Mortgage lender · Nashville, TN · LEI 549300OBO7DOF2KOP535

FirstBank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

FirstBank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of large mortgage lenders. It turned down 42.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 16th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.29 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 56th percentile on pricing. Compared against 101 large mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

18kApplications2025
40.8%Originatedof applications
42.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.88%Median ratenational 6.63%
$2.2BLoan volume34 states

FirstBank at a glance, 2025

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

40.8%Denial rate (all applications)+22.82 pts vs national
42.8%Denial rate (decided applications)+20.17 pts vs national
40.8%Origination rate-17.28 pts vs national
4.2%Withdrawn by applicant
0.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.88%Median interest rate+0.25 pts vs national
0.29Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.04 pts vs national
$135,000Median loan amount
$5,157Median total loan costs
$75kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 101 large mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

16th42.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

56th0.29 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

96th4.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

14th3.82% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202319,5236,39645.1%48.7%7.13%$1.7B
202420,0896,42045.4%48.7%6.99%$1.8B
202517,6317,18540.8%42.8%6.88%$2.2B

What FirstBank 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 14,844 84% · 46.3% denied
Refinance 749 4% · 6.1% denied
Cash-out refinance 482 3% · 15.8% denied
Home improvement 108 1% · 7.4% denied
Other / HELOC 1,448 8% · 13.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 16,336 93% · 43.4% denied
FHA 913 5% · 9.2% denied
VA 304 2% · 3.6% denied
USDA / RHS 78 0% · 9.0% denied

Also: 1,578 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 10,287 manufactured homes, 1,196 investment properties.

Why FirstBank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 7,193 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 4,646 65%
Debt-to-income ratio 1,603 22%
Other 499 7%
Unverifiable information 247 3%
Collateral 74 1%
Employment history 73 1%
Incomplete application 30 0%
Insufficient cash 21 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at FirstBank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k4,27781064.8%
$50k – $100k7,1682,47146.8%
$100k – $150k2,8781,47131.3%
$150k – $250k1,7241,14918.3%
Over $250k1,0708349.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 251,74751651.3%
25–344,8521,78148.1%
35–443,8511,52845.6%
45–542,8581,21941.1%
55–642,24598436.7%
65–741,25659431.9%
Over 7444421333.0%

Where FirstBank lends

34 states and 784 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Tennessee5,6774,08914.5%6.88%#6
Alabama3,1901,71227.0%6.63%#13
Texas1,94215971.2%9.14%#104
Mississippi1,21724853.2%9.49%#20
Georgia1,13759831.4%6.99%#81
Kentucky85018951.3%7.59%#51
Florida2437542.8%7.00%#345
North Carolina19155.3%6.89%#537
South Carolina17145.9%6.69%#473
Louisiana15110.0%6.63%#341
Oklahoma1367.7%5.25%#378
Virginia10720.0%6.38%#562
California640.0%6.31%#785
Ohio660.0%6.81%#684
Pennsylvania660.0%6.88%#755
Illinois550.0%6.63%#766
Kansas540.0%6.75%#421
Michigan530.0%6.88%#600
Missouri550.0%6.88%#587

Frequently asked questions

FirstBank denied 42.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 16th percentile of large mortgage lenders.

The most common reason FirstBank gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 64.6% 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 FirstBank originated in 2025 was 6.88%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.29 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 84% of its applications were for home purchases, 7% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 9% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 93% conventional, 5% FHA, 2% 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 FirstBank. Data sources · Methodology