Metro dataLast checked September 23, 2026

HELOCs in Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD: denials and rates, 2025

How lenders treated HELOC applications in the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD metro area in 2025, from federal mortgage data: how many were denied, why, and at what rates.

36%
of HELOC applications denied in 2025 (8,069 decisions), above the national 32.9%
#85 of 358
metro areas ranked by HELOC denial rate, highest first
7.34%
median starting rate on HELOCs opened in 2025
8.75%
median rate on home equity loans opened in 2025

Our analysis of 2025 HMDA data. Rates are medians on loans actually opened.

Why HELOCs were denied in Frederick, MD

First reason lenders gave, share of denials with a reason reported.

Debt-to-income ratio44%
Credit history22%
Incomplete application11%
Other11%
Collateral9%

Denial rate by debt-to-income

Frederick, MD HELOC applications, 2025.

Debt-to-incomeDecisionsDenied
Under 20%48535%
20% to 29%1,19816%
30% to 35%94318%
36% to 42%1,36919%
43% to 49%1,68821%
50% to 60%1,00844%
Over 60%1,22595%

If you were denied a HELOC in Frederick, MD

1 of the six major home equity investment providers list Maryland as a service area: Point. See which could fit you.

Compare a HELOC, home equity loan, cash-out refinance, and home equity investment side by side, with your own approval odds, in the home equity options tool. A HELOC like the typical 2025 loan here would start around 6.97% at today’s prime rate.

State rules: Maryland.

Other metro areas in Maryland

Washington, DC-MD (46%) · Baltimore, MD (38%) · Hagerstown, MD-WV (38%) · Lexington Park, MD (33%) · Salisbury, MD (42%) · All 358 metro areas

Questions

What is the HELOC denial rate in Frederick, MD?

Lenders denied 36.0% of the 8,069 HELOC applications they decided in the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD metro area in 2025, above the national rate of 32.9%, according to federal HMDA data.

Why do HELOCs get denied in Frederick, MD?

The most common first reason lenders gave was debt-to-income ratio (44% of denials with a reason reported).

What is a typical HELOC rate in Frederick, MD?

The median starting rate on HELOCs opened in the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD area in 2025 was 7.34%. HELOC rates move with the prime rate, which has changed by -0.37 points since, so a similar loan today would start around 6.97%. Your rate depends on your credit, equity, and lender.

Source: FFIEC / CFPB HMDA data, 2025, second-lien HELOCs and home equity loans with a credit decision, by the metro area HMDA assigns. Metro names: U.S. Census Bureau. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Methodology: HELOC denial data.

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