Columbia
Metropolitan Statistical Area · MSA Code 17860
According to CFPB HMDA 2024 application volume among tracked metros, Columbia ranks #259 of 418.
Mortgage lending activity in the Columbia 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 Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA code 17860) recorded 7,176 HMDA-reported mortgage applications in 2024. Lenders originated 4,038 of those and denied others at a rate of 10.9%, for an approval (origination) rate of 56.3%. The average loan amount across the MSA was $249,546 at an average note rate of 6.95%. 20 major lenders are tracked for this metro - The Central Trust Bank, Flat Branch Mortgage, INC., River Region Community Federal Credit Union lead by origination volume. Among the 418 metros tracked, Columbia ranks #18 by denial rate (the 96th 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 Columbia denial rate averages across urban core, inner suburbs, and outer commuter communities with very different borrower profiles. A 10.9% denial rate at the MSA level can coexist with widely varying individual-lender denial rates; $249,546 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 Columbia
In Columbia, lead originator The Central Trust Bank funded 16.1% of 4,038 originated loans, above the fleet's upper tercile (~12.8% top-1). The top three reporters together hold 34.0% of the book, so a handful of names dominate disclosed volume here.
Metros With a Similar Denial Rate
The metro areas closest to Columbia's 10.9% denial rate among all 418 tracked MSAs.
Metros With Similar Application Volume
Nationwide MSAs nearest to Columbia's 7,176 HMDA applications (deduped against the denial-rate neighbourhood).
Metros With a Similar Average Loan
Nationwide MSAs nearest to Columbia's $249,546 average loan (deduped against denial and volume peers).
Lenders active in the Columbia metro
The Central Trust Bank funded 650 of the 4,038 loans originated here, 16.1% of the metro. 20 reporting lenders follow.
| # | Lender | Originated | Applications | Avg Loan | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Central Trust Bank | 650 | 947 | $200,671 | 16.1% |
| 2 | Flat Branch Mortgage, INC. | 493 | 628 | $254,299 | 12.2% |
| 3 | River Region Community Federal Credit Union | 228 | 299 | $208,846 | 5.6% |
| 4 | Rocket Mortgage | 157 | 205 | $217,049 | 3.9% |
| 5 | Mortgage Research Center | 117 | 212 | $276,226 | 2.9% |
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 Columbia 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 Columbia 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.