Mortgage lender · Uniondale, NY · LEI 549300HTMO7FGRKRLV06

Cliffco review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Cliffco earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 7.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 58th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.51 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 20th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.8kApplications2025
66.6%Originatedof applications
7.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$675MLoan volume27 states

Cliffco at a glance, 2025

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

5.7%Denial rate (all applications)-12.32 pts vs national
7.8%Denial rate (decided applications)-14.77 pts vs national
66.6%Origination rate+8.53 pts vs national
23.4%Withdrawn by applicant
4.3%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.51Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.25 pts vs national
$505,000Median loan amount
$9,680Median total loan costs
$173kMedian applicant income
75%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

58th7.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

20th0.51 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

13th27.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

67th1.92% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,2458469.1%11.8%6.99%$407M
20241,6271,2165.5%6.9%6.99%$680M
20251,8031,2005.7%7.8%6.75%$675M

What Cliffco 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 1,371 76% · 5.9% denied
Refinance 76 4% · 9.2% denied
Cash-out refinance 356 20% · 3.9% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,496 83% · 4.3% denied
FHA 272 15% · 13.6% denied
VA 35 2% · 2.9% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 4 reverse mortgages, 7 manufactured homes, 419 investment properties.

Why Cliffco denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 102 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Other 26 25%
Debt-to-income ratio 26 25%
Collateral 18 18%
Credit history 10 10%
Employment history 10 10%
Unverifiable information 8 8%
Insufficient cash 4 4%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Cliffco

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k24110.0%
$50k – $100k21513714.4%
$100k – $150k33423610.6%
$150k – $250k5613997.2%
Over $250k3862543.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2542286.7%
25–344713237.2%
35–445483838.4%
45–543572327.5%
55–642611557.1%
65–74946011.8%
Over 7430195.0%

Where Cliffco lends

27 states and 176 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New York1,2538425.3%6.75%#72
Florida1671126.0%6.62%#402
New Jersey138847.3%7.13%#231
Pennsylvania392610.3%7.19%#511
Texas39285.1%6.13%#749
Arizona34278.8%6.88%#362
Connecticut33209.1%6.75%#252
Georgia14100.0%6.81%#617
Illinois1350.0%8.00%#650
North Carolina1179.1%7.50%#605
South Carolina10620.0%7.06%#538
Colorado940.0%6.19%#517
Ohio880.0%6.88%#643
Maryland7514.3%6.49%#513
California630.0%7.75%#792

Frequently asked questions

Cliffco denied 7.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 58th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Cliffco gave in 2025 was "other", cited on 25.5% 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 Cliffco originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.51 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 76% of its applications were for home purchases, 24% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 83% conventional, 15% FHA, 2% 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 Cliffco. Data sources · Methodology