Mortgage lender · Lodi, CA · LEI OZ7MS5KHJY6WIPGXQW23

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California earns a D, weaker than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 34.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 5th percentile for approval odds. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

216Applications2025
61.1%Originatedof applications
34.6%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
Median ratenational 6.63%
$45MLoan volume1 states

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California at a glance, 2025

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

33.8%Denial rate (all applications)+15.82 pts vs national
34.6%Denial rate (decided applications)+12.01 pts vs national
61.1%Origination rate+3.08 pts vs national
2.3%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
Median interest rate
Median rate spread (pts over APOR)
$190,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$130kMedian applicant income
Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D 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%

5th34.6% denied

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

88th2.3%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202330618435.0%36.0%$62M
202423413337.2%38.7%$38M
202521613233.8%34.6%$45M

What Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California 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 53 25% · 20.8% denied
Refinance 57 26% · 35.1% denied
Home improvement 62 29% · 43.6% denied
Other / HELOC 44 20% · 34.1% denied

By loan type

Conventional 216 100% · 33.8% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 28 investment properties.

Why Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 73 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 31 42%
Incomplete application 16 22%
Credit history 12 16%
Other 7 10%
Collateral 7 10%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k23856.5%
$50k – $100k462839.1%
$100k – $150k523235.3%
$150k – $250k523528.9%
Over $250k392625.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
35–44362235.3%
45–54583538.6%
55–64513135.3%
65–74251632.0%
Over 74261534.6%

Where Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California lends

1 states and 17 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
California21613233.8%#354

Frequently asked questions

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California denied 34.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 5th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 42.5% of its denials. Lenders report up to four reasons per denial to the CFPB; the full breakdown is on this page.

In 2025, 25% of its applications were for home purchases, 26% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 49% 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 Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California. Data sources · Methodology