Mortgage lender · San Diego, CA · LEI 2549001SI0EMFPT39035

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

Cornerstone First Mortgage earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 4.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 78th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.49 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 22nd percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

11kApplications2025
68.9%Originatedof applications
4.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$2.9BLoan volume52 states

Cornerstone First Mortgage at a glance, 2025

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

3.1%Denial rate (all applications)-14.85 pts vs national
4.3%Denial rate (decided applications)-18.26 pts vs national
68.9%Origination rate+10.83 pts vs national
25.0%Withdrawn by applicant
2.8%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.49Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.24 pts vs national
$315,000Median loan amount
$9,168Median total loan costs
$114kMedian applicant income
85%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%

78th4.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

22nd0.49 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

13th27.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

27th2.91% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,7911,7910.0%0.0%6.99%$676M
20245,6683,7192.5%3.7%6.88%$1.4B
202510,7487,4013.1%4.3%6.75%$2.9B

What Cornerstone First Mortgage 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 8,178 76% · 3.1% denied
Refinance 1,778 17% · 3.4% denied
Cash-out refinance 791 7% · 3.0% denied
Home improvement 1 0% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 7,460 69% · 2.4% denied
FHA 2,419 23% · 5.1% denied
VA 792 7% · 4.3% denied
USDA / RHS 77 1% · 2.6% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 322 manufactured homes, 2,045 investment properties.

Why Cornerstone First Mortgage denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 336 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 99 29%
Other 67 20%
Credit history 61 18%
Collateral 55 16%
Unverifiable information 35 10%
Employment history 13 4%
Insufficient cash 6 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Cornerstone First Mortgage

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1,1907894.8%
$50k – $100k3,0122,1295.3%
$100k – $150k2,4091,6973.8%
$150k – $250k1,8701,3383.7%
Over $250k1,6591,1232.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 255593934.4%
25–342,5801,8723.4%
35–443,0152,1084.5%
45–542,3531,5634.6%
55–641,4219335.1%
65–746504395.4%
Over 74170932.1%

Where Cornerstone First Mortgage lends

52 states and 1,025 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Florida2,2671,5683.8%6.88%#87
Washington1,0798611.2%6.63%#59
California9967061.1%6.75%#173
Ohio7686051.7%6.75%#105
Texas6243576.7%6.88%#226
New Jersey5833583.1%6.88%#103
Georgia5013403.6%6.63%#151
Arizona4033160.3%6.75%#128
Michigan3722621.9%6.63%#151
Illinois2391429.2%6.88%#225
Alabama2281622.6%6.75%#143
Tennessee2281283.1%6.75%#198
Wisconsin1961364.1%6.88%#162
Virginia1871057.0%6.75%#211
Oregon1711103.5%6.88%#133
North Carolina1611115.0%7.25%#260
Pennsylvania142814.2%6.88%#329
Louisiana138826.5%6.58%#145
South Carolina130991.5%7.13%#223
Utah125830.8%6.75%#124
Oklahoma110604.6%7.25%#176
Maryland106685.7%6.69%#224
Maine90701.1%6.75%#94
Missouri83503.6%6.75%#292
West Virginia78551.3%6.88%#106
Kansas74554.1%6.63%#191
Indiana69501.5%6.75%#314
Massachusetts66473.0%6.75%#291
Colorado61391.6%6.75%#278
Nevada56391.8%6.75%#197
Idaho55381.8%6.81%#159
Mississippi48256.3%6.75%#173
Iowa36275.6%6.75%#254
Hawaii32186.3%7.19%#109
Montana32213.1%6.13%#119
Connecticut30110.0%6.88%#258
Kentucky29240.0%7.25%#315
Delaware25170.0%6.50%#168
Arkansas23120.0%6.69%#277
Minnesota20135.0%7.25%#393
New York18611.1%7.75%#417
New Hampshire1590.0%7.38%#220
New Mexico1596.7%7.00%#226
Vermont870.0%7.49%#117
Rhode Island740.0%7.06%#210
Nebraska650.0%6.13%#294
Alaska520.0%6.87%#137

Frequently asked questions

Cornerstone First Mortgage denied 4.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 78th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Cornerstone First Mortgage gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 29.5% 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 Cornerstone First Mortgage originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.49 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: 69% conventional, 23% FHA, 7% 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 Cornerstone First Mortgage. Data sources · Methodology