Mortgage lender · Fort Wayne, IN · LEI LBIZXW7X2N50PETIH863

STAR Financial Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

STAR Financial Bank earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 30.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 33rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.15 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 50th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.6kApplications2025
55.6%Originatedof applications
30.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.13%Median ratenational 6.63%
$162MLoan volume10 states

STAR Financial Bank at a glance, 2025

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

27.3%Denial rate (all applications)+9.30 pts vs national
30.3%Denial rate (decided applications)+7.75 pts vs national
55.6%Origination rate-2.42 pts vs national
7.8%Withdrawn by applicant
2.3%Closed for incompleteness
6.13%Median interest rate-0.50 pts vs national
0.15Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.11 pts vs national
$75,000Median loan amount
$2,847Median total loan costs
$81kMedian applicant income
67%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

33rd30.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

50th0.15 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

65th10.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

32nd3.80% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,68496825.7%27.6%6.13%$137M
20241,47581627.7%29.4%8.50%$128M
20251,61389727.3%30.3%6.13%$162M

What STAR Financial 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 333 21% · 12.3% denied
Refinance 45 3% · 22.2% denied
Cash-out refinance 524 32% · 27.1% denied
Home improvement 579 36% · 32.3% denied
Other / HELOC 132 8% · 45.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,610 100% · 27.3% denied
FHA 3 0% · 33.3% denied

Also: 1,070 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 13 manufactured homes, 20 investment properties.

Why STAR Financial Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 440 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 191 43%
Credit history 154 35%
Collateral 52 12%
Incomplete application 23 5%
Other 12 3%
Unverifiable information 6 1%
Employment history 2 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at STAR Financial Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k38116245.6%
$50k – $100k57430332.6%
$100k – $150k26116225.3%
$150k – $250k19012918.6%
Over $250k1731368.9%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25512624.4%
25–3418710925.7%
35–4429117129.7%
45–5435119732.0%
55–6434218633.7%
65–7425113231.4%
Over 741397625.6%

Where STAR Financial Bank lends

10 states and 69 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Indiana1,56288527.7%6.13%#55

Frequently asked questions

STAR Financial Bank denied 30.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 33rd percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason STAR Financial Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 43.4% 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 STAR Financial Bank originated in 2025 was 6.13%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.15 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 21% of its applications were for home purchases, 35% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 44% 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 STAR Financial Bank. Data sources · Methodology