Mortgage lender · Rapid City, SD · LEI 549300M2Z8GR3VL0QQ74

Black Hills Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Black Hills Federal Credit Union earns a D, weaker than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 27.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 12th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.64 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 12th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.3kApplications2025
58.9%Originatedof applications
27.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$157MLoan volume22 states

Black Hills Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

23.5%Denial rate (all applications)+5.50 pts vs national
27.1%Denial rate (decided applications)+4.49 pts vs national
58.9%Origination rate+0.86 pts vs national
12.2%Withdrawn by applicant
1.1%Closed for incompleteness
7.75%Median interest rate+1.13 pts vs national
0.64Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.39 pts vs national
$125,000Median loan amount
$6,146Median total loan costs
$107kMedian applicant income
78%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%

12th27.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

12th0.64 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

68th13.3%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

5th4.92% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,33689313.6%16.2%7.42%$165M
20241,7661,01922.9%26.8%8.00%$181M
20251,33378523.5%27.1%7.75%$157M

What Black Hills Federal 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 380 29% · 7.6% denied
Refinance 204 15% · 20.6% denied
Cash-out refinance 167 13% · 12.6% denied
Home improvement 268 20% · 37.7% denied
Other / HELOC 314 24% · 38.2% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,218 91% · 25.0% denied
FHA 78 6% · 6.4% denied
VA 33 2% · 9.1% denied
USDA / RHS 4 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 602 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 63 manufactured homes, 41 investment properties.

Why Black Hills Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 313 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 135 43%
Credit history 95 30%
Other 36 12%
Collateral 20 6%
Incomplete application 14 4%
Unverifiable information 10 3%
Insufficient cash 3 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Black Hills Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1143563.5%
$50k – $100k47825732.9%
$100k – $150k37725018.6%
$150k – $250k25917715.3%
Over $250k805319.4%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25311917.4%
25–3419210825.0%
35–4434620626.0%
45–5428916234.1%
55–6424215225.2%
65–741639528.8%
Over 74604011.8%

Where Black Hills Federal Credit Union lends

22 states and 92 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
South Dakota1,22373823.0%7.75%#4
Montana291727.6%6.50%#123
Wyoming20830.0%6.75%#109
Minnesota9444.4%6.43%#476
Texas6216.7%6.25%#1,032
Iowa5120.0%5.75%#420

Frequently asked questions

Black Hills Federal Credit Union denied 27.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 12th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Black Hills Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 43.1% 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 Black Hills Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.64 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 29% of its applications were for home purchases, 28% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 44% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 91% conventional, 6% FHA, 2% 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 Black Hills Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology