Mortgage lender · Alexandria, VA · LEI 549300PPKM4YL2GY3713

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

Spectra Credit Union earns a D, weaker than most home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 29.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 35th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.82 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 13th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

191Applications2025
57.1%Originatedof applications
29.9%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
8.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$18MLoan volume25 states

Spectra Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

25.7%Denial rate (all applications)+7.67 pts vs national
29.9%Denial rate (decided applications)+7.29 pts vs national
57.1%Origination rate-0.96 pts vs national
12.6%Withdrawn by applicant
1.6%Closed for incompleteness
8.00%Median interest rate+1.38 pts vs national
0.82Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.57 pts vs national
$115,000Median loan amount
$5,332Median total loan costs
$156kMedian applicant income
74%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%

35th29.9% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

13th0.82 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

42nd14.1%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

18th4.64% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
202334420423.8%27.0%9.25%$33M
202421211625.9%30.2%9.00%$16M
202519110925.7%29.9%8.00%$18M

What Spectra 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 27 14% · 14.8% denied
Refinance 2 1% · 50.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 37 19% · 32.4% denied
Home improvement 75 39% · 22.7% denied
Other / HELOC 50 26% · 30.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 191 100% · 25.7% denied

Also: 167 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 12 investment properties.

Why Spectra Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 49 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 31 63%
Credit history 9 18%
Collateral 6 12%
Other 2 4%
Insufficient cash 1 2%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Spectra Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k422340.0%
$100k – $150k392134.4%
$150k – $250k573524.5%
Over $250k432711.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
35–44502535.7%
45–54402235.3%
55–64432918.9%
65–74261336.4%
Over 74211515.8%

Where Spectra Credit Union lends

25 states and 65 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Maryland884430.7%8.00%#252
Virginia513027.5%8.00%#371
District of Columbia8612.5%8.00%#209
North Carolina5320.0%8.50%#726
Ohio5320.0%9.00%#701

Frequently asked questions

Spectra Credit Union denied 29.9% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 35th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Spectra Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 63.3% 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 Spectra Credit Union originated in 2025 was 8.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.82 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 14% of its applications were for home purchases, 20% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 65% 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 Spectra Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology