HMDA data for veterans: how to find lenders that actually close VA loans near you

HMDA does not collect veteran status, but it codes every application as VA, FHA, USDA or conventional, which makes the public data the most reliable way to see which lenders in your county close VA loans in volume and how often they deny them.

Regulation C requires most lenders to report each mortgage application with its loan type, purpose, amount, outcome, denial reasons and applicant demographics. VA-guaranteed loans carry their own loan-type code, and the resulting public file is searchable by lender, county and year. For a veteran choosing between a “military-friendly” brand and a local bank, that file settles the question.

Reading the data before you apply

Filter the HMDA browser to your county, loan type “VA-guaranteed,” and the most recent full year. Three numbers matter: the lender’s VA share of all its originations (a lender doing 40% VA has underwriters who know residual income by heart), its VA denial rate against the county average, and the median rate spread reported for VA loans, which shows whether its VA pricing runs above the average prime offer rate. A lender that reports many VA applications withdrawn or closed for incompleteness may be running a call-center model that loses files when a PCS move intervenes.

What the lender will report about you

Your application generates a record with your age bracket, sex, ethnicity and race (collected under the demographic-information section, which you may decline to answer in writing but which the loan officer must then fill by visual observation or surname if you apply in person), your income as the lender relied on it, debt-to-income bracket, credit-score model and the property’s census tract. Military status, disability rating and BAH are not reported. Denial reasons are coded — debt-to-income, collateral, credit history, insufficient cash — which is why a clear written reason under ECOA should match what the lender later reports.

Why it matters for VA appraisals and pricing

Regulators and researchers use HMDA to test whether VA borrowers are charged more or denied more often in particular markets, including communities around large installations. If you suspect a lender quoted you worse terms than a conventional borrower with the same profile, the lender’s own HMDA rate-spread data for VA loans is the benchmark a complaint to the CFPB would be measured against. The data also reveals lenders that report “collateral” as a frequent VA denial reason — a signal that they walk away at the first Tidewater notice instead of pursuing a reconsideration of value.

Limits of the data

• Small lenders and credit unions below the reporting threshold are missing; some base-adjacent credit unions with strong VA programs will not appear.
• The file lags about a year, so a lender that recently lost its VA automatic authority still looks healthy.
• The data shows volume, not service quality or fee levels; pair it with an NMLS check and two Loan Estimates.

Details of the reporting fields are on the HMDA page; for the rest of lender selection see pre-approval vs pre-qualification.

What to check

• Pull the latest HMDA data for your county filtered to VA loans and rank lenders by VA volume and denial rate.
• Compare a lender’s VA rate spread with its conventional spread to detect VA-specific markups.
• Know that your age, sex, race and ethnicity will be reported; declining to answer is allowed, but in-person applications are filled by observation.
• Treat a high “collateral” denial rate on VA loans as a sign the lender gives up on appraisal shortfalls.

Frequently asked questions

Does HMDA show whether a lender is good with VA loans?

It shows volume and outcomes, not service. A lender with a large VA share in your county, a VA denial rate below the local average and a rate spread in line with its conventional loans is statistically a safer pick. Check the lender and loan officer on NMLS as well, and request a Loan Estimate from at least one other lender.

Is my veteran status reported under HMDA?

No. Regulation C collects loan type (VA-guaranteed is its own code), age, sex, ethnicity, race, income, DTI, credit-score model, census tract and action taken, but nothing about service, disability rating or allowances. Your record cannot be traced to you by name in the public file; it is released with some fields modified to protect privacy.

The rule in full: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) and Regulation C. The borrower profile: Veterans and service members. Related guides: Conventional vs FHA vs VA vs USDA: the four loan types compared · Closing costs explained: what is negotiable, what is not · Credit score needed to buy a house: minimums by loan type, and what it costs to be average · FHA vs conventional for a first-time buyer: which loan wins, and when.

Other federal rules for veterans and service members

TILA / Reg Z · RESPA · TRID disclosures · ECOA · Fair Housing Act · SAFE Act / NMLS · ATR / QM · HOEPA · HPA / PMI · Servicing rules · FCRA · Flood insurance · MARS rule · SCRA · LO compensation

HMDA for other borrowers

First-time buyers · Conventional borrowers · Self-employed · Investors · Retirees · Bad credit · Foreign nationals · Physicians · Heroes · Rural buyers · Condo & second home · Refinancing