Mortgage lender · Mountain Brook, AL · LEI 5493000V86JDJLM0OV13

CSL Financial review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

CSL Financial earns an F, in the bottom tier of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 81.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 0th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 2.25 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 1st percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

5.3kApplications2025
12.9%Originatedof applications
81.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
8.24%Median ratenational 6.63%
$78MLoan volume13 states

CSL Financial at a glance, 2025

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

56.4%Denial rate (all applications)+38.39 pts vs national
81.3%Denial rate (decided applications)+58.74 pts vs national
12.9%Origination rate-45.09 pts vs national
30.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
8.24%Median interest rate+1.62 pts vs national
2.25Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+2.00 pts vs national
$115,000Median loan amount
$3,063Median total loan costs
$66kMedian applicant income
90%Median loan-to-value
129High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the F 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%

0th81.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

1st2.25 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

8th30.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

34th2.66% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20239,02977458.4%87.2%9.24%$78M
202410,1091,01160.3%85.8%9.09%$108M
20255,33369056.4%81.3%8.24%$78M

What CSL Financial 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 5,333 100% · 56.4% denied

By loan type

Conventional 5,333 100% · 56.4% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 5,333 manufactured homes, 171 investment properties.

Why CSL Financial denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 3,006 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 1,867 62%
Debt-to-income ratio 1,021 34%
Employment history 35 1%
Unverifiable information 35 1%
Collateral 18 1%
Other 17 1%
Incomplete application 10 0%
Insufficient cash 3 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at CSL Financial

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1,57516387.7%
$50k – $100k2,40632180.4%
$100k – $150k81012772.3%
$150k – $250k3406661.0%
Over $250k88781.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 256588281.1%
25–341,37715683.5%
35–441,01611185.3%
45–547798584.5%
55–6470910777.3%
65–745339673.9%
Over 742615369.2%

Where CSL Financial lends

13 states and 346 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas1,20711660.0%8.39%#155
Alabama80913752.7%8.09%#56
Mississippi6168559.4%8.14%#33
Louisiana5545259.8%7.99%#51
Georgia3885557.7%7.99%#173
Oklahoma3793655.2%8.12%#75
Kentucky3032851.5%8.84%#109
Florida2777645.1%8.14%#319
Tennessee2692953.2%8.24%#177
South Carolina2273058.2%8.74%#173
Arkansas1882752.1%8.69%#115
North Carolina1151961.7%8.34%#296

Frequently asked questions

CSL Financial denied 81.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 0th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason CSL Financial gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 62.1% 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 CSL Financial originated in 2025 was 8.24%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 2.25 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 100% of its applications were for home purchases, 0% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% 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 CSL Financial. Data sources · Methodology