% FHA, 3% 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 Central Bank. Data sources · Methodology