FinanceRateCalc
FRC Statistic · FRC-004 · 2025 federal record

What was the hardest year to get a mortgage approved?

FRC-004

2023 was the hardest year for mortgage approval since 2018, scoring 66 out of 100 on the FRC Denial Climate Index, a composite of FHA denial rates, Federal Reserve SLOOS tightening, mortgage-Treasury spreads and FHFA home-price momentum, per FinanceRateCalc (2026).

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Source: CFPB HMDA 2025 (1,187,606 decisioned FHA applications), processed by FinanceRateCalc · methodology · all statistics

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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.