Mortgage lender · Yuba City, CA · LEI 254900URXOKFMBYQ0V69

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

Sierra Central Credit Union earns a D, weaker than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 28.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 38th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 1.05 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 7th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

714Applications2025
58.8%Originatedof applications
28.9%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.75%Median ratenational 6.63%
$51MLoan volume2 states

Sierra Central Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

24.0%Denial rate (all applications)+5.97 pts vs national
28.9%Denial rate (decided applications)+6.30 pts vs national
58.8%Origination rate+0.79 pts vs national
14.0%Withdrawn by applicant
3.1%Closed for incompleteness
7.75%Median interest rate+1.13 pts vs national
1.05Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.80 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$3,332Median total loan costs
$104kMedian applicant income
59%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the D 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%

38th28.9% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

7th1.05 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

26th17.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

49th3.17% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202353032226.2%29.8%8.19%$30M
202477145725.3%29.7%8.75%$45M
202571442024.0%28.9%7.75%$51M

What Sierra Central 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 62 9% · 9.7% denied
Refinance 652 91% · 25.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 711 100% · 23.6% denied
FHA 2 0% · 100.0% denied
VA 1 0% · 100.0% denied

Also: 432 home-equity lines, 1 reverse mortgages, 27 manufactured homes, 61 investment properties.

Why Sierra Central Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 171 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 79 46%
Credit history 51 30%
Collateral 20 12%
Other 13 8%
Incomplete application 6 4%
Employment history 2 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Sierra Central Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k821577.3%
$50k – $100k24914926.1%
$100k – $150k17111820.3%
$150k – $250k1389714.9%
Over $250k553724.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34563323.3%
35–441388327.8%
45–5418110830.3%
55–641408130.5%
65–741358028.6%
Over 74633528.6%

Where Sierra Central Credit Union lends

2 states and 29 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
California70741924.2%7.75%#205

Frequently asked questions

Sierra Central Credit Union denied 28.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 38th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Sierra Central Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 46.2% 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 Sierra Central Credit Union originated in 2025 was 7.75%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 1.05 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 9% of its applications were for home purchases, 91% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% 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 Sierra Central Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology