What people paid for mortgages in Kern County, CA (2025)
Across 6,940 closed home-purchase loans in 2025, the median interest rate in Kern was 6.25%, and the middle half of borrowers got between 5.875% and 6.75%. Median total loan costs ran $10,714 on a median loan of $365,000. Source: federal HMDA filings on first-lien, owner-occupied loans.
Data: FFIEC HMDA modified LAR, 2024 and 2025 filings, loaded August 2026.
Home purchase
- Median rate
- 6.25%
- Middle half of rates
- 5.875%–6.75%
- Median total loan costs
- $10,714
- Median loan amount
- $365,000
6,940 loans, 2025.
Refinance
- Median rate
- 6.125%
- Middle half of rates
- 5.75%–6.625%
- Median total loan costs
- $7,813
- Median loan amount
- $305,000
2,449 loans, 2025.
Lowest median rates in Kern (2025)
The lenders whose own closed loans had the lowest median interest rate here, among lenders with enough local volume for the median to mean something. A low median is a reason to include that lender when you collect Loan Estimates; it is not a promise about the rate you will be quoted. An independent mortgage broker can pull quotes from several lenders at once on one application.
Home purchase
- 1.K. Hovnanian American Mortgage4.99%127 loans, median costs $12,353
- 2.DHI Mortgage Company, LTD.builder lender5.5%286 loans, median costs $10,221
- 3.LENNAR MORTGAGE, LLCbuilder lender5.625%374 loans, median costs $11,675
- 4.FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION5.99%54 loans, median costs $9,989
- 5.Valley Strong Credit Union6%120 loans, median costs $4,813
Among lenders with at least 30 closed purchase loans in Kern County in 2025.
Refinance
- 1.Valley Strong Credit Union5.75%51 loans, median costs $3,223
- 2.SUN WEST MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC5.864%30 loans, median costs $17,364
- 3.United Wholesale Mortgagebroker only5.874%449 loans, median costs $8,508
- 4.PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES LLC5.875%85 loans, median costs $7,896
- 5.Mortgage Research Center5.875%34 loans, median costs $5,455
Among lenders with at least 30 closed refinance loans in Kern County in 2025.
Why you may not recognize these names
The largest lenders in most counties are not banks. Homebuilders such as D.R. Horton and Lennar own their own mortgage companies (DHI Mortgage, Lennar Mortgage), and because builders attach rate buydowns and closing-cost incentives to using them, the builder's lender often tops the table in counties with heavy new construction, with median rates that look low because the builder paid to lower them. Lenders marked broker only, such as United Wholesale Mortgage, take no applications from the public: federal HMDA reporting credits each loan to the lender that made the credit decision, so loans arranged by independent brokers appear here under the wholesale lender that funded them. Others, such as PennyMac and Freedom Mortgage, operate at national scale by buying loans from smaller lenders and refinancing the loans they service, heavily in FHA and VA lending. Who actually lends, and why the biggest names are not banks covers the full picture, with sources.
Lender by lender in Kern
Every lender that closed at least 5 qualifying loans in Kern County in 2025, sorted by loan count. The # column is the lender's rank here by closed loans for the selected purpose. Median origination is the lender's own charges (Loan Estimate section A); median points is the discount-points portion. Lenders marked "broker only" fund loans through independent mortgage brokers rather than taking applications directly.
| # | Lender | Loans | Median rate | Median total costs | Median origination | Median points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Wholesale Mortgagebroker only | 1,116 | 6.125% | $11,913 | $4,851 | $3,257 |
| 2 | ROCKET MORTGAGE | 403 | 6.5% | $9,000 | $3,531 | $2,281 |
| 3 | LENNAR MORTGAGE, LLCbuilder lender | 374 | 5.625% | $11,675 | $1,550 | $9,553 |
| 4 | Kind Lending, LLC | 346 | 6.25% | $11,783 | $4,182 | $1,849 |
| 5 | PEOPLES MORTGAGE COMPANY | 316 | 6.5% | $11,536 | $5,299 | $3,749 |
| 6 | Golden Empire Mortgage, Inc. | 311 | 6.25% | $14,101 | $7,796 | $2,945 |
| 7 | DHI Mortgage Company, LTD.builder lender | 286 | 5.5% | $10,221 | $0 | $2,464 |
| 8 | Sierra Pacific Mortgage Co. Inc | 181 | 6.375% | $13,570 | $7,729 | $3,979 |
| 9 | OCMBC, INC. | 172 | 6.625% | $12,720 | $2,867 | $1,754 |
| 10 | FlexPoint, Inc. | 144 | 6.625% | $11,687 | $1,520 | $1,529 |
| 11 | Dignified Home Loans, LLC | 142 | 6.5% | $8,115 | $4,932 | $3,186 |
| 12 | LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC | 133 | 6.25% | $12,033 | $1,615 | $12,192 |
