Mortgage lender · Montgomery, AL · LEI 549300GLDL4X3U4RFI74

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

Guardian Credit Union earns a D, weaker than most small mortgage lenders. It turned down 51.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 1st percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.30 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 45th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

611Applications2025
43.4%Originatedof applications
51.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.25%Median ratenational 6.63%
$38MLoan volume3 states

Guardian Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

47.6%Denial rate (all applications)+29.65 pts vs national
51.2%Denial rate (decided applications)+28.64 pts vs national
43.4%Origination rate-14.66 pts vs national
7.0%Withdrawn by applicant
0.0%Closed for incompleteness
7.25%Median interest rate+0.63 pts vs national
0.30Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.05 pts vs national
$75,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$77kMedian applicant income
71%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%

1st51.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

45th0.30 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

71st7.0%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202381546130.3%31.1%7.25%$57M
202495737052.0%52.0%7.25%$49M
202561126547.6%51.2%7.25%$38M

What Guardian 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 166 27% · 47.6% denied
Refinance 122 20% · 26.2% denied
Cash-out refinance 305 50% · 56.4% denied
Home improvement 1 0% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 17 3% · 47.1% denied

By loan type

Conventional 605 99% · 47.3% denied
FHA 3 0% · 100.0% denied
VA 2 0% · 50.0% denied
USDA / RHS 1 0% · 100.0% denied

Also: 152 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 56 manufactured homes, 28 investment properties.

Why Guardian Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 291 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 127 44%
Debt-to-income ratio 126 43%
Insufficient cash 18 6%
Employment history 12 4%
Other 5 2%
Collateral 2 1%
Unverifiable information 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Guardian Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1613574.2%
$50k – $100k2369156.8%
$100k – $150k1207830.7%
$150k – $250k684620.0%
Over $250k241525.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34804341.6%
35–441125842.9%
45–541185544.8%
55–641195946.5%
65–74763252.1%
Over 74221047.6%

Where Guardian Credit Union lends

3 states and 32 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Alabama60826447.5%7.25%#76

Frequently asked questions

Guardian Credit Union denied 51.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 1st percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Guardian Credit Union gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 43.6% 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 Guardian Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.25%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.30 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 27% of its applications were for home purchases, 70% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 3% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 99% 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 Guardian Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology