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Bell County, Kentucky
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.
Lenders reported 574 mortgage applications in Bell County, Kentucky, for 2024, and originated 189 loans worth $26m.
That is 19.0 originations per 1,000 households, against 49.1 for Kentucky and 48.0 nationally.
The county's denial rate was 49.3%, above the state rate of 25.0%. The median rate spread on originated loans was 0.6 percentage points and 19.2% of originations were 1.5 points or more above the average prime offer rate.
6 lenders reached 25 applications in the county; the most active by originations were Community Trust Bank, Inc. (26), Hearthside Bank Corporation (24) and First State Bank of the Southeast, Inc (20).
Originations were down 14% on 2023.
Most active lenders
| # | Lender | Applications | Originations | Amount | Denial rate | Median spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Community Trust Bank, Inc. | 33 | 26 | $4.9m | 15.6% | — |
| 2 | Hearthside Bank Corporation | 32 | 24 | $3.8m | 16.7% | — |
| 3 | First State Bank of the Southeast, Inc | 36 | 20 | $2.0m | 20.0% | — |
| 4 | Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc | 181 | 12 | $1.5m | 82.8% | — |
| 5 | Firstbank | 26 | 2 | $110k | 64.0% | — |
| 6 | Credit Human Federal Credit Un | 27 | 0 | $0 | 100.0% | — |
Lenders with at least 25 applications in the county, by originations; up to 40 shown of 6. Denial rate is denials over decided applications in this county.
Compared with Kentucky and the nation
| Measure | This county | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denial rate | 49.3% | 25.0% | 24.3% |
| Median rate spread, pp | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Originations with spread of 1.5 pp or more | 19.2% | 16.0% | 15.6% |
| Average originated loan | $139k | $219k | $329k |
| Originations per 1,000 households | 19.0 | 49.1 | 48.0 |
| Home purchase share of originations | 66.7% | 55.3% | 57.0% |
| FHA-insured share | 15.3% | 14.6% | 13.4% |
| VA-guaranteed share | 4.8% | 8.0% | 7.9% |
Rate spread distribution
Share of 130 originated loans with a reported rate spread, by spread over the average prime offer rate (outlined bar: Kentucky). 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 67% (126)Home improvement 3% (6)Refinancing 14% (27)Cash-out refinancing 10% (18)Other purpose 6% (12)
By type
Conventional 72% (137)FHA 15% (29)VA 5% (9)USDA 7% (14)
Trend by year
ApplicationsOriginations
This countyKentucky
Questions and answers
Which lenders are most active in Bell County, KY?
By 2024 originations: Community Trust Bank, Inc. (26), Hearthside Bank Corporation (24), First State Bank of the Southeast, Inc (20), Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc (12), Firstbank (2). 6 lenders had at least 25 applications in the county.
What is the mortgage denial rate in Bell County?
49.3% of decided applications were denied in 2024, against 25.0% across Kentucky and 24.3% nationally.
How many mortgages were originated in Bell County in 2024?
189 loans totalling $26m, from 574 applications; 19.0 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 21013; 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.