Mortgage lender · Chesterfield, MO · LEI 549300T67186NPGCHI50

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

First Community earns an F, in the bottom tier of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 45.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 3rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.97 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 5th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

6.6kApplications2025
39.2%Originatedof applications
45.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
5.95%Median ratenational 6.63%
$394MLoan volume11 states

First Community at a glance, 2025

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

33.1%Denial rate (all applications)+15.09 pts vs national
45.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+23.10 pts vs national
39.2%Origination rate-18.80 pts vs national
2.4%Withdrawn by applicant
25.3%Closed for incompleteness
5.95%Median interest rate-0.67 pts vs national
0.97Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.72 pts vs national
$135,000Median loan amount
$1,587Median total loan costs
$107kMedian applicant income
70%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the F 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%

3rd45.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

5th0.97 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

14th27.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

88th1.18% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20236,4832,56337.0%37.5%6.50%$353M
20246,0352,50131.8%40.8%7.00%$359M
20256,5592,57333.1%45.7%5.95%$394M

What First Community 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 2,956 45% · 39.6% denied
Refinance 136 2% · 22.1% denied
Cash-out refinance 311 5% · 27.3% denied
Home improvement 2,024 31% · 27.0% denied
Other / HELOC 1,132 17% · 29.8% denied

By loan type

Conventional 6,559 100% · 33.1% denied

Also: 2,636 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 37 manufactured homes, 27 investment properties.

Why First Community denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 2,169 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 1,197 55%
Credit history 729 34%
Incomplete application 124 6%
Collateral 62 3%
Unverifiable information 32 1%
Other 22 1%
Insufficient cash 2 0%
Employment history 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Community

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k7496689.1%
$50k – $100k2,17063858.4%
$100k – $150k1,59273035.4%
$150k – $250k1,34176121.9%
Over $250k60434719.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 253283982.6%
25–341,29936256.8%
35–441,47958245.1%
45–541,37066037.8%
55–641,12350440.5%
65–7466331037.6%
Over 7425911244.0%

Where First Community lends

11 states and 82 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Missouri4,3772,43625.6%5.95%#12
Illinois29412537.8%6.63%#192
Florida9711.1%6.75%#956
Arkansas5320.0%5.95%#400

Frequently asked questions

First Community denied 45.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 3rd percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Community gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 55.2% 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 Community originated in 2025 was 5.95%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.97 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 45% of its applications were for home purchases, 7% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 48% 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 First Community. Data sources · Methodology