Mortgage lender · El Paso, TX · LEI 549300SGEJUQK4Q7ZY34

FirstLight Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

FirstLight Federal Credit Union earns a D, weaker than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 52.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 1st percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.44 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 32nd percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.2kApplications2025
22.3%Originatedof applications
52.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$41MLoan volume2 states

FirstLight Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

34.0%Denial rate (all applications)+16.01 pts vs national
52.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+30.06 pts vs national
22.3%Origination rate-35.74 pts vs national
32.2%Withdrawn by applicant
3.3%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.44Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.18 pts vs national
$145,000Median loan amount
$2,449Median total loan costs
$73kMedian applicant income
67%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%

1st52.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

32nd0.44 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

3rd35.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

59th1.69% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,41626133.6%50.2%7.50%$33M
20241,31626534.4%42.1%6.88%$36M
20251,17126134.0%52.7%6.63%$41M

What FirstLight Federal Credit Union 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 590 50% · 29.7% denied
Refinance 35 3% · 34.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 546 47% · 38.6% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,060 91% · 34.3% denied
FHA 65 6% · 26.2% denied
VA 46 4% · 37.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 4 manufactured homes, 78 investment properties.

Why FirstLight Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 398 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 194 49%
Credit history 157 39%
Collateral 24 6%
Other 8 2%
Employment history 7 2%
Unverifiable information 6 2%
Insufficient cash 2 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at FirstLight Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k3004671.0%
$50k – $100k47911350.8%
$100k – $150k2156236.6%
$150k – $250k862823.9%
Over $250k45747.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2530263.6%
25–342513854.4%
35–442604857.4%
45–542296546.9%
55–642116049.0%
65–741293150.6%
Over 74611760.9%

Where FirstLight Federal Credit Union lends

2 states and 30 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas83317936.0%6.63%#186
New Mexico3388229.0%6.88%#56

Frequently asked questions

FirstLight Federal Credit Union denied 52.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 1st percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason FirstLight Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 48.7% 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 FirstLight Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 6.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.44 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 50% of its applications were for home purchases, 50% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 91% conventional, 6% FHA, 4% 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 FirstLight Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology