Mortgage lender · Sioux Falls, SD · LEI 549300Z77WUYJM3QG591

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

First PREMIER Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 18.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 25th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.17 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 67th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.5kApplications2025
64.7%Originatedof applications
18.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.88%Median ratenational 6.63%
$231MLoan volume27 states

First PREMIER Bank at a glance, 2025

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

15.5%Denial rate (all applications)-2.49 pts vs national
18.8%Denial rate (decided applications)-3.75 pts vs national
64.7%Origination rate+6.63 pts vs national
17.8%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.88%Median interest rate+0.25 pts vs national
0.17Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.09 pts vs national
$205,000Median loan amount
$4,625Median total loan costs
$104kMedian applicant income
80%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%

25th18.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

67th0.17 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

46th17.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

50th2.26% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,36679818.4%23.2%7.00%$149M
20241,49590919.6%24.0%7.29%$196M
20251,51197715.5%18.8%6.88%$231M

What First PREMIER 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 782 52% · 14.6% denied
Refinance 313 21% · 12.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 116 8% · 37.9% denied
Home improvement 194 13% · 9.8% denied
Other / HELOC 106 7% · 16.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,261 83% · 14.0% denied
FHA 201 13% · 27.4% denied
VA 44 3% · 4.6% denied
USDA / RHS 5 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 351 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 17 manufactured homes, 117 investment properties.

Why First PREMIER Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 234 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 79 34%
Debt-to-income ratio 72 31%
Other 55 24%
Collateral 17 7%
Insufficient cash 4 2%
Unverifiable information 4 2%
Employment history 2 1%
Incomplete application 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First PREMIER Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1315451.3%
$50k – $100k53233920.6%
$100k – $150k36725014.7%
$150k – $250k23016310.3%
Over $250k1619911.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 251177222.6%
25–3438524120.3%
35–4438023521.0%
45–5428118421.1%
55–6418812216.9%
65–7496689.1%
Over 7424189.1%

Where First PREMIER Bank lends

27 states and 111 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
South Dakota1,38994211.7%6.88%#2
Minnesota321243.8%6.49%#342
Iowa311825.8%6.63%#268
Florida7071.4%#996
Nebraska7228.6%6.19%#276
Tennessee50100.0%#744

Frequently asked questions

First PREMIER Bank denied 18.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 25th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First PREMIER Bank gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 33.8% 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 PREMIER Bank originated in 2025 was 6.88%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.17 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 52% of its applications were for home purchases, 28% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 20% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 83% conventional, 13% FHA, 3% 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 PREMIER Bank. Data sources · Methodology