Mortgage lender · Bakersfield, CA · LEI 5493006MA7WP1WL8U431

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

Valley Strong Credit Union earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 25.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 48th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 0.04 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 61st percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

2.3kApplications2025
52.5%Originatedof applications
25.3%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
8.00%Median ratenational 6.63%
$212MLoan volume9 states

Valley Strong Credit Union at a glance, 2025

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

21.9%Denial rate (all applications)+3.96 pts vs national
25.3%Denial rate (decided applications)+2.67 pts vs national
52.5%Origination rate-5.52 pts vs national
12.0%Withdrawn by applicant
1.1%Closed for incompleteness
8.00%Median interest rate+1.38 pts vs national
-0.04Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-0.29 pts vs national
$75,000Median loan amount
$3,418Median total loan costs
$110kMedian applicant income
63%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C 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%

48th25.3% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

61st-0.04 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

46th13.2%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

19th4.56% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,28965028.4%35.0%7.00%$110M
20241,38063932.1%40.4%8.75%$117M
20252,2931,20421.9%25.3%8.00%$212M

What Valley Strong 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 251 11% · 9.6% denied
Refinance 87 4% · 29.9% denied
Cash-out refinance 200 9% · 22.0% denied
Home improvement 819 36% · 24.3% denied
Other / HELOC 936 41% · 22.4% denied

By loan type

Conventional 2,293 100% · 21.9% denied

Also: 1,403 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 21 manufactured homes, 165 investment properties.

Why Valley Strong Credit Union denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 503 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 192 38%
Incomplete application 128 25%
Credit history 105 21%
Collateral 51 10%
Other 19 4%
Unverifiable information 4 1%
Employment history 2 0%
Insufficient cash 2 0%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Valley Strong Credit Union

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

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k2387251.7%
$50k – $100k71838026.0%
$100k – $150k61936216.9%
$150k – $250k45825718.1%
Over $250k20111920.6%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–3420612021.8%
35–4455429926.0%
45–5462232722.9%
55–6447023529.3%
65–7430515625.6%
Over 741215524.3%

Where Valley Strong Credit Union lends

9 states and 51 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
California2,2741,19521.8%8.00%#93
Texas8425.0%5.94%#997

Frequently asked questions

Valley Strong Credit Union denied 25.3% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 48th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Valley Strong Credit Union gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 38.2% 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 Valley Strong Credit Union originated in 2025 was 8.00%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -0.04 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 11% of its applications were for home purchases, 13% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 77% 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 Valley Strong Credit Union. Data sources · Methodology