Mortgage lender · Gahanna, OH · LEI 549300Y6FMTOZSY0VW06

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

Kemba Financial Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 34.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 20th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.18 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 48th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

3.4kApplications2025
55.8%Originatedof applications
34.2%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$240MLoan volume13 states

Kemba Financial Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

29.7%Denial rate (all applications)+11.75 pts vs national
34.2%Denial rate (decided applications)+11.56 pts vs national
55.8%Origination rate-2.20 pts vs national
11.4%Withdrawn by applicant
1.6%Closed for incompleteness
7.00%Median interest rate+0.38 pts vs national
0.18Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.07 pts vs national
$85,000Median loan amount
$1,644Median total loan costs
$104kMedian applicant income
72%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

20th34.2% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

48th0.18 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

48th13.0%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

81st1.93% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20233,3521,73032.9%38.4%8.00%$146M
20243,2401,67235.5%40.4%8.00%$181M
20253,3601,87629.7%34.2%7.00%$240M

What Kemba Financial 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 179 5% · 4.5% denied
Refinance 935 28% · 21.4% denied
Cash-out refinance 94 3% · 14.9% denied
Home improvement 1,338 40% · 36.7% denied
Other / HELOC 814 24% · 35.1% denied

By loan type

Conventional 3,360 100% · 29.7% denied

Also: 2,730 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 12 manufactured homes, 28 investment properties.

Why Kemba Financial Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 999 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 468 47%
Incomplete application 274 27%
Credit history 161 16%
Collateral 85 9%
Employment history 5 1%
Other 5 1%
Unverifiable information 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Kemba Financial Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k38112062.4%
$50k – $100k1,14159138.0%
$100k – $150k89454728.4%
$150k – $250k64443720.9%
Over $250k21714024.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25311348.2%
25–3437318440.7%
35–4481948630.8%
45–5486051631.7%
55–6468037733.5%
65–7440019639.5%
Over 741296338.1%

Where Kemba Financial Credit Union lends

13 states and 80 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Ohio3,3311,86929.6%7.00%#33
Florida940.0%6.38%#957
Michigan6350.0%7.50%#573

Frequently asked questions

Kemba Financial Credit Union denied 34.2% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 20th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Kemba Financial Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 46.8% 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 Kemba Financial Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.18 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 5% 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 Kemba Financial Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology