Mortgage lender · Columbia, SC · LEI 5493004JGZVB2EPI6W51

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union earns a B, better than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 25.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 47th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.34 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 75th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.1kApplications2025
63.3%Originatedof applications
25.7%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$114MLoan volume4 states

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

21.9%Denial rate (all applications)+3.90 pts vs national
25.7%Denial rate (decided applications)+3.07 pts vs national
63.3%Origination rate+5.26 pts vs national
12.4%Withdrawn by applicant
2.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.50%Median interest rate-0.13 pts vs national
-0.34Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.60 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$5,412Median total loan costs
$91kMedian applicant income
76%Median loan-to-value
3High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B 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%

47th25.7% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

75th-0.34 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

37th14.7%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

13th5.15% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,25586018.3%20.5%7.75%$82M
202497856525.8%30.1%7.50%$65M
20251,10670021.9%25.7%6.50%$114M

What Palmetto Citizens 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 209 19% · 4.3% denied
Refinance 537 49% · 42.1% denied
Home improvement 94 8% · 0.0% denied
Other / HELOC 266 24% · 2.6% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,086 98% · 21.9% denied
FHA 17 2% · 23.5% denied
VA 3 0% · 0.0% denied

Also: 670 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 21 manufactured homes, 8 investment properties.

Why Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 242 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 82 34%
Incomplete application 56 23%
Credit history 52 21%
Collateral 35 14%
Unverifiable information 8 3%
Insufficient cash 5 2%
Other 3 1%
Employment history 1 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1638141.7%
$50k – $100k43425628.5%
$100k – $150k28119917.4%
$150k – $250k15412410.1%
Over $250k453223.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25201229.4%
25–341489719.8%
35–4423115824.8%
45–5424015724.4%
55–6424414028.9%
65–741458429.4%
Over 74785225.7%

Where Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union lends

4 states and 37 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
South Carolina1,09970021.7%6.50%#55
North Carolina5060.0%#739

Frequently asked questions

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union denied 25.7% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 47th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 33.9% 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 Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 6.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.34 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 19% of its applications were for home purchases, 49% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 33% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 98% conventional, 2% 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 Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology