Mortgage lender · Knoxville, TN · LEI 549300OIJ6O9DNP74L72

CU Community review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

CU Community earns a D, weaker than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 15.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 29th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 1.20 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 8th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

173Applications2025
44.5%Originatedof applications
15.8%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.13%Median ratenational 6.63%
$12MLoan volume5 states

CU Community at a glance, 2025

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

11.6%Denial rate (all applications)-6.42 pts vs national
15.8%Denial rate (decided applications)-6.84 pts vs national
44.5%Origination rate-13.52 pts vs national
26.6%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.13%Median interest rate+0.50 pts vs national
1.20Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.95 pts vs national
$125,000Median loan amount
$4,173Median total loan costs
$86kMedian applicant income
63%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D 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%

29th15.8% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

8th1.20 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

9th26.6%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

14th3.34% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231828617.6%20.3%7.50%$11M
20242188811.9%15.7%7.50%$13M
20251737711.6%15.8%7.13%$12M

What CU Community 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 39 23% · 15.4% denied
Refinance 23 13% · 26.1% denied
Cash-out refinance 101 58% · 7.9% denied
Home improvement 10 6% · 0.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 166 96% · 12.1% denied
FHA 5 3% · 0.0% denied
VA 1 1% · 0.0% denied
USDA / RHS 1 1% · 0.0% denied

Also: 6 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 16 manufactured homes, 9 investment properties.

Why CU Community denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 20 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 14 70%
Collateral 3 15%
Debt-to-income ratio 2 10%
Incomplete application 1 5%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at CU Community

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k301022.2%
$50k – $100k743517.0%
$100k – $150k341314.8%
$150k – $250k23146.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
35–44351324.0%
45–54392010.7%
55–6439157.4%
65–74241316.7%

Where CU Community lends

5 states and 49 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Tennessee1497010.1%7.13%#261
Georgia15313.3%6.50%#609
Mississippi5160.0%7.63%#354

Frequently asked questions

CU Community denied 15.8% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 29th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason CU Community gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 70.0% 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 CU Community originated in 2025 was 7.13%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 1.20 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 23% of its applications were for home purchases, 72% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 6% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 96% conventional, 3% FHA, 1% 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 CU Community. Data sources · Methodology