Mortgage lender · Dickson, TN · LEI 549300CNRVR02KBUDD48

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

First Federal Bank earns a B, better than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 10.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 49th percentile for approval odds. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

382Applications2025
82.5%Originatedof applications
10.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
Median ratenational 6.63%
$70MLoan volume7 states

First Federal Bank at a glance, 2025

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

9.4%Denial rate (all applications)-8.56 pts vs national
10.0%Denial rate (decided applications)-12.62 pts vs national
82.5%Origination rate+24.43 pts vs national
5.0%Withdrawn by applicant
0.5%Closed for incompleteness
Median interest rate
Median rate spread (pts over APOR)
$195,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$106kMedian applicant income
Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 1,883 small mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

49th10.0% denied

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

77th5.5%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233712968.1%8.5%6.62%$72M
202429721913.1%14.0%7.60%$44M
20253823159.4%10.0%$70M

What First Federal 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 171 45% · 8.2% denied
Refinance 146 38% · 7.5% denied
Cash-out refinance 17 4% · 35.3% denied
Home improvement 24 6% · 12.5% denied
Other / HELOC 24 6% · 8.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 341 89% · 8.2% denied
FHA 11 3% · 9.1% denied
VA 16 4% · 6.3% denied
USDA / RHS 14 4% · 42.9% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 31 manufactured homes, 83 investment properties.

Who gets approved at First Federal Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k382237.1%
$50k – $100k1149311.8%
$100k – $150k90737.4%
$150k – $250k64554.8%
Over $250k29253.9%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3478658.1%
35–44675014.8%
45–5455497.6%
55–64695712.1%
65–74393011.1%

Where First Federal Bank lends

7 states and 24 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Tennessee3733089.4%#137

Frequently asked questions

First Federal Bank denied 10.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 49th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

In 2025, 45% of its applications were for home purchases, 43% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 13% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 89% conventional, 3% FHA, 4% 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 Federal Bank. Data sources · Methodology