Mortgage lender · Amarillo, TX · LEI 549300FRF7HYNM1S7Y12

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

FirstBank Southwest earns a D, weaker than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 16.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 26th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.83 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 15th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

346Applications2025
71.7%Originatedof applications
16.6%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.34%Median ratenational 6.63%
$52MLoan volume2 states

FirstBank Southwest at a glance, 2025

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

14.7%Denial rate (all applications)-3.24 pts vs national
16.6%Denial rate (decided applications)-5.98 pts vs national
71.7%Origination rate+13.65 pts vs national
10.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.6%Closed for incompleteness
7.34%Median interest rate+0.72 pts vs national
0.83Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.58 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$4,242Median total loan costs
$98kMedian applicant income
78%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 1,883 small mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

26th16.6% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

15th0.83 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

51st11.3%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

9th4.04% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202345534311.9%12.0%$64M
202442833010.5%11.9%$56M
202534624814.7%16.6%7.34%$52M

What FirstBank Southwest 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 193 56% · 5.2% denied
Refinance 70 20% · 18.6% denied
Cash-out refinance 5 1% · 0.0% denied
Home improvement 48 14% · 33.3% denied
Other / HELOC 30 9% · 40.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 320 92% · 15.6% denied
FHA 20 6% · 5.0% denied
VA 6 2% · 0.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 109 investment properties.

Why FirstBank Southwest denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 51 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 22 43%
Credit history 21 41%
Collateral 5 10%
Other 2 4%
Employment history 1 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at FirstBank Southwest

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k442338.5%
$50k – $100k895825.6%
$100k – $150k564215.7%
$150k – $250k392615.6%
Over $250k30250.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34463222.0%
35–44594121.8%
45–54523520.5%
55–64452724.3%
65–74342122.2%

Where FirstBank Southwest lends

2 states and 31 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas34224414.9%7.33%#319

Frequently asked questions

FirstBank Southwest denied 16.6% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 26th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason FirstBank Southwest gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 43.1% 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 Southwest originated in 2025 was 7.34%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.83 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 56% of its applications were for home purchases, 22% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 23% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 92% conventional, 6% 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 Southwest. Data sources · Methodology