Mortgage lender · West Des Moines, IA · LEI 549300K04ZGWYV7LDX51

First Class Community Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

First Class Community Credit Union earns a B, better than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 35.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 5th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.50 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 96th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

118Applications2025
63.6%Originatedof applications
35.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
5.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$5.8MLoan volume3 states

First Class Community Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

34.8%Denial rate (all applications)+16.77 pts vs national
35.3%Denial rate (decided applications)+12.75 pts vs national
63.6%Origination rate+5.53 pts vs national
0.9%Withdrawn by applicant
0.9%Closed for incompleteness
5.63%Median interest rate-1.00 pts vs national
-0.50Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.75 pts vs national
$55,000Median loan amount
$394Median total loan costs
$93kMedian applicant income
60%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

5th35.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

96th-0.50 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

90th1.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

91st0.72% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
2023393410.3%10.5%6.50%$3.0M
2024705812.9%13.2%6.13%$4.5M
20251187534.8%35.3%5.63%$5.8M

What First Class Community 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 7 6% · 0.0% denied
Refinance 6 5% · 0.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 30 25% · 23.3% denied
Home improvement 50 42% · 34.0% denied
Other / HELOC 25 21% · 68.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 118 100% · 34.8% denied

Also: 34 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 2 investment properties.

Why First Class Community Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 41 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 18 44%
Credit history 10 24%
Collateral 5 12%
Unverifiable information 3 7%
Other 3 7%
Employment history 1 2%
Incomplete application 1 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Class Community Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k21861.9%
$50k – $100k402927.5%
$100k – $150k251732.0%
$150k – $250k261825.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
35–44251828.0%
65–74302028.6%

Where First Class Community Credit Union lends

3 states and 11 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Iowa1167533.6%5.63%#139

Frequently asked questions

First Class Community Credit Union denied 35.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 5th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Class Community Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 43.9% 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 First Class Community Credit Union originated in 2025 was 5.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.50 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 6% of its applications were for home purchases, 31% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 64% 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 First Class Community Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology