Mortgage lender · Fair Lawn, NJ · LEI 5493005LKFCLR81TSN28

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

Columbia Bank earns a D, weaker than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 23.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 16th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.47 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 23rd percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.6kApplications2025
55.7%Originatedof applications
23.9%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.74%Median ratenational 6.63%
$739MLoan volume3 states

Columbia Bank at a glance, 2025

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

19.1%Denial rate (all applications)+1.16 pts vs national
23.9%Denial rate (decided applications)+1.31 pts vs national
55.7%Origination rate-2.35 pts vs national
14.5%Withdrawn by applicant
5.5%Closed for incompleteness
6.74%Median interest rate+0.12 pts vs national
0.47Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.22 pts vs national
$205,000Median loan amount
$525Median total loan costs
$136kMedian applicant income
59%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D 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%

16th23.9% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

23rd0.47 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

34th19.9%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

99th0.26% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232,1181,15213.9%17.8%5.99%$671M
20241,68593516.5%21.0%6.99%$360M
20251,55786719.1%23.9%6.74%$739M

What Columbia 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 460 30% · 7.0% denied
Refinance 315 20% · 18.7% denied
Cash-out refinance 65 4% · 7.7% denied
Home improvement 454 29% · 25.8% denied
Other / HELOC 263 17% · 32.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,554 100% · 19.2% denied
FHA 3 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 563 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 135 investment properties.

Why Columbia Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 298 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 149 50%
Credit history 104 35%
Collateral 25 8%
Other 18 6%
Insufficient cash 1 0%
Employment history 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Columbia Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k852557.6%
$50k – $100k33916331.8%
$100k – $150k35919726.9%
$150k – $250k35120819.9%
Over $250k26715714.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25201416.7%
25–3417410814.9%
35–4427214624.9%
45–5431715929.9%
55–6435218228.6%
65–7421611726.5%
Over 74844719.4%

Where Columbia Bank lends

3 states and 29 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New Jersey1,53485019.4%6.74%#48
Pennsylvania22174.6%6.30%#589

Frequently asked questions

Columbia Bank denied 23.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 16th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Columbia Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 50.0% 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 Columbia Bank originated in 2025 was 6.74%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.47 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 30% of its applications were for home purchases, 24% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 46% 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 Columbia Bank. Data sources · Methodology