Mortgage lender · Miami, FL · LEI 5493004LAP3ULXM1YB66

First Equity Mortgage Bankers review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

First Equity Mortgage Bankers earns a D, weaker than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 19.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 24th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.41 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 27th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.9kApplications2025
62.6%Originatedof applications
19.6%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$326MLoan volume2 states

First Equity Mortgage Bankers at a glance, 2025

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

15.3%Denial rate (all applications)-2.70 pts vs national
19.6%Denial rate (decided applications)-2.98 pts vs national
62.6%Origination rate+4.60 pts vs national
21.5%Withdrawn by applicant
0.6%Closed for incompleteness
6.25%Median interest rate-0.38 pts vs national
0.41Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.15 pts vs national
$165,000Median loan amount
$9,214Median total loan costs
$65kMedian applicant income
94%Median loan-to-value
5High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D 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%

24th19.6% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

27th0.41 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

27th22.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

3rd5.58% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,7691,03516.7%22.1%6.50%$257M
20241,7061,01015.7%20.9%6.75%$288M
20251,8521,16015.3%19.6%6.25%$326M

What First Equity Mortgage Bankers 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 1,629 88% · 15.9% denied
Refinance 22 1% · 13.6% denied
Cash-out refinance 201 11% · 10.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 779 42% · 12.8% denied
FHA 847 46% · 18.8% denied
VA 113 6% · 6.2% denied
USDA / RHS 113 6% · 15.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 2 reverse mortgages, 1 manufactured homes, 147 investment properties.

Why First Equity Mortgage Bankers denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 283 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Collateral 110 39%
Debt-to-income ratio 85 30%
Other 27 10%
Insufficient cash 22 8%
Unverifiable information 14 5%
Credit history 12 4%
Incomplete application 7 2%
Employment history 5 2%
Mortgage insurance denied 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Equity Mortgage Bankers

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k69641526.7%
$50k – $100k49730819.4%
$100k – $150k25317312.6%
$150k – $250k17911712.7%
Over $250k2081356.9%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25674321.8%
25–3459639419.4%
35–4450631819.7%
45–5435320421.2%
55–6422013318.9%
65–74815116.4%
Over 74261511.8%

Where First Equity Mortgage Bankers lends

2 states and 105 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Puerto Rico1,51792217.7%6.00%#5
Florida3352384.5%6.75%#290

Frequently asked questions

First Equity Mortgage Bankers denied 19.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 24th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Equity Mortgage Bankers gave in 2025 was "collateral", cited on 38.9% 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 Equity Mortgage Bankers originated in 2025 was 6.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.41 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 88% of its applications were for home purchases, 12% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 42% conventional, 46% FHA, 6% 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 Equity Mortgage Bankers. Data sources · Methodology