| 13 | K. Hovnanian American Mortgage | 127 | 4.99% | $12,353 | $1,800 | $9,280 |
| 14 | Valley Strong Credit Union | 120 | 6% | $4,813 | $1,014 | $4,680 |
| 15 | Mortgage Research Center | 108 | 6.25% | $4,612 | $0 | $1,247 |
| 16 | CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE, LLC | 96 | 6.625% | $11,203 | $3,388 | $6,518 |
| 17 | Navy Federal Credit Union | 87 | 6.375% | $4,276 | $0 | $1,511 |
| 18 | NEW AMERICAN FUNDING, LLC. | 81 | 6.625% | $9,977 | $3,554 | $2,435 |
| 19 | American Pacific Mortgage Corporation | 80 | 6.562% | $10,543 | $5,375 | $3,672 |
| 20 | PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES LLC | 78 | 6.25% | $10,451 | $1,891 | $1,929 |
| 21 | The Loan Store, Incbroker only | 74 | 6.495% | $10,095 | $3,397 | $2,017 |
| 22 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA | 71 | 6.375% | $6,093 | $2,456 | $2,504 |
| 23 | MLD MORTGAGE, INC.dba The Money Store | 68 | 6.5% | $7,959 | $2,756 | $2,655 |
| 24 | NATIONS LENDING CORPORATION | 64 | 6.625% | $7,934 | $3,990 | $4,656 |
| 25 | FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORT CORP | 64 | 6.5% | $11,454 | $4,334 | $1,678 |
| 26 | JMAC Lending, Inc. | 59 | 6.125% | $11,992 | $5,672 | $3,826 |
| 27 | NEWREZ LLC | 57 | 6.25% | $8,667 | $3,256 | $3,253 |
| 28 | Point Mortgage Corp | 56 | 6.375% | $8,575 | $3,239 | $1,572 |
| 29 | FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION | 54 | 5.99% | $9,989 | $2,895 | $3,912 |
| 30 | CMG MORTGAGE INC | 52 | 6% | $12,352 | $5,009 | $5,523 |
| 31 | PARAMOUNT RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE | 51 | 6.5% | $10,289 | $2,487 | $1,871 |
| 32 | ARK-LA-TEX FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | 50 | 6.25% | $12,817 | $6,088 | $2,777 |
| 33 | GUILD MORTGAGE COMPANY | 49 | 6.5% | $7,594 | $1,939 | $1,065 |
| 34 | Royal Pacific Funding | 46 | 6.25% | $14,284 | $7,116 | $1,051 |
| 35 | 21ST MORTGAGE | 44 | 10.72% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 36 | TRIAD FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. | 42 | 8.74% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 37 | AMERICAN FINANCIAL NETWORK, INC. | 39 | 6.125% | $11,336 | $5,754 | n/a |
| 38 | MICHIGAN MUTUAL, INC | 39 | 6.375% | $11,507 | $5,784 | $8,504 |
| 39 | Alameda Mortgage Corporation | 34 | 6.375% | $13,326 | $5,625 | $4,232 |
| 40 | Union Home Mortgage Corp. | 33 | 6% | $11,533 | $6,299 | $2,622 |
What these numbers are, and are not
Everything above is computed from the FFIEC's HMDA Modified Loan/Application Register, the public loan-level file nearly every mortgage lender must submit each year, filtered to originated, first-lien, owner-occupied principal-residence loans that were not business-purpose or reverse mortgages. Groups smaller than 5 loans are omitted. The methodology page documents every step.
The public file contains no credit scores, so differences between lenders mix true pricing differences with different customer bases: loan sizes, points paid, and borrower profiles all vary by lender. A median is context for your own quote, not a ranking and not an offer. Rates here are also a year's worth of closings blended together, while your quote reflects a single day's market.
Have a Loan Estimate in hand? The checker compares your quoted rate and origination charges against the Kern figures above, in your browser, without storing anything.
Common questions
What mortgage rate did people get in Kern County in 2025?
The median interest rate on closed home-purchase loans in Kern County, California in 2025 was 6.25%, across 6,940 first-lien, owner-occupied loans. The middle half of borrowers got between 5.875% and 6.75%.
Is this a rate I can get today?
No. These are medians of loans that already closed, under those borrowers' credit profiles, loan sizes, discount points, and lock dates. Rates also move daily. The way to learn your own number is to collect Loan Estimates from two or three lenders, which federal rules make close to free.
Why do lenders in the table show different rates?
Partly pricing, partly customer mix. Public HMDA data contains no credit scores, so a lender serving stronger-credit borrowers or larger loans will show a different median than one serving first-time buyers, at identical pricing. Use the table as a map of who is active locally and roughly where they land, not as a ranking.
Where do these numbers come from?
The FFIEC's public HMDA Modified Loan/Application Register, the loan-level data nearly every mortgage lender must file each year, filtered to originated, first-lien, owner-occupied, non-business, non-reverse loans, in groups of at least 5.