Mortgage lender · Edgewater, MD · LEI 549300FFPMB9B7FHNR61

Universal Mortgage & Finance review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Universal Mortgage & Finance earns a C, in line with the typical performance of small mortgage lenders. It turned down 8.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 56th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.66 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 21st percentile on pricing. Compared against 1,883 small mortgage lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

205Applications2025
68.8%Originatedof applications
8.4%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
6.63%Median ratenational 6.63%
$53MLoan volume11 states

Universal Mortgage & Finance at a glance, 2025

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

6.3%Denial rate (all applications)-11.64 pts vs national
8.4%Denial rate (decided applications)-14.15 pts vs national
68.8%Origination rate+10.75 pts vs national
21.5%Withdrawn by applicant
3.4%Closed for incompleteness
6.63%Median interest rate0.00 pts vs national
0.66Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.40 pts vs national
$345,000Median loan amount
$13,504Median total loan costs
$103kMedian applicant income
90%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%

56th8.4% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

21st0.66 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

11th24.9%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

9th3.91% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231661227.2%9.0%6.88%$46M
2024136995.2%6.6%6.75%$39M
20252051416.3%8.4%6.63%$53M

What Universal Mortgage & Finance 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 142 69% · 8.5% denied
Refinance 27 13% · 0.0% denied
Cash-out refinance 36 18% · 2.8% denied

By loan type

Conventional 78 38% · 0.0% denied
FHA 106 52% · 10.4% denied
VA 21 10% · 9.5% denied

Also: 0 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 2 manufactured homes, 21 investment properties.

Why Universal Mortgage & Finance denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 13 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Credit history 7 54%
Insufficient cash 2 15%
Collateral 2 15%
Debt-to-income ratio 1 8%
Unverifiable information 1 8%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Universal Mortgage & Finance

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
$50k – $100k825511.3%
$100k – $150k613612.2%
$150k – $250k26204.8%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3446365.3%
35–4451338.3%
45–54483310.8%
55–64282013.0%
65–7420110.0%

Where Universal Mortgage & Finance lends

11 states and 60 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Maryland141936.4%6.63%#202
Virginia24194.2%6.63%#471
Pennsylvania9711.1%6.63%#701
District of Columbia8412.5%6.38%#198
North Carolina770.0%6.75%#681
Florida6416.7%6.50%#1,034

Frequently asked questions

Universal Mortgage & Finance denied 8.4% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 56th percentile of small mortgage lenders.

The most common reason Universal Mortgage & Finance gave in 2025 was "credit history", cited on 53.8% 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 Universal Mortgage & Finance originated in 2025 was 6.63%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 0.66 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 69% of its applications were for home purchases, 31% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 0% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 38% conventional, 52% FHA, 10% 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 Universal Mortgage & Finance. Data sources · Methodology