Mortgage lender · Pascagoula, MS · LEI 549300ZMSSTP768USP32

Merchants & Marine Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Merchants & Marine Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 12.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 40th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.20 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 60th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

302Applications2025
72.5%Originatedof applications
12.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$62MLoan volume6 states

Merchants & Marine Bank at a glance, 2025

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

10.3%Denial rate (all applications)-7.72 pts vs national
12.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-10.48 pts vs national
72.5%Origination rate+14.49 pts vs national
15.2%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.20Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.06 pts vs national
$195,000Median loan amount
$4,780Median total loan costs
$92kMedian applicant income
87%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

40th12.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

60th0.20 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

34th15.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

31st2.45% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233522727.4%8.7%7.13%$58M
20243472398.9%11.2%6.88%$57M
202530221910.3%12.1%6.75%$62M

What Merchants & Marine 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 208 69% · 8.7% denied
Refinance 68 23% · 10.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 22 7% · 27.3% denied
Home improvement 3 1% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 1 0% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 222 74% · 9.0% denied
FHA 41 14% · 14.6% denied
VA 25 8% · 16.0% denied
USDA / RHS 14 5% · 7.1% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 9 manufactured homes, 89 investment properties.

Why Merchants & Marine Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 31 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 14 45%
Credit history 11 35%
Collateral 6 19%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Merchants & Marine Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k332127.6%
$50k – $100k1087713.3%
$100k – $150k60447.8%
$150k – $250k322311.1%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3474569.7%
35–44543414.3%
45–54523522.9%
55–64352317.2%
65–74221611.1%

Where Merchants & Marine Bank lends

6 states and 38 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Mississippi23116911.3%6.75%#81
Alabama52385.8%7.25%#308
Louisiana1490.0%7.13%#344

Frequently asked questions

Merchants & Marine Bank denied 12.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 40th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Merchants & Marine Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 45.2% 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 Merchants & Marine Bank originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.20 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 69% of its applications were for home purchases, 30% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 1% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 74% conventional, 14% FHA, 8% 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 Merchants & Marine Bank. Data sources · Methodology