Mortgage lender · South Burlington, VT · LEI 549300T2FOBK6WY4B349

North Country review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

North Country earns a C, in line with the typical performance of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 13.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 87th percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 1.00 points above the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 8th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.2kApplications2025
64.4%Originatedof applications
13.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
7.02%Median ratenational 6.63%
$121MLoan volume18 states

North Country at a glance, 2025

Every figure is from the lender's own HMDA filing. "vs national" compares with all lenders combined.

9.7%Denial rate (all applications)-8.29 pts vs national
13.0%Denial rate (decided applications)-9.60 pts vs national
64.4%Origination rate+6.38 pts vs national
21.2%Withdrawn by applicant
4.2%Closed for incompleteness
7.02%Median interest rate+0.39 pts vs national
1.00Median rate spread (pts over APOR)+0.75 pts vs national
$105,000Median loan amount
$3,462Median total loan costs
$89kMedian applicant income
67%Median loan-to-value
3High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the C grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

87th13.0% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

8th1.00 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

6th25.4%

Closing coststotal loan costs ÷ loan amount, weight 10%

45th3.30% of loan

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,10458317.8%24.9%7.25%$61M
20241,22368917.5%23.3%7.50%$85M
20251,1977719.7%13.0%7.02%$121M

What North Country lends

Applications by purpose and loan type in 2025, with the denial rate for each. A lender's mix explains a lot of its headline rate: HELOCs and FHA loans are denied far more often than conventional purchase loans.

By loan purpose

Home purchase 325 27% · 11.7% denied
Refinance 298 25% · 7.7% denied
Cash-out refinance 105 9% · 12.4% denied
Home improvement 306 26% · 7.8% denied
Other / HELOC 163 14% · 11.0% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,197 100% · 9.7% denied

Also: 749 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 177 manufactured homes, 81 investment properties.

Why North Country denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 116 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 67 58%
Credit history 25 22%
Collateral 18 16%
Employment history 3 3%
Insufficient cash 2 2%
Other 1 1%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at North Country

Decision denial rate by applicant profile. Groups with fewer than 20 applications are omitted.

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k19510525.5%
$50k – $100k44326916.7%
$100k – $150k2531876.4%
$150k – $250k1841245.3%
Over $250k58338.3%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under 25392125.0%
25–341668910.8%
35–4425615020.9%
45–5427518013.0%
55–642291608.0%
65–7414410010.7%
Over 74554011.1%

Where North Country lends

18 states and 52 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Vermont1,1357409.5%7.25%#3
New Hampshire16831.3%6.97%#214
New York15813.3%7.44%#434
Florida540.0%6.69%#1,132

Frequently asked questions

North Country denied 13.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 87th percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason North Country gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 57.8% of its denials. Lenders report up to four reasons per denial to the CFPB; the full breakdown is on this page.

The median interest rate on loans North Country originated in 2025 was 7.02%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was 1.00 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 27% of its applications were for home purchases, 34% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 39% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 100% conventional, 0% FHA, 0% VA.

Every figure on this page comes from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Loan/Application Register published by the CFPB, which lenders are required by federal law to file. We add the grade and the comparisons; we do not add facts.

About this data. HMDA data is published once a year by the CFPB. The current release covers applications acted on in calendar year 2025. Figures describe applications the lender acted on, including loans it later sold. Interest rates and costs are medians on originated loans only; some depository institutions are exempt from reporting pricing fields, which is why a few cells read "—". MortgageGrades is not affiliated with North Country. Data sources · Methodology