Mortgage lender · St. Louis, MO · LEI 549300DT7WZ1SOTNFJ62

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

First Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 18.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 27th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.34 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 35th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

2.5kApplications2025
68.7%Originatedof applications
18.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$560MLoan volume36 states

First Bank at a glance, 2025

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

15.5%Denial rate (all applications)-2.51 pts vs national
18.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-4.48 pts vs national
68.7%Origination rate+10.67 pts vs national
14.3%Withdrawn by applicant
0.3%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.34Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.09 pts vs national
$265,000Median loan amount
$3,787Median total loan costs
$135kMedian applicant income
79%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%

27th18.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

35th0.34 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

61st14.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

82nd1.43% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233,6822,39623.4%25.8%6.38%$715M
20242,9151,99319.1%21.5%6.88%$660M
20252,4571,68815.5%18.1%6.75%$560M

What First Bank 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 1,298 53% · 3.4% denied
Refinance 411 17% · 14.1% denied
Cash-out refinance 135 5% · 14.8% denied
Home improvement 143 6% · 38.5% denied
Other / HELOC 470 19% · 43.2% denied

By loan type

Conventional 2,191 89% · 16.5% denied
FHA 188 8% · 8.5% denied
VA 74 3% · 2.7% denied
USDA / RHS 4 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 743 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 15 manufactured homes, 131 investment properties.

Why First Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 380 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 171 45%
Credit history 85 22%
Collateral 48 13%
Unverifiable information 31 8%
Incomplete application 26 7%
Other 12 3%
Employment history 5 1%
Insufficient cash 2 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1859140.7%
$50k – $100k62643118.7%
$100k – $150k55640115.3%
$150k – $250k59742313.7%
Over $250k46032316.2%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25103923.1%
25–344833595.7%
35–4452837714.9%
45–5448032321.2%
55–6443027125.7%
65–7429518424.8%
Over 741317535.0%

Where First Bank lends

36 states and 226 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Missouri91464810.9%6.75%#55
California69337934.2%8.25%#210
Nebraska4093402.4%6.38%#40
Kansas2161712.3%6.63%#98
Illinois614121.3%7.25%#429
Texas211414.3%6.79%#860
Iowa16126.3%6.56%#313
Oklahoma16106.3%6.88%#349
Nevada141014.3%6.69%#296
Florida1380.0%6.81%#861
Colorado10810.0%6.31%#504
Arizona9311.1%6.25%#529
Georgia930.0%6.38%#683
Washington5320.0%5.63%#529

Frequently asked questions

First Bank denied 18.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 27th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 45.0% 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 First Bank originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.34 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 53% of its applications were for home purchases, 22% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 25% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 89% conventional, 8% FHA, 3% 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 First Bank. Data sources · Methodology