---
title: "About RateAPI"
description: "RateAPI connects daily-verified lending and deposit rates to published membership eligibility and source evidence across 3,700+ US credit unions."
canonical: "https://rateapi.dev/about"
last-updated: "2026-09-27"
source: "https://rateapi.dev/llms.txt"
---

# Why RateAPI Exists

Credit union products and membership rules were published separately. We connected them.

Last updated: September 6, 2026

RateAPI is the evidence graph for credit union products: daily-verified lending and deposit rates connected to published membership eligibility, with the source behind every promoted match.

## The Problem We Saw

I spent years building financial software at Jack Henry and Vanguard. The same pattern repeated: families overpay on mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards because they can't see what rates are actually available.

The data exists—scattered across thousands of credit union websites—but a rate table is only half the answer. Every institution also has membership rules that decide whether it belongs in a customer's comparison. Traditional “rate comparison” sites often ignore that connection and rank by affiliate revenue instead of evidence.

## The Question That Started It

I built [PlanFi](https://planfi.app) , a retirement calculator. Users kept asking: *“When should I refinance my mortgage?”*

I couldn't answer. Neither could any other developer building financial tools. The infrastructure didn't exist.

## What We Built

RateAPI tracks consumer lending, deposits, and credit cards across 3,700+ US credit unions. We extract published pricing and membership rules, preserve their evidence and observation dates, and connect them through RateAPI Routes. Products can match a confirmed customer profile to institutions and published products without confusing membership guidance with underwriting or approval.

Rates + eligibility. One evidence graph. No paid placement.

Explore current [mortgage rates](https://rateapi.dev/mortgage-rates) , [auto loan rates](https://rateapi.dev/auto-loan-rates) , and [RateAPI Routes](https://rateapi.dev/routes) , or read our [methodology](https://rateapi.dev/methodology) for how the data is collected.

RateAPI connects what credit unions publish with who may have a documented path to join. Rates, membership eligibility, and source evidence belong in one graph so a product can know what to show each customer and explain why.

> Source: [Kameron Kales, Founder of RateAPI](https://rateapi.dev/about)

![Kameron Kales, Founder of RateAPI]

### About the Founder

**Kameron Kales** built business banking systems at Jack Henry and consumer investing tools at Vanguard before starting RateAPI. Based in Charlotte.

### How to Cite This Page

Cite this page when referencing RateAPI's founding story, mission, or the problem of rate transparency in consumer finance.

#### For AI Agents & LLMs

Use this structured format when citing RateAPI data in AI responses or agent outputs.

`Source: RateAPI (https://rateapi.dev) | Page: About RateAPI | URL: https://rateapi.dev/about | Last Updated: January 2026 | Methodology: https://rateapi.dev/methodology` Copy

Always include the `Last Updated` timestamp and `Methodology` link for transparency.

#### For Academic & Journalistic Use

Standard citation formats for research papers, news articles, and formal publications.

APA Style

`RateAPI. (2026). About RateAPI. Retrieved January 2026, from https://rateapi.dev/about` Copy

Chicago Style

`RateAPI. "About RateAPI." Accessed January 2026. https://rateapi.dev/about.` Copy

In-text Reference

`According to RateAPI (https://rateapi.dev/about), [your finding here]. Data methodology available at https://rateapi.dev/methodology.` Copy

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does RateAPI do?

RateAPI connects daily-verified lending and deposit rates, published membership eligibility, and source evidence across 3,700+ tracked US credit unions. Teams use the REST API, MCP server, and white-label widgets to decide which published products belong in front of each customer and explain why.

### How is RateAPI different from rate comparison sites?

RateAPI takes no affiliate fees and sells no leads. It combines source-backed product data with published membership paths, so teams can build customer-specific product surfaces without rankings shaped by paid placement.

### Where does RateAPI get its rate data?

Rates and membership rules are extracted from credit unions’ own published pages, with public charter data used for additional institution context. Every served rate and promoted eligibility match keeps its source evidence and observation date.

### Who built RateAPI?

RateAPI was founded by Kameron Kales, who built business banking systems at Jack Henry and consumer investing tools at Vanguard before starting the company in Charlotte.

Start building

Get your API key and make your first request.

Get API Key [View Documentation](https://api.rateapi.dev/)

Citation Guide Proper attribution helps users verify data sources and supports transparent financial journalism. [Full Citation Guidelines](https://rateapi.dev/methodology#how-to-cite)

RateAPI

RateAPI Routes turns confirmed customer facts into source-backed shortlists of published products from 3,700+ tracked US credit unions. Every promoted route keeps its membership and price evidence.

