Mortgage lender · Billings, MT · LEI 549300RFSMIRUODUVW59

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

First Interstate Bank earns a D, weaker than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 29.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 36th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 1.04 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 7th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

4.1kApplications2025
59.9%Originatedof applications
29.4%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
8.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$481MLoan volume20 states

First Interstate Bank at a glance, 2025

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

25.4%Denial rate (all applications)+7.40 pts vs national
29.4%Denial rate (decided applications)+6.83 pts vs national
59.9%Origination rate+1.82 pts vs national
11.1%Withdrawn by applicant
2.7%Closed for incompleteness
8.25%Median interest rate+1.63 pts vs national
1.04Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.79 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$4,265Median total loan costs
$114kMedian applicant income
55%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

36th29.4% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

7th1.04 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

45th13.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

27th4.06% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20234,9272,94323.8%27.9%9.00%$657M
20244,2662,41427.5%32.2%9.25%$439M
20254,0822,44325.4%29.4%8.25%$481M

What First Interstate 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 982 24% · 18.6% denied
Refinance 839 21% · 24.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 113 3% · 35.4% denied
Home improvement 1,543 38% · 25.3% denied
Other / HELOC 605 15% · 36.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 3,961 97% · 25.3% denied
FHA 91 2% · 34.1% denied
VA 20 0% · 10.0% denied
USDA / RHS 10 0% · 10.0% denied

Also: 2,787 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 184 manufactured homes, 299 investment properties.

Why First Interstate Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 1,036 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 574 55%
Credit history 223 22%
Collateral 202 19%
Other 16 2%
Insufficient cash 11 1%
Unverifiable information 7 1%
Employment history 2 0%
Incomplete application 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Interstate Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k43817553.8%
$50k – $100k1,13761237.9%
$100k – $150k87755125.8%
$150k – $250k77553518.5%
Over $250k52734317.7%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25804332.8%
25–3435717937.9%
35–4474341833.1%
45–5487453929.6%
55–6486251230.7%
65–7466642124.4%
Over 7433520526.9%

Where First Interstate Bank lends

20 states and 313 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Montana98761022.9%8.25%#8
South Dakota61536426.2%8.25%#11
Oregon52131725.0%8.25%#62
Wyoming51030623.5%8.13%#10
Iowa42624426.1%8.13%#56
Idaho35123621.7%8.25%#62
Nebraska34218334.5%8.25%#50
Washington1367927.2%8.25%#219
Arizona643137.5%8.25%#285
Colorado562928.6%8.25%#288
Missouri332030.3%8.44%#394
Minnesota14921.4%7.08%#425
Kansas13915.4%8.25%#335
North Dakota750.0%7.00%#151

Frequently asked questions

First Interstate Bank denied 29.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 36th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason First Interstate Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 55.4% 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 Interstate Bank originated in 2025 was 8.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 1.04 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 24% of its applications were for home purchases, 23% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 53% 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 Interstate Bank. Data sources · Methodology