Mortgage lender · Albuquerque, NM · LEI 549300CIQ950OK0BS407

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

Sunward Federal Credit Union earns a B, better than most mid-size mortgage lenders. It turned down 10.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 50th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.39 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 96th percentile on pricing. Compared against 581 mid-size mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

2.4kApplications2025
67.1%Originatedof applications
10.1%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.38%Median ratenational 6.63%
$611MLoan volume8 states

Sunward Federal Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

7.5%Denial rate (all applications)-10.47 pts vs national
10.1%Denial rate (decided applications)-12.52 pts vs national
67.1%Origination rate+9.03 pts vs national
21.1%Withdrawn by applicant
4.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.38%Median interest rate-0.25 pts vs national
-0.39Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.65 pts vs national
$205,000Median loan amount
$3,714Median total loan costs
$146kMedian applicant income
79%Median loan-to-value
1High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the B grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 581 mid-size mortgage lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

50th10.1% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

96th-0.39 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

18th25.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

71st1.81% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,6411,1917.8%9.7%6.47%$265M
20242,0821,4649.5%11.9%7.00%$413M
20252,3561,5807.5%10.1%6.38%$611M

What Sunward 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 836 35% · 2.2% denied
Refinance 249 11% · 2.8% denied
Cash-out refinance 391 17% · 10.0% denied
Home improvement 433 18% · 9.2% denied
Other / HELOC 447 19% · 16.3% denied

By loan type

Conventional 2,356 100% · 7.5% denied

Also: 980 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 8 manufactured homes, 180 investment properties.

Why Sunward Federal Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 177 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 66 37%
Other 48 27%
Credit history 29 16%
Collateral 25 14%
Unverifiable information 5 3%
Employment history 2 1%
Incomplete application 2 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Sunward Federal Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k1766344.7%
$50k – $100k53832616.4%
$100k – $150k4443128.2%
$150k – $250k6364604.0%
Over $250k4603411.5%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 2532247.7%
25–344593059.0%
35–446024159.0%
45–5449633711.8%
55–6435522712.0%
65–742551708.6%
Over 741116413.5%

Where Sunward Federal Credit Union lends

8 states and 9 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
New Mexico1,7651,1539.1%6.50%#8
California4893571.8%5.75%#263
Colorado42284.8%6.31%#324
Arizona39287.7%6.19%#342
Texas1397.7%5.63%#928
Nevada6416.7%6.19%#352

Frequently asked questions

Sunward Federal Credit Union denied 10.1% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 50th percentile of mid-size mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Sunward Federal Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 37.3% 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 Sunward Federal Credit Union originated in 2025 was 6.38%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.39 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 35% of its applications were for home purchases, 27% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 37% 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 Sunward Federal Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology