Mortgage lender · Pasadena, CA · LEI 549300UT4EN6IH579Q63

Right Start Mortgage review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Right Start Mortgage earns a D, weaker than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 10.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 51st percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.61 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 14th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

4.2kApplications2025
67.7%Originatedof applications
10.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$847MLoan volume27 states

Right Start Mortgage at a glance, 2025

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

7.6%Denial rate (all applications)-10.39 pts vs national
10.0%Denial rate (decided applications)-12.56 pts vs national
67.7%Origination rate+9.71 pts vs national
22.1%Withdrawn by applicant
2.2%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.61Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.36 pts vs national
$265,000Median loan amount
$10,676Median total loan costs
$98kMedian applicant income
97%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 581 mid-size mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

51st10.0% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

14th0.61 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

21st24.3%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

9th4.03% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
2023156927.1%9.8%6.88%$25M
20243,5292,5735.6%7.1%6.75%$739M
20254,2402,8727.6%10.0%6.63%$847M

What Right Start Mortgage 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 3,687 87% · 6.7% denied
Refinance 263 6% · 13.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 290 7% · 14.1% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,834 43% · 6.8% denied
FHA 1,962 46% · 8.6% denied
VA 407 10% · 7.4% denied
USDA / RHS 37 1% · 0.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 270 manufactured homes, 178 investment properties.

Why Right Start Mortgage denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 322 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 97 30%
Collateral 63 20%
Unverifiable information 62 19%
Credit history 59 18%
Other 36 11%
Employment history 4 1%
Incomplete application 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Right Start Mortgage

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k32018321.5%
$50k – $100k1,8241,24910.2%
$100k – $150k1,1728148.1%
$150k – $250k6594558.0%
Over $250k2261506.2%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 253302347.5%
25–341,2468828.3%
35–441,0887439.5%
45–5476249612.3%
55–6450532213.9%
65–7423614412.0%
Over 7473515.6%

Where Right Start Mortgage lends

27 states and 426 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Texas2,8561,9238.1%6.63%#67
Florida2872017.0%6.75%#313
Idaho1601036.3%6.38%#96
Washington138938.7%6.75%#218
Ohio119826.7%6.75%#305
Georgia109821.8%6.50%#324
Tennessee106669.4%6.62%#312
Arizona97685.2%6.38%#247
California64444.7%6.56%#497
Colorado60456.7%6.63%#279
New Mexico52421.9%6.63%#149
Oklahoma483210.4%6.63%#262
Nevada382310.5%6.38%#229
Oregon31213.2%6.63%#266
Kentucky20125.0%6.75%#352
Indiana8512.5%6.75%#578
Kansas870.0%6.63%#367
North Carolina7414.3%6.19%#694
Mississippi6216.7%5.69%#335
Alabama540.0%6.06%#574
Arkansas530.0%5.88%#418
Louisiana520.0%6.56%#430

Frequently asked questions

Right Start Mortgage denied 10.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 51st percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Right Start Mortgage gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 30.1% 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 Right Start Mortgage originated in 2025 was 6.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.61 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 87% of its applications were for home purchases, 13% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 43% conventional, 46% FHA, 10% 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 Right Start Mortgage. Data sources · Methodology