Home loans in Florida have boomed, and they're taking the housing market with them.

From April to June, Florida accounted for 1 out of every 5 home loans in the nation, a sign that historically-low rates and unprecedented affordability are contributing to a mini-boom in the Sunshine State.

According to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), home loans grew in Florida by 34,250 from the first quarter to the second quarter, while nationwide increases were just 121,342.

“I think this is the biggest sign of improvement in Florida,” said Jay Brinkman, the MBA’s chief economist, who also commented on how the survey shows stabilization in Florida’s market.

Also contributing to the boom, said Rich Helber, CEO and president of Tropical Financial Credit Union of South Florida, is a decline in delinquencies, which further adds to the market’s stability.

“There is a lot more stability,” said Helber, referring to his company’s mortgages. “We don’t have the charge offs, the loan losses, we did a year ago.”

There’s also “no longer a free fall of home prices,” Helber said.

And an uptick in loans and stability normally means an uptick in home sales, and the counties of Broward and Palm Beach have followed that trend. Sales in Broward are up 6 percent in the past year, while Palm Beach’s sales are up 9 percent.

“It looks like 2011 will be the best year for condo and house sales in Broward since 2004,” said Ron Shuffield, president of Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors. “It looks like Miami-Dade will have its greatest year ever.”