Mortgage lender · Roanoke, VA · LEI 549300KGMXCXMVC0BO47

FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 15.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 30th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.35 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 40th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

955Applications2025
73.3%Originatedof applications
15.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$153MLoan volume12 states

FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

13.8%Denial rate (all applications)-4.16 pts vs national
15.2%Denial rate (decided applications)-7.44 pts vs national
73.3%Origination rate+15.27 pts vs national
8.7%Withdrawn by applicant
0.1%Closed for incompleteness
6.75%Median interest rate+0.13 pts vs national
0.35Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.09 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$4,285Median total loan costs
$96kMedian applicant income
72%Median loan-to-value
17High-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%

30th15.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

40th0.35 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

64th8.8%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

8th4.08% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202397064120.9%23.2%7.50%$118M
20241,07671218.0%20.5%7.50%$166M
202595570013.8%15.2%6.75%$153M

What FREEDOM FIRST 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 381 40% · 2.4% denied
Refinance 18 2% · 0.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 160 17% · 10.6% denied
Home improvement 204 21% · 23.5% denied
Other / HELOC 192 20% · 30.2% denied

By loan type

Conventional 875 92% · 14.4% denied
FHA 64 7% · 7.8% denied
VA 13 1% · 7.7% denied
USDA / RHS 3 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 428 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 42 manufactured homes, 104 investment properties.

Why FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 132 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 53 40%
Other 30 23%
Credit history 23 17%
Collateral 20 15%
Incomplete application 3 2%
Employment history 2 2%
Unverifiable information 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1286440.4%
$50k – $100k32823415.3%
$100k – $150k1991618.2%
$150k – $250k1461129.9%
Over $250k614513.2%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2538325.9%
25–3414611313.4%
35–4420513819.9%
45–5418312719.3%
55–6418113114.2%
65–74895916.0%
Over 74433018.0%

Where FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union lends

12 states and 67 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Virginia93368913.4%6.75%#82
North Carolina850.0%6.75%#661

Frequently asked questions

FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union denied 15.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 30th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 40.2% 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 FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 6.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.35 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 40% of its applications were for home purchases, 19% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 41% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 92% conventional, 7% 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 FREEDOM FIRST Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology