Mortgage lender · Sparks, MD · LEI 549300C5JF1UNQK9KC45

First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 13.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 37th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.22 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 56th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

745Applications2025
77.6%Originatedof applications
13.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
5.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$89MLoan volume2 states

First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

12.1%Denial rate (all applications)-5.90 pts vs national
13.0%Denial rate (decided applications)-9.57 pts vs national
77.6%Origination rate+19.55 pts vs national
5.8%Withdrawn by applicant
1.5%Closed for incompleteness
5.00%Median interest rate-1.63 pts vs national
0.22Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.03 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$3,796Median total loan costs
$132kMedian applicant income
72%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%

37th13.0% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

56th0.22 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

70th7.3%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

11th3.62% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20238216328.2%9.6%5.13%$81M
202474456311.6%13.2%5.75%$68M
202574557812.1%13.0%5.00%$89M

What First Financial of Maryland 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 80 11% · 0.0% denied
Refinance 29 4% · 10.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 636 85% · 13.7% denied

By loan type

Conventional 745 100% · 12.1% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 14 investment properties.

Why First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 90 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 53 59%
Debt-to-income ratio 33 37%
Other 3 3%
Unverifiable information 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k261533.3%
$50k – $100k18313021.1%
$100k – $150k21817511.0%
$150k – $250k2281897.4%
Over $250k86696.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34765910.3%
35–4419514915.7%
45–5421816414.9%
55–6415512610.4%
65–74735513.4%
Over 7426230.0%

Where First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union lends

2 states and 30 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Maryland69854112.5%5.00%#69
Pennsylvania47376.4%5.75%#498

Frequently asked questions

First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union denied 13.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 37th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 58.9% 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 Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 5.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.22 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 11% of its applications were for home purchases, 89% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% 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 Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology