7 years of FHA application data for major mortgage lenders — sourced directly from CFPB HMDA Data Browser. Updated through 2024.
Source: CFPB HMDA Public LAR Dataset · Snapshot 2018–2024 · Manually verified
Key Findings
📉Wells Fargo is exiting FHA — denial rate rose from 46.7% (2018) to 58.5% (2024), a +11.8pp increase over 7 years. FHA volume has dropped 63% since 2019.
🏆CrossCountry is the historically maintained lower FHA denial rates — denial rate has stayed between 5.5% and 8.6% for all 7 years. Lowest variance of any major lender.
🔄Freedom Mortgage: dramatic volatility — went from 49% (2018) to 7.6% (2021) to 24.4% (2024). COVID-era FHA push reversed as volume declined.
📈PennyMac made the biggest improvement — from 52.8% (2018) to 26.6% (2024). Invested heavily in FHA infrastructure 2020–2021.
⚠️loanDepot re-tightening — bottomed at 24.5% in 2020, now back up to 37%. Review carefully for borderline FHA profiles in high-OFI markets markets.
FHA Denial Rate by Lender (2018–2024)
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Methodology: All denial rates calculated as: Application Denied ÷ (Application Denied + Loan Originated) for FHA loan type only. Data sourced from CFPB HMDA Public LAR Snapshot dataset via HMDA Data Browser. Each data point manually verified. Withdrawn applications and incomplete files excluded. National lenders only. Data reflects calendar year activity. Full methodology →
This tool provides historical statistical patterns derived from CFPB HMDA public datasets. It does not predict approvals, guarantee outcomes, or constitute financial advice. Lenders independently evaluate applications using criteria not captured in this data. All scores and rankings reflect historical patterns only. Individual outcomes vary. Always consult a licensed mortgage professional before making application decisions. Full methodology & limitations →
The part almost nobody publishes free
Prices and rates are widely reported. Whether a lender says yes is not. In the complete 2025 federal record, denial rates across the 100 largest FHA lenders ran from 1.8% to 78.7% — same programme, same year.
And it is not simply who applies where: standardizing on state, loan amount, income, debt-to-income and loan-to-value, applicant mix explains only a 2.7× range in expected outcomes.
CFPB HMDA 2025, computed by FinanceRateCalc. Covers the highest-volume lenders published per market, not all lenders. Historical observations, not predictions. CC BY 4.0, not independently reproduced.
The Denial Dispatch
One finding a week from the federal mortgage record.
One chart, three paragraphs, every Saturday. Measured, not assumed.
FinanceRateCalc · Independent analysis of the complete federal HMDA record · Measured, not assumed. · No lender or AI vendor funds or previews this work.