Mortgage lender · Lockport, NY · LEI 254900LTYFDA8IOP9O78

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

Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 13.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 83rd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 3.22 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 99th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.1kApplications2025
71.3%Originatedof applications
13.9%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
3.99%Median ratenational 6.63%
$102MLoan volume1 states

Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

11.5%Denial rate (all applications)-6.48 pts vs national
13.9%Denial rate (decided applications)-8.69 pts vs national
71.3%Origination rate+13.22 pts vs national
8.8%Withdrawn by applicant
8.5%Closed for incompleteness
3.99%Median interest rate-2.64 pts vs national
-3.22Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-3.47 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$4,890Median total loan costs
$100kMedian applicant income
66%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A 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%

83rd13.9% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

99th-3.22 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

26th17.3%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

18th4.66% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,05869412.7%16.2%2.25%$68M
20241,27584010.4%13.6%3.99%$106M
20251,06175611.5%13.9%3.99%$102M

What Cornerstone Community 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 81 8% · 3.7% denied
Refinance 157 15% · 13.4% denied
Cash-out refinance 30 3% · 13.3% denied
Home improvement 482 45% · 10.8% denied
Other / HELOC 311 29% · 13.5% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,061 100% · 11.5% denied

Also: 948 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 7 investment properties.

Why Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 122 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Other 66 54%
Debt-to-income ratio 30 25%
Credit history 17 14%
Collateral 7 6%
Incomplete application 1 1%
Employment history 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1095133.8%
$50k – $100k41227317.3%
$100k – $150k26219811.2%
$150k – $250k1891594.8%
Over $250k80694.2%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3415610616.5%
35–4426419811.2%
45–5423716017.1%
55–6424017811.9%
65–741138311.7%
Over 74372224.1%

Where Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union lends

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

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New York1,06175611.5%3.99%#86

Frequently asked questions

Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union denied 13.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 83rd percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "other", cited on 54.1% 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 Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 3.99%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -3.22 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 8% of its applications were for home purchases, 18% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 75% 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 Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology