Mortgage lender · Cerritos, CA · LEI 2549005B0YP23JCTYV51

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

Popa Federal Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 27.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 10th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.51 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 97th percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

187Applications2025
62.6%Originatedof applications
27.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.50%Median ratenational 6.63%
$18MLoan volume2 states

Popa Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

25.1%Denial rate (all applications)+7.15 pts vs national
27.0%Denial rate (decided applications)+4.42 pts vs national
62.6%Origination rate+4.54 pts vs national
3.7%Withdrawn by applicant
3.2%Closed for incompleteness
7.50%Median interest rate+0.88 pts vs national
-0.51Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.76 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$6,373Median total loan costs
$163kMedian applicant income
62%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%

10th27.0% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

97th-0.51 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

72nd7.0%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

3rd6.07% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202325115523.9%25.9%8.75%$16M
202419414316.5%17.2%9.50%$18M
202518711725.1%27.0%7.50%$18M

What Popa 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 1 1% · 0.0% denied
Refinance 3 2% · 33.3% denied
Cash-out refinance 10 5% · 20.0% denied
Home improvement 146 78% · 24.7% denied
Other / HELOC 27 14% · 29.6% denied

By loan type

Conventional 187 100% · 25.1% denied

Also: 53 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 0 investment properties.

Why Popa Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 47 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 18 38%
Other 12 26%
Credit history 8 17%
Collateral 5 11%
Incomplete application 4 9%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Popa Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k241145.8%
$100k – $150k593732.7%
$150k – $250k755016.2%
Over $250k271920.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
35–44422524.3%
45–54634128.8%
55–64422235.9%
65–7421179.5%

Where Popa Federal Credit Union lends

2 states and 7 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
California18611724.7%7.50%#373

Frequently asked questions

Popa Federal Credit Union denied 27.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 10th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Popa Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 38.3% 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 Popa Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.50%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.51 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 1% of its applications were for home purchases, 7% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 93% 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 Popa Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology