Mortgage lender · Portsmouth, OH · LEI 5493002G1DPDOKT55X37

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

Desco earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 17.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 25th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.25 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 52nd percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

409Applications2025
58.9%Originatedof applications
17.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$38MLoan volume5 states

Desco at a glance, 2025

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

12.7%Denial rate (all applications)-5.27 pts vs national
17.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-5.48 pts vs national
58.9%Origination rate+0.89 pts vs national
13.5%Withdrawn by applicant
12.2%Closed for incompleteness
6.50%Median interest rate-0.13 pts vs national
0.25Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.01 pts vs national
$115,000Median loan amount
$2,988Median total loan costs
$86kMedian applicant income
75%Median loan-to-value
13High-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%

25th17.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

52nd0.25 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

10th25.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

27th2.60% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202340123317.5%22.4%6.88%$28M
202439624319.4%23.1%6.99%$36M
202540924112.7%17.1%6.50%$38M

What Desco 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 200 49% · 8.0% denied
Refinance 47 11% · 12.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 139 34% · 17.3% denied
Home improvement 15 4% · 26.7% denied
Other / HELOC 8 2% · 25.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 388 95% · 11.9% denied
FHA 14 3% · 35.7% denied
VA 3 1% · 33.3% denied
USDA / RHS 4 1% · 0.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 19 manufactured homes, 83 investment properties.

Why Desco denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 52 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 33 63%
Debt-to-income ratio 14 27%
Mortgage insurance denied 1 2%
Incomplete application 1 2%
Collateral 1 2%
Insufficient cash 1 2%
Employment history 1 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Desco

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k653926.8%
$50k – $100k1036614.1%
$100k – $150k54434.4%
$150k – $250k45372.6%
Over $250k21165.9%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3468438.2%
35–44824813.8%
45–54743333.3%
55–64583025.6%
65–74493120.0%

Where Desco lends

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

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Ohio24913914.9%6.63%#208
Kentucky134886.7%6.44%#178
West Virginia21149.5%6.81%#193

Frequently asked questions

Desco denied 17.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 25th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Desco gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 63.5% 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 Desco originated in 2025 was 6.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.25 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 49% of its applications were for home purchases, 45% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 6% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 95% conventional, 3% FHA, 1% 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 Desco. Data sources · Methodology