Mortgage lender · Gadsden, AL · LEI 5493008YZRSEXRIR3I97

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

Emblem Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 28.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 9th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.36 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 39th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

457Applications2025
56.9%Originatedof applications
28.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.13%Median ratenational 6.63%
$40MLoan volume3 states

Emblem Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

28.0%Denial rate (all applications)+10.03 pts vs national
28.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+6.11 pts vs national
56.9%Origination rate-1.14 pts vs national
2.4%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.13%Median interest rate+0.50 pts vs national
0.36Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.10 pts vs national
$95,000Median loan amount
$2,569Median total loan costs
$77kMedian applicant income
74%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

9th28.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

39th0.36 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

88th2.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

25th2.70% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202345324229.1%31.6%7.25%$34M
202440421028.2%30.2%7.75%$33M
202545726028.0%28.7%7.13%$40M

What Emblem 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 169 37% · 29.6% denied
Refinance 81 18% · 17.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 26 6% · 23.1% denied
Home improvement 113 25% · 30.1% denied
Other / HELOC 68 15% · 35.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 457 100% · 28.0% denied

Also: 175 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 13 manufactured homes, 39 investment properties.

Why Emblem Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 128 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 54 42%
Debt-to-income ratio 52 41%
Collateral 11 9%
Other 4 3%
Unverifiable information 4 3%
Employment history 2 2%
Insufficient cash 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Emblem Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k943247.9%
$50k – $100k19210131.4%
$100k – $150k785218.4%
$150k – $250k473712.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25331441.9%
25–34954733.7%
35–44875233.3%
45–54874729.1%
55–64754024.7%
65–74422626.2%

Where Emblem Credit Union lends

3 states and 20 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Alabama45525828.1%7.25%#87

Frequently asked questions

Emblem Credit Union denied 28.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 9th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Emblem Credit Union gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 42.2% 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 Emblem Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.13%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.36 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 37% of its applications were for home purchases, 23% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 40% 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 Emblem Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology