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Kern County, California
Mortgage lending record for properties in the county, calendar year 2024.
HMDA data alone cannot be used to determine whether a lender is complying with fair lending laws. The data do not include some legitimate credit risk considerations for loan approval and loan pricing decisions. Cells under 25 applications are withheld.
Kern County, California, saw 25,014 HMDA-reported applications and 13,663 originations ($3.9bn) in 2024.
That is 48.0 originations per 1,000 households, against 37.7 for California and 48.0 nationally.
The county's denial rate was 25.3%, close to the state rate of 24.8%. The median rate spread on originated loans was 0.5 percentage points and 20.4% of originations were 1.5 points or more above the average prime offer rate.
123 lenders reached 25 applications in the county; the most active by originations were United Wholesale Mortgage (1,779), Rocket Mortgage (1,163) and Valley Strong Credit Union (502).
Originations were up 15% on 2023.
Most active lenders
Lenders with at least 25 applications in the county, by originations; up to 40 shown of 123. Denial rate is denials over decided applications in this county.
Compared with California and the nation
| Measure | This county | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denial rate | 25.3% | 24.8% | 24.3% |
| Median rate spread, pp | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Originations with spread of 1.5 pp or more | 20.4% | 19.9% | 15.6% |
| Average originated loan | $285k | $566k | $329k |
| Originations per 1,000 households | 48.0 | 37.7 | 48.0 |
| Home purchase share of originations | 60.7% | 51.2% | 57.0% |
| FHA-insured share | 26.9% | 11.4% | 13.4% |
| VA-guaranteed share | 8.0% | 4.8% | 7.9% |
Rate spread distribution
Share of 12,099 originated loans with a reported rate spread, by spread over the average prime offer rate (outlined bar: California). Loans at 1.5 points or more on a first lien are what Regulation C calls higher-priced.
Loan purpose and loan type
By purpose
Home purchase 61% (8,298)Home improvement 6% (766)Refinancing 8% (1,100)Cash-out refinancing 15% (2,103)Other purpose 10% (1,385)
By type
Conventional 65% (8,882)FHA 27% (3,671)VA 8% (1,088)USDA 0% (22)
Trend by year
ApplicationsOriginations
This countyCalifornia
Questions and answers
Which lenders are most active in Kern County, CA?
By 2024 originations: United Wholesale Mortgage (1,779), Rocket Mortgage (1,163), Valley Strong Credit Union (502), Golden Empire Mortgage, Inc. (450), Peoples Mortgage Company (419). 123 lenders had at least 25 applications in the county.
What is the mortgage denial rate in Kern County?
25.3% of decided applications were denied in 2024, against 24.8% across California and 24.3% nationally.
How many mortgages were originated in Kern County in 2024?
13,663 loans totalling $3.9bn, from 25,014 applications; 48.0 originations per 1,000 households.
Where does this data come from?
From the 2024 public HMDA loan/application register (FFIEC and CFPB), by property county; households from the Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates.
Provenance
Source: HMDA public loan/application register 2022, 2023, 2024 (FFIEC and CFPB, public domain), records with a property in county FIPS 06029; households and population from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2024 five-year estimates; Vintage 2024 population estimates). Built 30 Sep 2026; data through 1 Aug 2026. See methodology and corrections.