Mortgage lender · Arkadelphia, AR · LEI 549300JQEF6V2RNWCC75

Southern Bancorp Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Southern Bancorp Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 12.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 43rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.69 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 10th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.2kApplications2025
63.9%Originatedof applications
12.4%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$156MLoan volume17 states

Southern Bancorp Bank at a glance, 2025

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

10.1%Denial rate (all applications)-7.92 pts vs national
12.4%Denial rate (decided applications)-10.21 pts vs national
63.9%Origination rate+5.85 pts vs national
18.3%Withdrawn by applicant
0.4%Closed for incompleteness
7.50%Median interest rate+0.88 pts vs national
0.69Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.43 pts vs national
$135,000Median loan amount
$2,405Median total loan costs
$84kMedian applicant income
73%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

43rd12.4% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

10th0.69 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

41st18.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

72nd1.78% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20237226028.0%8.2%8.50%$85M
20241,0006949.4%10.8%8.50%$104M
20251,24379410.1%12.4%7.50%$156M

What Southern Bancorp 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 760 61% · 7.6% denied
Refinance 264 21% · 9.5% denied
Cash-out refinance 36 3% · 25.0% denied
Home improvement 136 11% · 18.4% denied
Other / HELOC 47 4% · 17.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,110 89% · 8.6% denied
FHA 116 9% · 24.1% denied
VA 10 1% · 20.0% denied
USDA / RHS 7 1% · 0.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 118 manufactured homes, 406 investment properties.

Why Southern Bancorp Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 125 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 61 49%
Debt-to-income ratio 38 30%
Other 9 7%
Insufficient cash 7 6%
Collateral 4 3%
Employment history 3 2%
Unverifiable information 3 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Southern Bancorp Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k21110028.6%
$50k – $100k38423015.2%
$100k – $150k1871316.5%
$150k – $250k1348510.1%
Over $250k74563.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2543327.7%
25–3424615012.1%
35–4422413316.9%
45–5424714416.2%
55–6417711514.2%
65–74103698.4%
Over 74342114.8%

Where Southern Bancorp Bank lends

17 states and 142 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Arkansas7455248.3%7.50%#36
Mississippi27715516.3%7.50%#70
Tennessee112606.3%6.63%#299
Alabama572210.5%6.50%#293
Georgia22129.1%6.31%#559
Florida7314.3%8.50%#1,013
Texas760.0%7.23%#1,027

Frequently asked questions

Southern Bancorp Bank denied 12.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 43rd percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Southern Bancorp Bank gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 48.8% 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 Southern Bancorp Bank originated in 2025 was 7.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.69 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 61% of its applications were for home purchases, 24% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 15% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 89% conventional, 9% 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 Southern Bancorp Bank. Data sources · Methodology