Mortgage lender · Kansas City, MO · LEI 549300LP0CV2MNC1GV68

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

Academy Bank earns a B, better than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 8.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 57th 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.

534Applications2025
73.2%Originatedof applications
8.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$233MLoan volume38 states

Academy Bank at a glance, 2025

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

6.6%Denial rate (all applications)-11.43 pts vs national
8.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-14.39 pts vs national
73.2%Origination rate+15.19 pts vs national
20.0%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.20Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.06 pts vs national
$405,000Median loan amount
$3,413Median total loan costs
$168kMedian applicant income
80%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

57th8.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

60th0.20 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

20th20.0%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

89th0.84% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20234162538.7%12.4%6.88%$111M
20245193517.1%9.5%6.75%$154M
20255343916.6%8.2%6.63%$233M

What Academy 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 403 75% · 5.5% denied
Refinance 70 13% · 4.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 40 7% · 5.0% denied
Home improvement 1 0% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 20 4% · 40.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 396 74% · 5.6% denied
FHA 72 13% · 15.3% denied
VA 66 12% · 3.0% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 37 investment properties.

Why Academy Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 35 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Incomplete application 16 46%
Debt-to-income ratio 7 20%
Credit history 5 14%
Collateral 4 11%
Employment history 2 6%
Other 1 3%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Academy Bank

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k1017212.2%
$100k – $150k105787.1%
$150k – $250k122945.1%
Over $250k1621187.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2523180.0%
25–341541128.9%
35–441461087.6%
45–541026911.5%
55–6454397.1%
65–7441328.6%

Where Academy Bank lends

38 states and 131 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Kansas1801347.8%6.69%#109
Missouri1198810.1%6.75%#248
Colorado55390.0%6.95%#294
Arizona41252.4%6.75%#338
Georgia25200.0%6.25%#541
Texas13100.0%6.81%#921
Illinois8325.0%5.88%#706
Washington860.0%5.94%#492
Florida6516.7%6.50%#1,040
Nebraska640.0%6.63%#297
Tennessee660.0%6.63%#716
Virginia660.0%5.94%#629
New Mexico550.0%6.75%#317
Utah550.0%6.50%#339
Wisconsin530.0%6.50%#592

Frequently asked questions

Academy Bank denied 8.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 57th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Academy Bank gave in 2025 was "incomplete application", cited on 45.7% 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 Academy Bank originated in 2025 was 6.63%, 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, 75% of its applications were for home purchases, 21% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 4% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 74% conventional, 13% FHA, 12% 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 Academy Bank. Data sources · Methodology