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Watauga County, North Carolina
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 1,607 mortgage applications in Watauga County, North Carolina, for 2024, and originated 979 loans worth $359m.
That is 46.2 originations per 1,000 households, against 60.0 for North Carolina and 48.0 nationally.
The county's denial rate was 20.0%, below the state rate of 24.0%. The median rate spread on originated loans was 0.2 percentage points and 10.0% 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 State Employees' Credit Union (165), Rocket Mortgage (85) and Movement Mortgage, LLC (45).
Originations were down 13% on 2023.
Most active lenders
| # | Lender | Applications | Originations | Amount | Denial rate | Median spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Employees' Credit Union | 241 | 165 | $44m | 11.6% | — |
| 2 | Rocket Mortgage | 113 | 85 | $27m | 20.4% | — |
| 3 | Movement Mortgage, LLC | 51 | 45 | $19m | 4.2% | — |
| 4 | First Ciitizens Bank and Trust | 61 | 41 | $16m | 22.2% | — |
| 5 | Truist Bank | 67 | 35 | $12m | 35.2% | — |
| 6 | United Wholesale Mortgage | 41 | 34 | $11m | 10.3% | — |
| 7 | First National Bank of Pa | 43 | 26 | $13m | 29.7% | — |
| 8 | Bank of America NA | 58 | 25 | $11m | 35.7% | — |
| 9 | Skyline National Bank | 27 | 25 | $5.4m | 7.4% | — |
| 10 | United Community Bank | 33 | 22 | $7.2m | 14.8% | — |
| 11 | Fairway Independent Mort Corp | 28 | 19 | $7.8m | — | — |
| 12 | Navy Federal Credit Union | 29 | 15 | $4.7m | — | — |
| 13 | Discover Bank | 35 | 6 | $650k | — | — |
| 14 | Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc | 26 | 2 | $260k | — | — |
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 North Carolina and the nation
| Measure | This county | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denial rate | 20.0% | 24.0% | 24.3% |
| Median rate spread, pp | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Originations with spread of 1.5 pp or more | 10.0% | 11.8% | 15.6% |
| Average originated loan | $367k | $299k | $329k |
| Originations per 1,000 households | 46.2 | 60.0 | 48.0 |
| Home purchase share of originations | 56.4% | 56.3% | 57.0% |
| FHA-insured share | 1.6% | 11.8% | 13.4% |
| VA-guaranteed share | 3.1% | 11.8% | 7.9% |
Rate spread distribution
Share of 823 originated loans with a reported rate spread, by spread over the average prime offer rate (outlined bar: North Carolina). 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 56% (552)Home improvement 13% (124)Refinancing 10% (102)Cash-out refinancing 10% (95)Other purpose 11% (106)
By type
Conventional 95% (931)FHA 2% (16)VA 3% (30)USDA 0% (2)
Trend by year
ApplicationsOriginations
This countyNorth Carolina
Questions and answers
Which lenders are most active in Watauga County, NC?
By 2024 originations: State Employees' Credit Union (165), Rocket Mortgage (85), Movement Mortgage, LLC (45), First Ciitizens Bank and Trust (41), Truist Bank (35). 14 lenders had at least 25 applications in the county.
What is the mortgage denial rate in Watauga County?
20.0% of decided applications were denied in 2024, against 24.0% across North Carolina and 24.3% nationally.
How many mortgages were originated in Watauga County in 2024?
979 loans totalling $359m, from 1,607 applications; 46.2 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 37189; households and population from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2024 five-year estimates; Vintage 2024 population estimates). Built 1 Oct 2026; data through 1 Aug 2026. See methodology and corrections.