Mortgage lender · Terre Haute, IN · LEI 549300E0S1LZYZ9QNX81

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

First Financial Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 28.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 9th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.23 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 54th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

2.6kApplications2025
62.2%Originatedof applications
28.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$358MLoan volume18 states

First Financial Bank at a glance, 2025

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

26.9%Denial rate (all applications)+8.91 pts vs national
28.8%Denial rate (decided applications)+6.21 pts vs national
62.2%Origination rate+4.13 pts vs national
4.6%Withdrawn by applicant
2.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.23Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.02 pts vs national
$75,000Median loan amount
$2,277Median total loan costs
$78kMedian applicant income
60%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

9th28.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

54th0.23 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

92nd6.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

23rd3.04% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232,1141,37823.0%24.5%7.75%$152M
20242,0381,32422.7%24.5%7.50%$261M
20252,6481,64626.9%28.8%6.75%$358M

What First Financial 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 686 26% · 16.5% denied
Refinance 635 24% · 19.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 113 4% · 26.6% denied
Home improvement 777 29% · 32.2% denied
Other / HELOC 437 17% · 44.2% denied

By loan type

Conventional 2,573 97% · 26.7% denied
FHA 60 2% · 35.0% denied
VA 3 0% · 0.0% denied
USDA / RHS 12 0% · 41.7% denied

Also: 1,164 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 187 manufactured homes, 172 investment properties.

Why First Financial Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 712 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 277 39%
Credit history 235 33%
Collateral 108 15%
Other 55 8%
Unverifiable information 23 3%
Employment history 8 1%
Insufficient cash 6 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Financial Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k62829445.5%
$50k – $100k92958029.2%
$100k – $150k51436020.8%
$150k – $250k26719015.8%
Over $250k14810115.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25873842.7%
25–3435520632.6%
35–4445525434.5%
45–5451031829.0%
55–6454734629.8%
65–7442729722.1%
Over 7420313323.0%

Where First Financial Bank lends

18 states and 169 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Indiana1,51198723.4%6.75%#57
Illinois46727930.8%6.75%#137
Tennessee37021828.1%6.69%#139
Kentucky24413039.3%6.50%#129
Georgia341935.3%7.00%#507
Florida530.0%6.88%#1,078

Frequently asked questions

First Financial Bank denied 28.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 9th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Financial Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", 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 Financial Bank originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.23 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 26% of its applications were for home purchases, 28% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 46% 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 Financial Bank. Data sources · Methodology