Mortgage lender · Bountiful, UT · LEI 549300YPBBHUEKV1YC68

City First Mortgage Services review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

City First Mortgage Services earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 5.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 69th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.52 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 28th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.1kApplications2025
63.4%Originatedof applications
5.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$236MLoan volume34 states

City First Mortgage Services at a glance, 2025

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

4.0%Denial rate (all applications)-14.03 pts vs national
5.8%Denial rate (decided applications)-16.79 pts vs national
63.4%Origination rate+5.35 pts vs national
30.5%Withdrawn by applicant
1.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.52Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.27 pts vs national
$295,000Median loan amount
$8,714Median total loan costs
$109kMedian applicant income
95%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%

69th5.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

28th0.52 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

4th32.0%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

20th2.95% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,5061,0523.1%4.2%7.13%$343M
20242,0401,3853.6%5.0%6.75%$512M
20251,1147064.0%5.8%6.75%$236M

What City First Mortgage Services 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 877 79% · 3.9% denied
Refinance 122 11% · 4.9% denied
Cash-out refinance 109 10% · 3.7% denied
Other / HELOC 6 1% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 585 53% · 3.3% denied
FHA 345 31% · 5.8% denied
VA 170 15% · 1.2% denied
USDA / RHS 14 1% · 21.4% denied

Also: 5 home-equity lines, 6 reverse mortgages, 106 manufactured homes, 69 investment properties.

Why City First Mortgage Services denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 44 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Collateral 17 39%
Debt-to-income ratio 16 36%
Credit history 5 11%
Employment history 3 7%
Other 2 5%
Unverifiable information 1 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at City First Mortgage Services

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k683714.0%
$50k – $100k4082658.9%
$100k – $150k3192044.2%
$150k – $250k1891201.6%
Over $250k104671.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2576559.8%
25–342711884.1%
35–442881727.9%
45–542241244.5%
55–641541011.9%
65–7468479.6%
Over 7433199.1%

Where City First Mortgage Services lends

34 states and 315 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas2641593.4%6.75%#364
South Carolina96644.2%6.75%#262
Florida88618.0%6.50%#506
Virginia74511.4%6.75%#320
Missouri61408.2%6.69%#328
Georgia55305.5%6.75%#427
Arizona49340.0%6.75%#317
California45322.2%6.99%#536
Ohio35212.9%6.99%#454
Kentucky30186.7%6.81%#309
North Carolina301110.0%6.63%#470
Alaska29223.5%6.75%#72
Utah28183.6%6.50%#216
New Jersey25148.0%6.88%#425
Oregon23180.0%6.75%#285
Michigan22150.0%6.75%#425
Minnesota22184.6%6.69%#382
Indiana201710.0%6.75%#455
Maryland2090.0%6.75%#407
Hawaii1330.0%6.88%#159
Alabama1270.0%6.75%#452
Idaho1290.0%6.63%#258
Iowa1070.0%7.13%#362
Washington1050.0%6.50%#464
Nevada850.0%6.63%#328
Tennessee630.0%6.75%#708
Oklahoma520.0%6.63%#499

Frequently asked questions

City First Mortgage Services denied 5.8% 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 small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason City First Mortgage Services gave in 2025 was "collateral", cited on 38.6% 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 City First Mortgage Services originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.52 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 79% of its applications were for home purchases, 21% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 1% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 53% conventional, 31% FHA, 15% 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 City First Mortgage Services. Data sources · Methodology