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Highlands County, Florida
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.
Highlands County, Florida, saw 4,289 HMDA-reported applications and 2,228 originations ($478m) in 2024.
That is 47.5 originations per 1,000 households, against 54.4 for Florida and 48.0 nationally.
The county's denial rate was 29.5%, close to the state rate of 29.0%. The median rate spread on originated loans was 0.5 percentage points and 14.0% of originations were 1.5 points or more above the average prime offer rate.
41 lenders reached 25 applications in the county; the most active by originations were Midflorida Credit Union (201), Rocket Mortgage (188) and United Wholesale Mortgage (173).
Originations were up 6% on 2023.
Most active lenders
Lenders with at least 25 applications in the county, by originations; up to 40 shown of 41. Denial rate is denials over decided applications in this county.
Compared with Florida and the nation
| Measure | This county | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denial rate | 29.5% | 29.0% | 24.3% |
| Median rate spread, pp | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Originations with spread of 1.5 pp or more | 14.0% | 16.4% | 15.6% |
| Average originated loan | $215k | $359k | $329k |
| Originations per 1,000 households | 47.5 | 54.4 | 48.0 |
| Home purchase share of originations | 62.5% | 62.9% | 57.0% |
| FHA-insured share | 21.1% | 17.7% | 13.4% |
| VA-guaranteed share | 10.5% | 9.5% | 7.9% |
Rate spread distribution
Share of 1,876 originated loans with a reported rate spread, by spread over the average prime offer rate (outlined bar: Florida). 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 63% (1,393)Home improvement 7% (157)Refinancing 9% (195)Cash-out refinancing 14% (310)Other purpose 8% (172)
By type
Conventional 66% (1,470)FHA 21% (470)VA 11% (234)USDA 2% (54)
Trend by year
ApplicationsOriginations
This countyFlorida
Questions and answers
Which lenders are most active in Highlands County, FL?
By 2024 originations: Midflorida Credit Union (201), Rocket Mortgage (188), United Wholesale Mortgage (173), Leaderone Financial Corp. (114), Metroplex Mortgage Services (107). 41 lenders had at least 25 applications in the county.
What is the mortgage denial rate in Highlands County?
29.5% of decided applications were denied in 2024, against 29.0% across Florida and 24.3% nationally.
How many mortgages were originated in Highlands County in 2024?
2,228 loans totalling $478m, from 4,289 applications; 47.5 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 12055; 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.