HOUSTON – Local mortgage applications are denied at a rate of about 9 percent, the ninth-highest out of the 50 cities studied by LendingTree Inc. 

The top reason for mortgage denial in the Bayou City was debt-to-income ratio, which is the share of monthly debt obligations in relation to monthly gross income. According to LendingTree, most lenders want this number to be 43 percent or lower. 

San Antonio was the next Texas city on the list, ranking 18th with just over an 8 percent rate. 

The rest of the top ten are:

• No. 10 Hartford, Conn., 8.75 percent denial rate;
• No. 8 Tampa, Fla., 9.12 percent;
• No. 7 Providence, R.I., 9.31 percent;

Click to read more at www.recenter.tamu.edu