Mortgage lender · Salida, CO · LEI 254900GMDWB9051H7297

High Country Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

High Country Bank earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 6.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 65th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.43 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 96th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

219Applications2025
80.4%Originatedof applications
6.4%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$72MLoan volume1 states

High Country Bank at a glance, 2025

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

5.5%Denial rate (all applications)-12.50 pts vs national
6.4%Denial rate (decided applications)-16.21 pts vs national
80.4%Origination rate+22.34 pts vs national
13.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.5%Closed for incompleteness
6.25%Median interest rate-0.38 pts vs national
-0.43Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.68 pts vs national
$365,000Median loan amount
$4,301Median total loan costs
$140kMedian applicant income
60%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A 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%

65th6.4% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

96th-0.43 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

39th14.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

79th1.18% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20232512082.4%2.8%6.13%$83M
20242371737.6%9.4%6.25%$70M
20252191765.5%6.4%6.25%$72M

What High Country 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 95 43% · 5.3% denied
Refinance 70 32% · 5.7% denied
Cash-out refinance 50 23% · 6.0% denied
Home improvement 1 0% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 3 1% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 219 100% · 5.5% denied

Also: 1 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 22 manufactured homes, 35 investment properties.

Why High Country Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 12 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Incomplete application 6 50%
Unverifiable information 2 17%
Credit history 2 17%
Debt-to-income ratio 1 8%
Collateral 1 8%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at High Country Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k48418.9%
$100k – $150k45399.3%
$150k – $250k47362.7%
Over $250k52410.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3430240.0%
35–4449389.5%
45–54493711.9%
55–6437320.0%
65–7429250.0%

Where High Country Bank lends

1 states and 12 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Colorado2191765.5%6.25%#173

Frequently asked questions

High Country Bank denied 6.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 65th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason High Country Bank gave in 2025 was "incomplete application", cited on 50.0% 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 High Country Bank originated in 2025 was 6.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.43 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 43% of its applications were for home purchases, 55% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 2% 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 High Country Bank. Data sources · Methodology