North Carolina mortgage lending data
South region · HMDA 2023 reporting year
In North Carolina, the 2023 mortgage denial rate was 19.6% — close to the national denial rate (+0.0 points vs the 19.6% national rate), ranking it #16 of 51. Lenders originated about 188,875 home-purchase and refinance loans (rank #4). The home-purchase denial rate was 15.2% and refinance 31.0%. By loan type, conventional loans were 79.1%, FHA 11.0%, VA 9.5% and USDA/RHS 0.4%. Informational data, not lending advice.
Source: HMDA Data Browser (FFIEC / CFPB). Data as of June 2026.
North Carolina mortgage lending at a glance
| Indicator | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Total originations (purchase + refinance, 2023) | 188,875 |
| Denied applications | 46,085 |
| Mortgage denial rate | 19.6% |
| Denial-rate rank (1 = highest of 51) | #16 |
| Home-purchase denial rate | 15.2% |
| Refinance denial rate | 31.0% |
| Volume rank (1 = most loans of 51) | #4 |
Source: HMDA Data Browser (FFIEC / CFPB) (2023 reporting year). Data as of June 2026.
Source: HMDA Data Browser (2023), public domain. Denial rate = denied ÷ (originated + denied). Informational only — verify before relying on it.
What the denial rate means
North Carolina's mortgage denial rate of 19.6% means that for every 100 applications that were either approved-and-originated or denied, about 20 were turned down. That is about average compared with the national figure of 19.6%. Denial rates are driven by applicant credit scores, debt-to-income ratios, the loan type and local home prices — not only by how strict lenders are. Refinance applications are often denied at a different rate than purchase loans: in North Carolina the purchase denial rate was 15.2% versus 31.0% for refinances.
North Carolina loan-type mix
How North Carolina's 188,875 originations break down by loan program. A higher FHA or VA share usually points to more first-time buyers, lower down payments, or a large veteran population.
| Loan type | Originations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional | 193,210 | 79.1% |
| FHA | 26,866 | 11.0% |
| VA | 23,235 | 9.5% |
| USDA / RHS | 1,097 | 0.4% |
Source: HMDA Data Browser (FFIEC / CFPB) (2023). Data as of June 2026.
See FHA vs VA vs conventional for what each program is. Shares are over loans with a reported type and may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.
States with a similar denial rate to North Carolina
| State | Denial rate | Originations | FHA share | VA share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina (this state) | 19.6% | 188,875 | 11.0% | 9.5% |
| Delaware | 20.0% | 17,361 | 15.0% | 6.3% |
| Michigan | 20.0% | 141,464 | 10.9% | 3.6% |
| California | 19.1% | 335,898 | 11.7% | 4.1% |
| Hawaii | 20.1% | 12,213 | 4.0% | 12.9% |
| New Jersey | 19.0% | 106,113 | 12.0% | 2.4% |
Frequently asked questions
What was the mortgage denial rate in North Carolina in 2023?
In 2023, the mortgage denial rate in North Carolina was about 19.6% — that is, 46,085 applications were denied out of 234,960 that were either originated or denied. That is +0.0 points versus the national rate of 19.6%, and ranks North Carolina #16 of 51 from highest to lowest. Figures are from HMDA; verify before relying on them.
How many mortgages were originated in North Carolina?
Lenders originated about 188,875 home-purchase and refinance loans in North Carolina in 2023 (HMDA reporting year), ranking it #4 of 51 by volume. Of those, the home-purchase denial rate was 15.2% and the refinance denial rate was 31.0%.
What share of North Carolina mortgages are FHA or VA loans?
In North Carolina, FHA loans made up about 11.0% of originations and VA loans about 9.5%, with conventional loans the largest share at 79.1% and USDA/RHS loans 0.4%. Higher government-backed shares often reflect more first-time and lower-down-payment buyers.
Is it harder to get a mortgage in North Carolina than elsewhere?
North Carolina's denial rate of 19.6% is close to the national denial rate. Denial rates reflect applicant credit, income and debt, loan type and local home prices as much as lender behavior, so a higher rate does not by itself mean stricter lenders. States with the most similar denial rates to North Carolina are Delaware, Michigan, California.
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Sources & accuracy
All counts are from the HMDA Data Browser (FFIEC / CFPB, 2023 reporting year, public domain). Denial rate, loan-type shares and ranks are transparent calculations over those counts (see methodology). This page is informational and is not financial or lending advice — verify with a licensed lender before making a decision.
Last updated: 2026-06-20