Highlands County

Florida · FIPS 12055

According to CFPB HMDA 2024 application volume among U.S. counties, Highlands County ranks #521 of 3,210, and #38 of 67 in Florida.

Mortgage lending activity in Highlands County, Florida based on lender filings under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Data covers all applications received by HMDA-reporting institutions operating in this county during 2024. Why mortgages get denied walks the denial-reason codes that appear in books like this one.

Local mortgage market. Highlands County, Florida saw 4,845 HMDA-reported mortgage applications in 2024. Lenders originated 2,218 of those loans and denied 987, producing a denial rate of 20.4% and an approval (origination) rate of 45.8%. The average loan amount was $212,851 at an average note rate of 6.86%, with applicants self-reporting average annual income of $39K. 260 distinct institutions reported mortgage activity in this county.

Borrower leverage and affordability signal. The loan-to-income ratio averages 5.5x, meaning typical borrowers took on mortgages of about 5.5 times their annual income. That ratio is a rough affordability signal: higher multiples imply tighter monthly budgets and greater exposure to rate or income shocks. See our methodology for how to read the denial rate against a local applicant pool. This page is informational data reporting, not financial, legal, or mortgage advice.

4,845
Applications
2,218
Originated
20.4%
Denial Rate
$212,851
Avg Loan Amount

Lender concentration in Highlands County

Top-1 share
9.1%
Top-3 share
25.3%
Book band
Dispersed book

In Highlands County, lead originator Midflorida Credit Union funded only 9.1% of 2,218 originated loans, below the county fleet's lower tercile (~10.9% top-1 share). The top three reporters together hold 25.3% of the book, so shopping across channels still meets many active filers.

Counties With Similar Application Volume

Nationwide counties nearest to Highlands County's 4,845 HMDA applications.

Counties With a Similar Average Loan

Nationwide counties nearest to Highlands County's $212,851 average loan (deduped against volume peers).

Lenders active in Highlands County

Midflorida Credit Union funded 201 of the 2,218 loans originated in Highlands County, 9.1% of the county. 260 lenders reported activity here.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) 2024. County FIPS codes per U.S. Census Bureau standards.

Data from FFIEC / CFPB HMDA Snapshot National Loan-Level Dataset (2024). Provided for informational purposes only; does not constitute financial advice for Highlands County borrowers.

Every figure on PlainLender is rendered directly from CFPB HMDA federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This Highlands County page draws directly on CFPB HMDA federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-10. HMDA figures are lender-filed application outcomes for a published reporting year - not creditworthiness scores, rate quotes, Loan Estimates, underwriting decisions, or mortgage advice.