Athens-Clarke County
Metropolitan Statistical Area · MSA Code 12020
According to CFPB HMDA 2024 application volume among tracked metros, Athens-Clarke County ranks #262 of 418.
Mortgage lending activity in the Athens-Clarke County metro area based on lender filings under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Data covers all applications received by HMDA-reporting institutions operating in this geography during 2024. Why mortgages get denied walks the denial-reason codes that appear in books like this one.
Metro-area mortgage activity. The Athens-Clarke County Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA code 12020) recorded 7,011 HMDA-reported mortgage applications in 2024. Lenders originated 3,733 of those and denied others at a rate of 14.9%, for an approval (origination) rate of 53.2%. The average loan amount across the MSA was $306,776 at an average note rate of 7.21%. 20 major lenders are tracked for this metro - Rocket Mortgage, United Wholesale Mortgage, Synovus Bank lead by origination volume. Among the 418 metros tracked, Athens-Clarke County ranks #123 by denial rate (the 71st percentile for approval-friendliness), and shares its 5-point denial-rate band with 117 other tracked metros.
What MSA numbers tell you, and what they don't. Metro area boundaries are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and typically span multiple counties, so a single Athens-Clarke County denial rate averages across urban core, inner suburbs, and outer commuter communities with very different borrower profiles. A 14.9% denial rate at the MSA level can coexist with widely varying individual-lender denial rates; $306,776 average loan size reflects the MSA's property values and the borrower pool that actually applied, not any single neighborhood. This page is informational data reporting, not financial, legal, or mortgage advice.
Lender concentration in Athens-Clarke County
In Athens-Clarke County, lead originator Rocket Mortgage funded only 6.4% of 3,733 originated loans, below the fleet's lower tercile (~8.7% top-1 share). The top three reporters together hold 17.5% of the book, so shopping across channels still meets many active filers.
Metros With a Similar Denial Rate
The metro areas closest to Athens-Clarke County's 14.9% denial rate among all 418 tracked MSAs.
Metros With Similar Application Volume
Nationwide MSAs nearest to Athens-Clarke County's 7,011 HMDA applications (deduped against the denial-rate neighbourhood).
Metros With a Similar Average Loan
Nationwide MSAs nearest to Athens-Clarke County's $306,776 average loan (deduped against denial and volume peers).
Lenders active in the Athens-Clarke County metro
Rocket Mortgage funded 238 of the 3,733 loans originated here, 6.4% of the metro. 20 reporting lenders follow.
| # | Lender | Originated | Applications | Avg Loan | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocket Mortgage | 238 | 309 | $227,265 | 6.4% |
| 2 | United Wholesale Mortgage | 225 | 281 | $311,121 | 6.0% |
| 3 | Synovus Bank | 192 | 294 | $323,435 | 5.1% |
| 4 | Regions Bank | 154 | 293 | $323,635 | 4.1% |
| 5 | Oconee State Bank | 140 | 178 | $243,989 | 3.8% |
Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) 2024. Metropolitan Statistical Areas defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Data from FFIEC / CFPB HMDA Snapshot National Loan-Level Dataset (2024). Provided for informational purposes only; does not constitute financial advice for Athens-Clarke County borrowers.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Every figure on PlainLender is rendered directly from CFPB HMDA federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This Athens-Clarke 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.