Mortgage lender · Charlotte, NC · LEI 549300MAIHYOT48UVH49

Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union earns a B, better than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 11.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 91st percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.18 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 48th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

295Applications2025
72.2%Originatedof applications
11.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$47MLoan volume2 states

Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

9.2%Denial rate (all applications)-8.83 pts vs national
11.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-11.48 pts vs national
72.2%Origination rate+14.17 pts vs national
17.6%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.50%Median interest rate+0.88 pts vs national
0.18Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.07 pts vs national
$155,000Median loan amount
$5,392Median total loan costs
$110kMedian applicant income
68%Median loan-to-value
0High-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%

91st11.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

48th0.18 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

23rd17.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

41st3.48% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202320925.0%31.3%8.00%$2.7M
202431186.5%9.5%5.92%$4.9M
20252952139.2%11.1%7.50%$47M

What Carolinas Telco 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 55 19% · 1.8% denied
Refinance 58 20% · 5.2% denied
Cash-out refinance 1 0% · 0.0% denied
Home improvement 95 32% · 11.6% denied
Other / HELOC 86 29% · 14.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 295 100% · 9.2% denied

Also: 192 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 6 investment properties.

Why Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 27 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 16 59%
Credit history 8 30%
Collateral 3 11%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k221214.3%
$50k – $100k1066918.4%
$100k – $150k88696.7%
$150k – $250k54495.8%
Over $250k24146.7%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3436283.3%
35–44493419.1%
45–54835813.4%
55–6471528.6%
65–74332510.3%
Over 7420137.1%

Where Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union lends

2 states and 54 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
North Carolina2271627.9%7.25%#223
South Carolina685113.2%7.50%#299

Frequently asked questions

Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union denied 11.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 91st percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 59.3% 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 Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.18 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 19% of its applications were for home purchases, 20% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 61% 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 Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology