Mortgage lender · Fairfax, VA · LEI 549300EM8ID8J7F8OM55

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

First Heritage Mortgage earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 4.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 78th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.07 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 76th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

9.1kApplications2025
81.0%Originatedof applications
4.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.38%Median ratenational 6.63%
$3.0BLoan volume19 states

First Heritage Mortgage at a glance, 2025

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

3.6%Denial rate (all applications)-14.38 pts vs national
4.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-18.36 pts vs national
81.0%Origination rate+22.93 pts vs national
14.4%Withdrawn by applicant
0.6%Closed for incompleteness
6.38%Median interest rate-0.25 pts vs national
0.07Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.19 pts vs national
$365,000Median loan amount
$8,652Median total loan costs
$127kMedian applicant income
90%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A 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%

78th4.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

76th0.07 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

60th14.9%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

47th2.37% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20235,7874,4521.2%1.5%6.63%$1.8B
20247,7336,3461.6%1.9%6.50%$2.6B
20259,1197,3833.6%4.2%6.38%$3.0B

What First Heritage Mortgage 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 8,573 94% · 3.5% denied
Refinance 399 4% · 3.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 141 2% · 9.9% denied
Home improvement 6 0% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 5,585 61% · 2.5% denied
FHA 2,280 25% · 6.3% denied
VA 1,198 13% · 3.3% denied
USDA / RHS 56 1% · 7.1% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 58 manufactured homes, 565 investment properties.

Why First Heritage Mortgage denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 328 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 163 50%
Collateral 36 11%
Insufficient cash 34 10%
Credit history 34 10%
Unverifiable information 25 8%
Other 21 6%
Employment history 15 5%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Heritage Mortgage

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k23715517.0%
$50k – $100k2,6272,1496.0%
$100k – $150k2,5972,1353.6%
$150k – $250k2,2491,8402.5%
Over $250k1,2701,0181.7%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 254233682.9%
25–342,8752,3863.2%
35–442,5052,0164.7%
45–541,6131,2785.4%
55–641,0668464.7%
65–744813844.0%
Over 741561057.0%

Where First Heritage Mortgage lends

19 states and 321 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Virginia3,2322,6373.0%6.38%#24
South Carolina1,6191,3803.0%6.25%#36
Maryland1,5211,1603.4%6.38%#35
North Carolina8616912.8%6.50%#93
Florida7426036.1%4.99%#190
Georgia5554524.1%6.25%#141
West Virginia2972671.7%6.20%#44
District of Columbia117862.6%6.38%#39
Pennsylvania52463.9%6.38%#489
Massachusetts21174.8%6.00%#410
Delaware1290.0%6.00%#224
Illinois10510.0%5.88%#683
Texas1040.0%6.31%#964
Alabama980.0%6.24%#486
California8512.5%6.88%#755
Tennessee650.0%6.49%#724
Colorado550.0%5.88%#627

Frequently asked questions

First Heritage Mortgage denied 4.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 78th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Heritage Mortgage gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 49.7% 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 Heritage Mortgage originated in 2025 was 6.38%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.07 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 94% of its applications were for home purchases, 6% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 61% conventional, 25% FHA, 13% 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 Heritage Mortgage. Data sources · Methodology