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Benton County, Minnesota
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 1,193 mortgage applications in Benton County, Minnesota, for 2024, and originated 819 loans worth $162m.
That is 49.0 originations per 1,000 households, against 48.8 for Minnesota and 48.0 nationally.
The county's denial rate was 18.3%, close to the state rate of 16.9%. The median rate spread on originated loans was 0.5 percentage points and 18.3% of originations were 1.5 points or more above the average prime offer rate.
14 lenders reached 25 applications in the county; the most active by originations were St. Cloud Financial Credit Union (58), Liberty Bank Minnesota (40) and Rocket Mortgage (36).
Originations were up 18% on 2023.
Most active lenders
| # | Lender | Applications | Originations | Amount | Denial rate | Median spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Cloud Financial Credit Union | 66 | 58 | $8.6m | 9.4% | — |
| 2 | Liberty Bank Minnesota | 45 | 40 | $9.2m | 4.8% | — |
| 3 | Rocket Mortgage | 46 | 36 | $6.8m | 14.3% | — |
| 4 | United Wholesale Mortgage | 38 | 33 | $8.4m | 5.4% | — |
| 5 | Bremer Bank NA | 41 | 32 | $6.8m | 11.1% | — |
| 6 | Homeowners Financial Group, LLC | 36 | 29 | $5.4m | 12.1% | — |
| 7 | Us Bank, N.A. | 47 | 28 | $5.0m | 32.6% | — |
| 8 | Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc | 30 | 23 | $5.8m | 7.7% | — |
| 9 | Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union | 34 | 22 | $1.7m | 25.8% | — |
| 10 | Magnifi Financial Credit Union | 32 | 20 | $3.9m | 16.7% | — |
| 11 | Fairway Independent Mort Corp | 25 | 18 | $2.8m | — | — |
| 12 | Triad Financial Services, Inc. | 60 | 16 | $710k | 61.7% | — |
| 13 | Freedom Mortgage Corporation | 27 | 16 | $4.5m | — | — |
| 14 | Pennymac Loan Services LLC | 25 | 15 | $3.7m | — | — |
Lenders with at least 25 applications in the county, by originations; up to 40 shown of 14. Denial rate is denials over decided applications in this county.
Compared with Minnesota and the nation
| Measure | This county | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denial rate | 18.3% | 16.9% | 24.3% |
| Median rate spread, pp | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Originations with spread of 1.5 pp or more | 18.3% | 13.2% | 15.6% |
| Average originated loan | $198k | $269k | $329k |
| Originations per 1,000 households | 49.0 | 48.8 | 48.0 |
| Home purchase share of originations | 60.7% | 60.9% | 57.0% |
| FHA-insured share | 12.1% | 7.9% | 13.4% |
| VA-guaranteed share | 5.5% | 4.6% | 7.9% |
Rate spread distribution
Share of 709 originated loans with a reported rate spread, by spread over the average prime offer rate (outlined bar: Minnesota). 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% (497)Home improvement 8% (62)Refinancing 10% (79)Cash-out refinancing 14% (111)Other purpose 9% (70)
By type
Conventional 82% (668)FHA 12% (99)VA 5% (45)USDA 1% (7)
Trend by year
ApplicationsOriginations
This countyMinnesota
Questions and answers
Which lenders are most active in Benton County, MN?
By 2024 originations: St. Cloud Financial Credit Union (58), Liberty Bank Minnesota (40), Rocket Mortgage (36), United Wholesale Mortgage (33), Bremer Bank NA (32). 14 lenders had at least 25 applications in the county.
What is the mortgage denial rate in Benton County?
18.3% of decided applications were denied in 2024, against 16.9% across Minnesota and 24.3% nationally.
How many mortgages were originated in Benton County in 2024?
819 loans totalling $162m, from 1,193 applications; 49.0 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 27009; 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.