Largest lenders in Santa Cruz County
| # | Lender | Grade | Applications | Originated | Denial rate | Median rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bay | D | 601 | 391 | 13.0% | 7.63% |
| 2 | Crosscountry Mortgage | B | 412 | 315 | 1.9% | 6.75% |
| 3 | Rocket Mortgage | C | 412 | 310 | 15.1% | 6.75% |
| 4 | United Shore Financial Services | B | 245 | 181 | 13.1% | 6.50% |
| 5 | Bank of America | F | 200 | 86 | 26.0% | 6.24% |
| 6 | U.S. Bank | D | 181 | 101 | 18.2% | 6.88% |
| 7 | Comerica Bank | C | 140 | 68 | 34.3% | 5.99% |
| 8 | JPMorgan Chase Bank | B | 116 | 85 | 8.6% | 6.13% |
| 9 | Mason Mcduffie Mortgage | C | 109 | 79 | 8.3% | 6.63% |
| 10 | Spring Eq | D | 102 | 34 | 45.1% | 8.78% |
| 11 | Pennymac Loan Services | C | 95 | 57 | 8.4% | 6.63% |
| 12 | Wells Fargo Bank | B | 90 | 63 | 12.2% | 6.38% |
| 13 | STAR ONE Credit Union | B | 87 | 57 | 24.1% | 6.50% |
| 14 | BMO Bank | F | 79 | 32 | 26.6% | 7.16% |
| 15 | Guaranteed Rate | B | 73 | 40 | 5.5% | 6.63% |
| 16 | Newrez | D | 71 | 19 | 18.3% | 6.63% |
| 17 | Guild Mortgage | A | 64 | 52 | 3.1% | 6.75% |
| 18 | Coastal Community Bank | C | 64 | 11 | 0.0% | 9.49% |
| 19 | Loandepot.Com | D | 61 | 31 | 16.4% | 6.99% |
| 20 | Broker Solutions | D | 58 | 17 | 3.5% | 6.88% |
| 21 | Third Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland | C | 52 | 31 | 26.9% | 6.99% |
| 22 | Nationstar Mortgage | C | 50 | 31 | 18.0% | 8.25% |
| 23 | Figure Lending | C | 49 | 17 | 34.7% | 8.05% |
| 24 | Premier Mortgage Resources | B | 47 | 38 | 0.0% | 6.56% |
| 25 | Better Mortgage | F | 45 | 13 | 33.3% | 8.00% |
Best approval odds in Santa Cruz County
Lowest decision denial rate among lenders that decided at least 50 applications here in 2025.
| # | Lender | Decided | Decision denial rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crosscountry Mortgage | 326 | 2.5% |
| 2 | Guild Mortgage | 60 | 3.3% |
| 3 | Mason Mcduffie Mortgage | 88 | 10.2% |
| 4 | JPMorgan Chase Bank | 95 | 10.5% |
| 5 | Pennymac Loan Services | 69 | 11.6% |
| 6 | Wells Fargo Bank | 75 | 14.7% |
| 7 | United Shore Financial Services | 218 | 14.7% |
| 8 | Rocket Mortgage | 382 | 16.2% |
| 9 | Bay | 470 | 16.6% |
| 10 | U.S. Bank | 138 | 23.9% |
What Santa Cruz County borrowers applied for
By loan purpose
By loan type
Why applications were denied
Santa Cruz County by year
| Year | Applications | Originated | Denial rate | Median rate | Median loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4,182 | 2,408 | 19.0% | 6.99% | $395,000 |
| 2024 | 4,686 | 2,704 | 18.2% | 7.00% | $405,000 |
| 2025 | 5,633 | 3,314 | 15.5% | 6.88% | $425,000 |
Frequently asked questions
15.5% of applications in Santa Cruz County were denied in 2025, against 17.4% statewide in California.
Bay, with 601 applications in 2025 and a denial rate of 13.0%.
The median mortgage application in Santa Cruz County in 2025 was for $425,000; the median property value on originated loans was $1,185,000.