FRC Research · Reference

Mortgage Dictionary

72 terms every homebuyer and broker should know — with real HMDA data context where it matters. Not just definitions. What the numbers actually show.

72 terms
72 terms
7 categories
8 years HMDA data referenced
310K FHA records analyzed

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Definitions reflect standard industry usage and FRC Research analysis. HMDA-based statistics sourced from CFPB Public Loan-Level Dataset 2018–2025. FRC-specific terms (OFI, CSS, LSI, Decision DNA, denial genes) are proprietary analytical frameworks based on public data. For educational purposes only. Not financial advice.

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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.

Which lenders approve most → Your metro → Denied? →

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.

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FinanceRateCalc · Independent analysis of the complete federal HMDA record · Measured, not assumed. · No lender or AI vendor funds or previews this work.