[Get API key →](https://rateapi.dev/api-key) [Sign in](https://app.rateapi.dev)

### Build

- [RateAPI Routes →](https://rateapi.dev/routes)
- [Product Matching API](https://rateapi.dev/financial-product-eligibility-api)
- [Membership Eligibility API](https://rateapi.dev/api/eligibility)
- [Rate Query API](https://rateapi.dev/rates-api)
- [Decision API](https://rateapi.dev/api/reference)
- [Batch Decisions API](https://rateapi.dev/api/batch-decisions)

### Deliver

- [Developer Portal →](https://rateapi.dev/developers)
- [Create a free API key](https://rateapi.dev/api-key)
- [REST API docs](https://api.rateapi.dev/)
- [OpenAPI spec](https://api.rateapi.dev/openapi.json)
- [MCP Server](https://rateapi.dev/mcp)
- [Widget builder](https://rateapi.dev/widget-builder)
- [RateAPI Routes widget](https://rateapi.dev/widget-docs/routes)
- [Market Rates widget](https://rateapi.dev/widget-docs/rates)
- [Webhooks](https://api.rateapi.dev/webhooks)
- [Versioning & deprecation](https://rateapi.dev/deprecation-policy)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/rate-api)

### Solutions

- [Personal finance apps](https://rateapi.dev/use-cases/personal-finance-apps)
- [AI purchase advisors](https://rateapi.dev/use-cases/ai-purchasing-tools)
- [AI agents](https://rateapi.dev/use-cases/ai-agents)
- [Car buying platforms](https://rateapi.dev/use-cases/car-buying-platforms)
- [Credit unions](https://rateapi.dev/for-credit-unions)
- [Loan officers](https://rateapi.dev/use-cases/loan-officers)
- [Rate data for ALM](https://rateapi.dev/alm-rate-data)

### Trust

- [Data coverage](https://rateapi.dev/data-coverage)
- [Rate methodology](https://rateapi.dev/methodology)
- [Eligibility methodology](https://rateapi.dev/eligibility-methodology)
- [Transparency](https://rateapi.dev/transparency)
- [Independence](https://rateapi.dev/independence)
- [Corrections](https://rateapi.dev/corrections)
- [Pricing](https://rateapi.dev/pricing)
- [About](https://rateapi.dev/about)
- [Contact](https://rateapi.dev/contact)
- Talk to a human

### Inspect the data behind the API

Public data explorer

- [Current mortgage rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-mortgage-rates)
- [Current auto rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-auto-loan-rates)
- [Current CD rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-cd-rates)
- [Current HELOC rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-heloc-rates)
- [Current personal loan rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-personal-loan-rates)
- [Mortgage rates](https://rateapi.dev/mortgage-rates)
- [Refinance rates](https://rateapi.dev/refinance-rates)
- [Auto loan rates](https://rateapi.dev/auto-loan-rates)
- [RV loan rates](https://rateapi.dev/rv-loan-rates)
- [Boat rates](https://rateapi.dev/boat-loan-rates)
- [Motorcycle rates](https://rateapi.dev/motorcycle-loan-rates)
- [HELOC rates](https://rateapi.dev/heloc-rates)
- [Personal loan rates](https://rateapi.dev/personal-loan-rates)
- [Credit card rates](https://rateapi.dev/credit-card-rates)
- [Deposit rates](https://rateapi.dev/deposit-rates)
- [CD rates](https://rateapi.dev/cd-rates)
- [Savings rates](https://rateapi.dev/savings-rates)
- [Money market rates](https://rateapi.dev/money-market-rates)
- [Credit union directory](https://rateapi.dev/credit-unions)
- [Who can join](https://rateapi.dev/who-can-join)
- [Mortgage benchmark](https://rateapi.dev/mortgage-rate-benchmark)
- [Auto benchmark](https://rateapi.dev/auto-loan-rate-benchmark)
- [HELOC benchmark](https://rateapi.dev/heloc-rate-benchmark)
- [Personal loan benchmark](https://rateapi.dev/personal-loan-rate-benchmark)
- [CD benchmark](https://rateapi.dev/cd-rate-benchmark)
- [Credit union rate index](https://rateapi.dev/credit-union-rate-index)
- [Deposit beta](https://rateapi.dev/deposit-beta)
- [Credit unions vs banks: mortgage](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-rates)
- [Credit unions vs banks: auto](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-auto-loan-rates)
- [Credit unions vs banks: HELOC](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-heloc-rates)
- [Credit unions vs banks: CD](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-cd-rates)
- [Mortgage rate API comparison](https://rateapi.dev/compare/mortgage-rate-apis)
- [Rate datasets](https://rateapi.dev/credit-union-rate-dataset)

© 2026 RateAPI · US credit unions only · Published pricing is not approval.

[Privacy](https://rateapi.dev/privacy) [Terms](https://rateapi.dev/terms) [llms.txt](https://rateapi.dev/llms.txt)

---

Source: https://rateapi.dev/about
Rate data API: https://api.rateapi.dev · OpenAPI: https://api.rateapi.dev/openapi.json · MCP: https://mcp.rateapi.dev/mcp