Mortgage lender · Manchester, NH · LEI 549300XKIMAP8O4OS123

Bellwether Community Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Bellwether Community Credit Union earns a B, better than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 18.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 70th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.09 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 53rd percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

513Applications2025
65.3%Originatedof applications
18.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$68MLoan volume3 states

Bellwether Community Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

16.0%Denial rate (all applications)-2.00 pts vs national
18.3%Denial rate (decided applications)-4.29 pts vs national
65.3%Origination rate+7.27 pts vs national
12.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.25%Median interest rate+0.63 pts vs national
0.09Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.16 pts vs national
$155,000Median loan amount
$6,207Median total loan costs
$115kMedian applicant income
65%Median loan-to-value
2High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

70th18.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

53rd0.09 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

49th12.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

28th4.00% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202345227123.7%27.5%7.75%$42M
202440727120.2%22.0%8.25%$50M
202551333516.0%18.3%7.25%$68M

What Bellwether Community Credit Union 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 173 34% · 22.0% denied
Refinance 25 5% · 20.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 44 9% · 4.6% denied
Home improvement 91 18% · 7.7% denied
Other / HELOC 180 35% · 16.7% denied

By loan type

Conventional 512 100% · 16.0% denied
VA 1 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 260 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 130 manufactured homes, 15 investment properties.

Why Bellwether Community Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 82 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Other 41 50%
Debt-to-income ratio 15 18%
Credit history 12 15%
Collateral 6 7%
Incomplete application 6 7%
Unverifiable information 1 1%
Insufficient cash 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Bellwether Community Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k542149.0%
$50k – $100k1579624.1%
$100k – $150k114859.8%
$150k – $250k106804.5%
Over $250k564210.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34532924.4%
35–44885420.5%
45–541177619.8%
55–641359512.4%
65–74825519.2%

Where Bellwether Community Credit Union lends

3 states and 16 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New Hampshire48831716.4%7.25%#30
Massachusetts24188.3%7.25%#400

Frequently asked questions

Bellwether Community Credit Union denied 18.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 70th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Bellwether Community Credit Union gave in 2025 was "other", cited on 50.0% 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 Bellwether Community Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.09 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 34% of its applications were for home purchases, 13% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 53% 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 Bellwether Community Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology