First Bank · California · 2025

First Bank in California: approval rate, denial rate and rates (2025)

First Bank took 693 mortgage applications in California in 2025, ranking #210 of 1,147 lenders active in the state. It originated 54.7% of them and denied 34.2% (37.7% of the applications it decided), against a statewide denial rate of 17.4%.

693Applicationsin CA
37.7%Decision denial ratestate 22.4%
8.25%Median ratestate 6.63%
$275,000Median loanstate $385,000
$154MVolume30 counties

First Bank in California vs the state

34.2%Denial rate+16.78 pts vs state
37.7%Decision denial rate+15.28 pts vs state
54.7%Origination rate-1.51 pts vs state
8.25%Median rate+1.63 pts vs state
1.01Rate spread (pts)+0.74 pts vs state
$183kMedian applicant income
379Loans originated
237Denied

Trend in California

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
20231,61492435.4%6.19%#97
20241,02858936.0%9.00%#153
202569337934.2%8.25%#210

What First Bank lends in California

By loan purpose

Home purchase 90 13% · 6.7% denied
Refinance 165 24% · 27.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 33 5% · 18.2% denied
Home improvement 90 13% · 37.8% denied
Other / HELOC 315 45% · 46.4% denied

By loan type

Conventional 676 98% · 34.6% denied
FHA 14 2% · 14.3% denied
VA 3 0% · 33.3% denied

Why it denied California applicants

Debt-to-income ratio 132 56%
Credit history 32 14%
Collateral 24 10%
Unverifiable information 23 10%
Incomplete application 17 7%
Other 8 3%
Employment history 1 0%

Where in California

Counties with the most First Bank applications in 2025.

CountyApplicationsOriginatedDeniedDenial rate
Los Angeles County 22510098 43.6%
Orange County 1348436 26.9%
San Diego County 492423 46.9%
Riverside County 352211 31.4%
Contra Costa County 261510 38.5%
Santa Barbara County 251210 40.0%
San Mateo County 24128 33.3%
Santa Clara County 23182 8.7%
Ventura County 23109 39.1%
Sacramento County 21143 14.3%

Other large lenders in California

LenderGradeApplicationsDenial rateMedian rate
United Shore Financial ServicesB 79,26112.6%6.49%
Rocket MortgageC 58,92517.6%6.75%
Bank of AmericaF 40,19030.8%5.99%
U.S. BankD 32,49331.6%6.50%
JPMorgan Chase BankB 22,0489.7%6.13%
Spring EqD 21,60150.8%8.88%
SchoolsfirstA 19,08610.0%6.25%
Pennymac Loan ServicesC 18,75413.5%6.50%
NewrezD 17,00019.3%6.63%
Loandepot.ComD 16,64518.7%6.63%

Frequently asked questions

California: 693 applications in 2025, of which 379 were originated and 237 denied.

34.2% of all applications, or 37.7% of the applications it actually decided on. The California statewide average across all lenders was 17.4%.

The median rate on loans First Bank originated in California in 2025 was 8.25%, against a statewide median of 6.63%.

About this data. Figures are First Bank's own HMDA filing for properties located in California, 2025. The grade is national; state-level figures are shown for context and are not separately graded. Methodology