Mortgage lender · Raleigh, NC · LEI L9VVX1KT5TFTKS0MLF66

First-Citizens Bank & Trust review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

First-Citizens Bank & Trust earns a B, better than most large mortgage lenders. It turned down 22.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 36th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.08 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 87th percentile on pricing. Compared against 101 large mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

22kApplications2025
65.9%Originatedof applications
22.5%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.35%Median ratenational 6.63%
$5.0BLoan volume45 states

First-Citizens Bank & Trust at a glance, 2025

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

19.9%Denial rate (all applications)+1.96 pts vs national
22.5%Denial rate (decided applications)-0.12 pts vs national
65.9%Origination rate+7.84 pts vs national
6.9%Withdrawn by applicant
4.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.35%Median interest rate-0.28 pts vs national
-0.08Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.34 pts vs national
$195,000Median loan amount
$4,816Median total loan costs
$144kMedian applicant income
73%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 101 large mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

36th22.5% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

87th-0.08 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

83rd11.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

54th2.47% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202323,12315,30420.8%22.9%6.38%$5.9B
202422,97215,16221.2%23.5%5.99%$6.0B
202521,83114,38119.9%22.5%6.35%$5.0B

What First-Citizens Bank & Trust 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 7,429 34% · 10.5% denied
Refinance 4,733 22% · 22.6% denied
Cash-out refinance 684 3% · 26.0% denied
Home improvement 5,039 23% · 26.1% denied
Other / HELOC 3,946 18% · 25.7% denied

By loan type

Conventional 21,187 97% · 20.0% denied
FHA 527 2% · 19.5% denied
VA 95 0% · 7.4% denied
USDA / RHS 22 0% · 18.2% denied

Also: 10,670 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 167 manufactured homes, 838 investment properties.

Why First-Citizens Bank & Trust denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 4,354 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 2,303 53%
Credit history 927 21%
Collateral 470 11%
Other 420 10%
Unverifiable information 142 3%
Insufficient cash 85 2%
Employment history 6 0%
Incomplete application 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First-Citizens Bank & Trust

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1,59569649.2%
$50k – $100k5,1073,04330.0%
$100k – $150k4,0102,68521.9%
$150k – $250k4,4733,17516.8%
Over $250k5,5304,13011.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2540228516.0%
25–343,2342,20817.9%
35–444,6983,17420.9%
45–544,5903,03323.3%
55–644,2512,72724.7%
65–742,7781,81223.5%
Over 741,44089527.1%

Where First-Citizens Bank & Trust lends

45 states and 686 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
North Carolina10,3196,98419.6%6.38%#8
South Carolina5,3993,57720.9%6.38%#7
California2,1791,38320.2%6.01%#97
Virginia1,03266421.7%6.39%#72
Georgia70244221.7%6.35%#121
Florida45426623.8%6.00%#252
Massachusetts2821979.6%5.75%#122
Texas1779224.9%6.18%#435
Tennessee16010616.9%6.35%#247
Arizona1599518.9%6.35%#196
Washington1207615.8%6.38%#226
Wisconsin1015428.7%6.43%#257
Colorado996414.1%6.19%#230
New York854710.6%5.75%#287
West Virginia705017.1%6.00%#110
Maryland542922.2%6.50%#313
Nevada523017.3%6.25%#206
New Mexico493414.3%6.25%#154
Oklahoma472325.5%6.10%#265
Oregon402115.0%5.99%#248
Nebraska261523.1%6.63%#187
Illinois24168.3%6.00%#571
Utah24124.2%5.69%#227
New Jersey22170.0%5.75%#437
Missouri191021.1%6.05%#441
Kansas181127.8%6.49%#307
Pennsylvania17817.7%6.50%#621
Ohio1660.0%6.50%#562
District of Columbia14814.3%6.29%#155
Connecticut1387.7%5.94%#348
Alabama9522.2%6.63%#498
Michigan950.0%7.50%#523
Rhode Island750.0%5.75%#211
Hawaii610.0%6.25%#187
New Hampshire550.0%5.75%#331

Frequently asked questions

First-Citizens Bank & Trust denied 22.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 36th percentile of large mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First-Citizens Bank & Trust gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 52.9% 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-Citizens Bank & Trust originated in 2025 was 6.35%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.08 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 34% of its applications were for home purchases, 25% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 41% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 97% conventional, 2% 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 First-Citizens Bank & Trust. Data sources · Methodology