Mortgage lender · Lakewood, CO · LEI 5493009V3WNJX9V2GZ85

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

FirstBank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 20.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 23rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.16 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 68th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

5.4kApplications2025
61.6%Originatedof applications
20.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$1.5BLoan volume19 states

FirstBank at a glance, 2025

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

16.0%Denial rate (all applications)-2.01 pts vs national
20.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-2.43 pts vs national
61.6%Origination rate+3.60 pts vs national
16.5%Withdrawn by applicant
4.3%Closed for incompleteness
7.00%Median interest rate+0.38 pts vs national
0.16Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.09 pts vs national
$235,000Median loan amount
$3,490Median total loan costs
$148kMedian applicant income
62%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%

23rd20.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

68th0.16 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

31st20.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

81st1.49% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20235,5633,43014.1%17.6%7.75%$1.2B
20245,5213,42313.9%17.8%7.63%$1.4B
20255,3793,31516.0%20.2%7.00%$1.5B

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 1,896 35% · 7.0% denied
Refinance 1,259 23% · 15.7% denied
Cash-out refinance 26 0% · 34.6% denied
Home improvement 1,373 26% · 20.6% denied
Other / HELOC 825 15% · 28.7% denied

By loan type

Conventional 5,368 100% · 15.9% denied
FHA 11 0% · 36.4% denied

Also: 2,071 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 37 manufactured homes, 1,038 investment properties.

Why FirstBank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 859 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 545 63%
Credit history 126 15%
Other 121 14%
Collateral 56 7%
Unverifiable information 7 1%
Mortgage insurance denied 3 0%
Employment history 1 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 $50k36812156.1%
$50k – $100k99951433.9%
$100k – $150k79947720.6%
$150k – $250k97463315.0%
Over $250k1,1627788.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25593619.6%
25–3440625120.6%
35–4497056824.1%
45–541,18370823.5%
55–6498756724.0%
65–7460235918.4%
Over 7425914022.6%

Where FirstBank lends

19 states and 66 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Colorado4,9293,04115.6%7.00%#8
Arizona39925216.3%7.13%#130
California302210.0%6.88%#594

Frequently asked questions

FirstBank denied 20.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 23rd percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason FirstBank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 63.4% 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 FirstBank originated in 2025 was 7.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.16 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 35% of its applications were for home purchases, 24% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 41% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 100% conventional, 0% 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 FirstBank. Data sources · Methodology