Mortgage lender · Kennesaw, GA · LEI 54930052808NIU3KIW97

Direct Lenders review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Direct Lenders earns a B, better than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 4.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 75th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.20 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 59th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

332Applications2025
69.6%Originatedof applications
4.6%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$79MLoan volume3 states

Direct Lenders at a glance, 2025

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

3.3%Denial rate (all applications)-14.67 pts vs national
4.6%Denial rate (decided applications)-18.04 pts vs national
69.6%Origination rate+11.55 pts vs national
27.1%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.50%Median interest rate-0.13 pts vs national
0.20Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.05 pts vs national
$295,000Median loan amount
$5,633Median total loan costs
$118kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

75th4.6% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

59th0.20 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

8th27.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

50th1.91% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232901825.2%7.6%6.75%$55M
20242842112.1%2.8%6.50%$72M
20253322313.3%4.6%6.50%$79M

What Direct Lenders 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 277 83% · 1.8% denied
Refinance 19 6% · 0.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 20 6% · 15.0% denied
Other / HELOC 16 5% · 18.8% denied

By loan type

Conventional 218 66% · 3.2% denied
FHA 82 25% · 4.9% denied
VA 28 8% · 0.0% denied
USDA / RHS 4 1% · 0.0% denied

Also: 11 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 6 manufactured homes, 19 investment properties.

Why Direct Lenders denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 11 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 5 45%
Credit history 3 27%
Unverifiable information 1 9%
Other 1 9%
Insufficient cash 1 9%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Direct Lenders

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k121824.7%
$100k – $150k81594.8%
$150k – $250k64462.1%
Over $250k44330.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3491644.5%
35–4477513.8%
45–5463407.0%
55–6452362.7%
65–7424195.0%

Where Direct Lenders lends

3 states and 40 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Georgia3192242.8%6.50%#195
Alabama10610.0%6.50%#473

Frequently asked questions

Direct Lenders denied 4.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 75th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Direct Lenders gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 45.5% 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 Direct Lenders originated in 2025 was 6.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.20 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 83% of its applications were for home purchases, 12% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 5% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 66% conventional, 25% FHA, 8% 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 Direct Lenders. Data sources · Methodology