Mortgage lender · Jasper, IN · LEI 5493002JDOI3GTNVUD76

German American Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

German American Bank earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 17.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 75th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 7.09 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 100th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

5.0kApplications2025
73.9%Originatedof applications
17.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.88%Median ratenational 6.63%
$823MLoan volume16 states

German American 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)-2.44 pts vs national
17.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-5.43 pts vs national
73.9%Origination rate+15.83 pts vs national
8.9%Withdrawn by applicant
0.6%Closed for incompleteness
6.88%Median interest rate+0.25 pts vs national
-7.09Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-7.34 pts vs national
$125,000Median loan amount
$3,290Median total loan costs
$97kMedian applicant income
71%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

75th17.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

100th-7.09 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

69th9.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

64th2.63% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233,7422,65916.6%18.5%7.13%$422M
20243,9792,94815.7%17.2%7.13%$473M
20255,0073,69815.5%17.2%6.88%$823M

What German American 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 1,641 33% · 8.4% denied
Refinance 1,384 28% · 12.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 155 3% · 32.3% denied
Home improvement 999 20% · 20.3% denied
Other / HELOC 828 17% · 25.4% denied

By loan type

Conventional 4,731 94% · 15.2% denied
FHA 216 4% · 21.8% denied
VA 29 1% · 17.2% denied
USDA / RHS 31 1% · 22.6% denied

Also: 3,104 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 173 manufactured homes, 369 investment properties.

Why German American Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 778 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 341 44%
Credit history 270 35%
Collateral 78 10%
Employment history 38 5%
Other 22 3%
Incomplete application 13 2%
Unverifiable information 12 2%
Insufficient cash 4 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at German American Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k71141933.4%
$50k – $100k1,6981,21720.4%
$100k – $150k98977113.5%
$150k – $250k7696219.7%
Over $250k5224107.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2520914913.2%
25–3480457717.1%
35–4497469718.9%
45–5495270019.2%
55–6488164320.1%
65–7466053112.2%
Over 7432622919.2%

Where German American Bank lends

16 states and 178 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Indiana2,7362,05316.4%6.88%#28
Kentucky1,4841,09715.3%6.99%#29
Ohio72851512.8%6.88%#109
Illinois211319.1%6.69%#588
Tennessee13915.4%7.19%#603
Florida10330.0%6.62%#922

Frequently asked questions

German American Bank denied 17.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 75th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason German American Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 43.8% 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 German American Bank originated in 2025 was 6.88%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -7.09 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 33% of its applications were for home purchases, 31% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 36% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 94% conventional, 4% FHA, 1% 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 German American Bank. Data sources · Methodology