"Soft" check loan declined

[Wotsit1234]

Am deciding whether to get a loan with Lloyds (my account) or Natwest (dhs account). Have done several checks on amounts and time period In the last few days, on the natwest account in order to do this you have to pass the window that confirms you are happy for a 'soft check' to be carried out. This afternoon on the natwest it has come back - sorry we are unable to offer you this loan- this is the first time that has happened
Does anyone know if you do several "soft checks" does it then automatically refuse you, or is it likely I've made a typo ?

Perhaps it could be the amount? Before I was checking amounts such as £15000 or up to £20,000, today I tried £21,000...
I'm puzzled why it was declined, dh earns 44k and the loan was over 6 years.
We have received an email from natwest to confirm it was denied but "cannot give any reasons why"

Probably affordability. They'll have internal parameters which spit out a yay or nay.

If gross income is £44k and it's a £21k loan over 6 years. Add on a couple of K for interest. My very rough workings is that he'd need to pay in the region of 10-12% of his net income, every month for six years, to repay it.

That's a not insignificant amount. COL being what it is they may well have tightened up their lending criteria to minimise bad debt risk.

Have been trying to get interest rate down, I think I'll have to split and get 10k in each of our names