Mortgage credit institutions in 2026: contribution rates and banks

In Denmark, a loan secured on a home is usually a mortgage loan (realkreditlån). Here is an overview of the big mortgage credit institutions, their contribution rates (bidragssatser) in 2026 and the banks that arrange the loans.

The four big mortgage credit institutions in Denmark are Realkredit Danmark (linked to Danske Bank), Nordea Kredit (part of Nordea), Totalkredit/Nykredit and Jyske Realkredit. This is where home financing actually takes place, and these are the institutions to consider if you are looking for a mortgage loan.

Alongside the four, there is DLR Kredit, a fifth mortgage credit company owned by local and regional banks.

One thing often causes confusion. BRF Kredit no longer exists as an independent institution. Today it is part of Jyske Realkredit.

Loan types: what should you look for?

A home purchase is typically financed in three layers. You can take out a mortgage loan for up to 80 % of the price of the home, the next 15 % can be covered by a bank loan, and at least 5 % must come from your own down payment.

When you choose a loan type, these are in practice the options you are choosing between:

• A fixed-rate loan locks in the interest rate for the whole term, so your payment stays the same however the market moves.

• An F-kort loan closely tracks market interest rates and is adjusted on an ongoing basis, which gives a lower interest rate at times, but also a payment that can rise.

• An F1 loan has its interest rate adjusted every year.

• An F3 loan adjusts the interest rate every three years.

• An F5 loan adjusts the interest rate every five years, giving you longer periods of certainty between adjustments.

• An interest-only period lets you postpone your repayments for a time, but it usually comes with a surcharge on the contribution rate. The surcharge is low or zero on the part of the loan below 60 % loan-to-value, and 0,62-0,80 percentage points a year on the part above it (2026 price lists).

The contribution fee is calculated according to the loan-to-value ratio, in other words how large the loan is relative to the value of the home, and according to the loan type you choose. Fixed-rate loans are often cheaper than variable-rate loans, and interest-only loans are more expensive than loans with repayments. The higher the loan-to-value and the more flexibility you want, the more you pay in contribution fees.

The financing itself works by the mortgage credit institution selling mortgage bonds to investors. This provides security and typically means lower interest rates than you will find on a traditional bank loan. The term is often up to 30 years, with a fixed or variable rate depending on the loan type you end up with.

Contribution rates at the four institutions in 2026

When you compare secured loans, the contribution rate is the item that most often comes as a surprise. It runs alongside the interest rate itself and depends on how much you borrow relative to the value of the home, whether you choose repayments or an interest-only period, and which institution you end up with. The table shows the total contribution rate for a fixed-rate loan on an owner-occupied home at 0-80 % loan-to-value, both with and without repayments, according to the institutions’ price lists in 2026.

In this comparison, Nykredit/Totalkredit is highest in both columns, while Realkredit Danmark is lowest. The difference between the two extremes is around 0,23 percentage points with repayments, and about 0,19 percentage points without.

The interest-only option in particular is expensive. If you want to go without repayments, the rate rises at all four, and at Nykredit/Totalkredit it reaches 0,9050 %. An interest-only period is often marketed as flexibility, but it costs you a higher rate for every year you use it.

Totalkredit does have a discount, though. With the KundeKroner discount of 0,25 percentage points, valid until 31 December 2029, the contribution rate for Nykredit/Totalkredit falls to 0,4875 % with repayments and 0,6550 % without repayments at 0-80 % loan-to-value. With the discount, Nykredit/Totalkredit is no longer the most expensive, but is level with or below the other institutions for as long as the discount runs.

If you borrow less than 40 % of the home’s value, the rate falls markedly compared with the table above, which covers the whole range up to 80 %. At Realkredit Danmark, for example, the rate is 0,2060 % for a fixed rate with repayments on the part of the loan below 40 % (price list of 23 September 2026).

Which banks arrange loans from each institution?

You do not usually get a mortgage loan directly from the institution. Mortgage loans are arranged through your bank, and it is the bank’s partnership that decides which institution the loan comes from.

• Totalkredit works with 35 banks, savings banks and cooperative banks with branches all over the country, and at the end of 2025 had total mortgage lending of approx. 965 billion kr. (Totalkredit’s annual report 2025).

• Realkredit Danmark loans are arranged through Danske Bank.

• Nordea Kredit loans are arranged through Nordea Bank.

• Jyske Realkredit loans are arranged through the Jyske Bank Group.

• DLR Kredit loans are arranged through the local and regional banks that own it, and it mainly finances commercial and agricultural properties.

Each bank typically works with one particular mortgage credit institution. Once you have chosen a bank, you cannot freely choose between all four institutions. If you want a loan from a different institution, you usually have to switch banks first.

That is why it can pay to look into whether you can save money by choosing a bank with a cheaper institution. Your current bank may not work with the institution that best suits your particular loan-to-value and loan type.

So to find the loan that suits your situation, you should check which institution your bank arranges loans from, and what it costs there.

Mortgage loans: strengths and weaknesses

Mortgage loans have several advantages over traditional bank loans.

• Interest rates are typically lower, because the loans are funded through bonds.

• The term can run for up to 30 years, which gives a lower monthly payment.

• You can opt for an interest-only period and so free up money here and now.

• There is a wide choice of loan types, from fixed rate to variable rate.

There are also drawbacks you should be aware of.

• Taking out a mortgage loan is not a quick process if you suddenly need money.

• Paying off or refinancing the loan can cost you dearly.

• The requirements for loan-to-value and property type are strict.

Loans secured on your home: requirements and costs

A mortgage loan is a loan secured on a home. The mortgage credit share can cover up to 80 % of the home’s value, and you can cover the rest with a bank loan secured by a 2nd-priority charge. The advantage of this particular set-up is that you can keep the home loan with your main bank instead of having to go out and find a new lender.

When you take out a mortgage loan, there are some requirements you need to have in place beforehand:

• If your household has a debt factor (gældsfaktor) above 4 and a loan-to-value ratio above 60 %, you can as a rule only get a fixed-rate loan or an adjustable-rate loan with the interest rate fixed for at least 5 years and with repayments.

• You have to pay deed and registration costs.

• You have to pay arrangement fees.

Add those items together and it quickly becomes a sizeable sum. For a home costing 3 million kr., the total costs come to approx. 65.000-70.000 kr., so this is no small change, and it needs to go into your budget from the start.

If you would like a specific quote for a mortgage loan, Brikk can put you in touch with a lender. Read more about Brikk’s free home loan service.