Mortgage basics
Application rejected due to the usury rate: what the threshold measures and how to bring your rate back below it
File blocked by usury? The threshold is compared with the APR, insurance and fees included. Where to find the quarterly rate, and three levers to get under it.
The usury rate is the maximum annual percentage rate of charge at which a loan may be granted: it is compared against the APR, including insurance and fees, never against the nominal rate. The threshold, set by type of transaction, can be found in the notice published each quarter in the Official Journal. Three levers bring your rate back below it: delegating the insurance to equivalent guarantees, adjusting the term, and reducing the fees included in the calculation.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
Key points
- An application blocked by usury is almost always blocked because the APR exceeds the threshold, not because the nominal rate is too high.
- The threshold depends on the type of transaction, the nature of the rate and the term of the loan; it can be found in the notice published each quarter in the Official Journal.
- Three levers bring your rate back below the threshold without touching the nominal rate: delegating the insurance, adjusting the term, and reducing the fees included in the calculation.
- Reducing the insurance amount lowers the APR but creates a risk of uncovered debt: this is not a lever to use by reflex.
- Changing banks first is of no use: the usury threshold is a legal ceiling, identical for all lenders with identical applications.
A file blocked by usury is almost always blocked by its annual percentage rate of charge, not by its nominal rate. Find your threshold, verify the calculation, and activate three levers. See the basics of mortgage credit.
What is the usury rate and what is it compared against?
The maximum authorised annual percentage rate of charge, by category, published in the Official Journal. It is compared against the annual percentage rate of charge of the loan, including insurance and fees.
- Intitulé de l'avis Avis du 25 septembre 2026 relatif à l’application des articles L. 314-6 du code de la consommation et L. 313-5-1 du code monétaire et financier concernant l’usure
- Numéro NOR ECOT2625422V
- Date du texte 2026-09-25
- Date de publication 2026-09-26
- Publication au Journal officiel JORF n°0225 du 26 septembre 2026
- Identifiant Légifrance du texte JORFTEXT000054903528
- Identifiant Légifrance de l'article JORFARTI000054903529
Les seuils sont fixés par avis publié au Journal officiel, révisé trimestriellement. Aucun comparateur ne fait foi : seul l'avis publié fait foi.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Légifrance
Beyond this limit, the lender is not entitled to lend: the solution lies in the composition of the annual percentage rate of charge, not in negotiation.
What is included in the comparison
Insurance most often causes the threshold to be exceeded: look at it first.
La différence entre deux taux annuels effectifs globaux : l'un calculé en supposant l'assurance intégralement exigée par le prêteur, l'autre en supposant qu'aucune assurance n'est exigée
Le taux annuel effectif de l'assurance isole exactement ce que l'assurance ajoute à la comparaison avec le seuil.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article R. 314-12 du code de la consommation — Légifrance
Which threshold applies to your application?
That of your category: fixed rate by term bracket, variable rate or bridge loan, in the quarterly notice.
- Open the notice in force or banque-france.fr, usury rates.
- Identify your category and your term bracket.
- Check the validity period.
- Compare with the APR, never with the nominal rate.
A financing in two lines is compared line by line. A bridge loan has its own threshold. A debt consolidation follows its rule:
Règle de rattachement de catégorie : au-delà de cette part, ce sont les seuils du crédit immobilier qui s'appliquent au regroupement, et non ceux du crédit à la consommation.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Légifrance
How to get back under the threshold?
Delegate the insurance, adjust the term, reduce the included fees.
1. Delegate the insurance, the fastest lever. See changing borrower insurance, the equivalence of guarantees and comparing two insurances by the TAEA.
2. Adjust the term to change category, debt-to-income ratio verified.
3. Reduce the fees: guarantee, application fees. See guarantee or mortgage.
Avoid lowering the insurance amount or switching to a variable rate: see the revision clause.
Application rejected due to the usury rate: what to do?
Obtain the written breakdown of the APR, verify the category, and put the insurance into competition.
- Do not change your bank first: the threshold is the same everywhere.
- Request the gap to the threshold: the quarterly revision may suffice.
- Track down fees counted incorrectly, item by item, on the European Standardised Information Sheet.
Which documents to request to check the bank's calculation?
The written breakdown of the APR item by item, and the reference of the notice from which the threshold is derived.
Does the refusal still stand? Mortgage loan rejected: the real reasons and what to do. See also how to read a bank's rate scale and the APR.
Rejected for usury? Create your file or have your APR composition checked.
Regroupement de crédits
Un regroupement de crédits dont la part des crédits immobiliers ne dépasse pas 60 % du montant total de l’opération relève du crédit à la consommation (C. consom., art. L. 314-10, L. 314-11 et R. 314-18). Le code impose alors la mention suivante sur sa publicité :
Un crédit vous engage et doit être remboursé. Vérifiez vos capacités de remboursement avant de vous engager
Sources
Read next
- Mortgage in Lyon: frequently asked questions
- Mortgage refused: the 12 real reasons and the 15-day action plan Mortgage refused: identify the true reason among the 12 most common, correct it with evidence and resubmit in the right order within fifteen days.
- Bank rate scale: why the displayed rate is not yours, and how to aim for the best line Grid by term, discounts, counterparties, insurance: read a bank rate scale as the bank does and identify what brings you closer to the best line.
- APR: How to read it and compare two loan offers without making a mistake The APR brings together interest, file fees, guarantee, required insurance and intermediary fees. What it contains, what it ignores, how to compare.
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