Mortgage lender · Lake City, FL · LEI Q708HHR4LD2B7XIZNO92

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

First Federal Bank earns a B, better than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 13.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 39th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.13 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 89th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

8.0kApplications2025
58.7%Originatedof applications
13.5%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$1.8BLoan volume52 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.

9.2%Denial rate (all applications)-8.78 pts vs national
13.5%Denial rate (decided applications)-9.10 pts vs national
58.7%Origination rate+0.69 pts vs national
31.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.25%Median interest rate-0.38 pts vs national
-0.13Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.38 pts vs national
$345,000Median loan amount
$5,224Median total loan costs
$135kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

39th13.5% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

89th-0.13 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

7th31.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

79th1.51% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20234,8853,1899.8%12.9%6.50%$1.1B
20247,9214,8509.3%13.1%6.38%$1.8B
20257,9894,6919.2%13.5%6.25%$1.8B

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 6,209 78% · 7.6% denied
Refinance 1,053 13% · 9.5% denied
Cash-out refinance 610 8% · 23.8% denied
Home improvement 41 1% · 19.5% denied
Other / HELOC 76 1% · 10.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 5,258 66% · 8.0% denied
FHA 1,034 13% · 16.6% denied
VA 1,669 21% · 8.2% denied
USDA / RHS 28 0% · 14.3% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 292 manufactured homes, 527 investment properties.

Why First Federal Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 735 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Incomplete application 226 31%
Debt-to-income ratio 190 26%
Credit history 133 18%
Collateral 88 12%
Other 42 6%
Unverifiable information 29 4%
Insufficient cash 15 2%
Employment history 12 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

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 $50k37220829.6%
$50k – $100k2,0841,28617.3%
$100k – $150k1,8471,12510.5%
$150k – $250k2,0941,20310.5%
Over $250k1,23664611.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2529519614.0%
25–342,2421,34410.7%
35–442,4171,38213.2%
45–541,41283215.3%
55–6491754814.8%
65–7447326617.1%
Over 7421211019.7%

Where First Federal Bank lends

52 states and 1,235 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Florida1,42189911.3%6.38%#118
Georgia6254105.4%6.50%#134
South Carolina5043368.7%6.25%#97
North Carolina4252518.7%6.25%#153
Texas3771779.3%6.13%#309
Illinois28016313.2%6.50%#200
Virginia2661477.5%5.99%#177
Missouri2561547.8%6.13%#153
New Jersey2441177.0%6.25%#178
Wisconsin24317611.9%6.50%#135
California24011510.4%6.13%#341
Minnesota1791315.6%6.38%#142
Kansas16911411.8%6.25%#115
Maryland1661005.4%5.88%#179
Pennsylvania1661005.4%6.25%#307
Ohio161776.8%6.25%#265
Tennessee1527910.5%6.00%#256
Washington152818.6%5.99%#213
Indiana1499010.1%6.13%#233
Alabama1489112.8%6.13%#184
Massachusetts142699.2%5.99%#208
Colorado137707.3%6.06%#205
Michigan1064918.9%6.25%#266
Arizona95546.3%6.31%#251
Kentucky93569.7%6.00%#215
New Mexico81459.9%6.13%#115
Arkansas773911.7%6.13%#175
Nevada76402.6%6.13%#167
Oklahoma70434.3%6.13%#231
Connecticut65339.2%6.63%#203
Utah653410.8%6.06%#152
Oregon64354.7%6.25%#202
Iowa59446.8%6.63%#204
Idaho56373.6%6.25%#158
New York532518.9%6.13%#328
Louisiana47278.5%6.00%#254
New Hampshire47258.5%5.99%#137
North Dakota38227.9%6.31%#83
West Virginia31133.2%6.00%#174
Delaware281117.9%5.63%#163
Mississippi281710.7%6.13%#212
Montana27193.7%5.75%#128
District of Columbia25114.0%5.99%#110
Maine25144.0%6.13%#160
Nebraska24124.2%5.99%#192
Rhode Island1670.0%5.99%#162
Hawaii1477.1%5.63%#153
Vermont10520.0%6.25%#106
Wyoming9711.1%5.50%#148
South Dakota840.0%5.81%#143
Alaska550.0%5.99%#133

Frequently asked questions

First Federal Bank denied 13.5% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 39th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Federal Bank gave in 2025 was "incomplete application", cited on 30.7% 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 Federal Bank originated in 2025 was 6.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.13 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 78% of its applications were for home purchases, 21% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 1% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 66% conventional, 13% FHA, 21% 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