Only 1 Bank Will Approve This Loan

For many years I have said thousands of times "Cash is King!" Let me be the first to tell you: The King Is Dead!!!

Two clients tell the story the best. One gentleman could put $100,000 down on a $200,000 house; but I could not get him approved for even a FHA loan! Why? His credit report consisted only of 4 unpaid collection accounts. And I was not allowed to verify non-traditional credit like rent, utilities, insurance payments because his traditional credit report was filled only with collections. A 50% LTV did not matter!

A second client is a young lady fresh out of college with her first professional job. Her problem: she has no traditional credit or credit score. Thus, I added her Dad to the loan as a non-occupying co-borrower which FHA allows. Her Dad is giving her $40k for a down payment. His credit is perfect and he has a 7 figure income. I have their FHA loan approved through FHA's Total Scorecard underwriting software. Easy loan? Wrong!

Knowing that she has no credit score, I thought this could be a problem. It was! 11 of my 15 FHA banks said "NO!" Three of them said maybe if I can verify at least 3 or 4 non-traditional credit tradelines for her. Only one bank has said YES to this loan as approved by FHA!

So, who is the new King? The new King is definitely credit and credit scores. In fact, most banks and the PMI companies require that a borrower have at least 3 traditional credit tradelines open for at least 12 months regardless of any on-line approval that I receive from Fannie, Freddie, FHA, or VA.

Say hello to the new KING.

Why My Job Is So Tough

Back in the pre-historic ages of mortgage lending, June 2007, mortgage lending was so easy. I remember in early 2007 a new on-line lender appeared that allowed people to close their own mortgage by themselves without a Loan Officer or Mortgage Professional. It was deemed so easy to get a mortgage that anyone could do it and save money at the same time. It was like self checkout at the grocery store.

This week I have been working with a young lady who is a recent college graduate and she has a good job and some money saved. Should be easy? Wrong! Her problem is she has been part of the Secret Witness Protection Program from the credit bureaus, meaning that she does not exist with them, because she has not credit and no credit score.

So, I add her Dad as a co-borrower with her on her FHA mortgage. Her Dad has great credit, lots of money, and a very high income. Their loan is approved through FHA's on-line mortgage approval software called Total Scorecard.

My work is done right? Not anymore! Many banks won't accept FHA's approval of the loan because she has no traditional credit or credit score. Loan denied.

Thankfully, a few banks will let us compile non-traditional credit for her if we can. By doing so this will certify that she is a good credit risk. If this does not work, I will go to Plan C which contains a little secret that I know that will help her greatly within 30 to 60 days and get her loan approved then.

I keep telling myself that all this difficulty means job security for me. What do you think?

Alarming Changes From Experian and TransUnion

This week I had a client who pulled his own credit reports and credit scores from all 3 credit bureaus. What alarmed me is that Experian and TransUnion are apparently using a new credit scoring model with consumers that is NOT compatible with traditional credit scores that we as a mortgage company use.

Both Experian and TransUnion are using a new model for scores where the range of scores is 500 to 990; whereas, we use scores that range from 300 to 850.

For this client his credit score with these 2 bureaus were 842 and 852 which is considered a “B” grade in these models. Thus, I don’t know what his credit scores are with my model and my model is what is used in our industry.

Thus, I would recommend that you do not PAY any money to Experian and TransUnion for their credit scores with them as these scores are nearly worthless in my opinion.

Are Mortgages Still Available?

Ever since the Treasury Department took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in early September millions of people are wondering “are mortgages still available?” The resounding answer is YES! If the following statements describe you and your situation, mortgages are still available for you—

· You have been employed for the last 6 months.
· Your earnings from work are by salary or hourly pay.

· If you receive commissions, you have received them for at least 2 years.

· If you are self-employed you have been so for at least 2 years and you can prove your net income with your tax returns.

· You can “round up” at least $1,000 (legally of course).

· Your credit score is 580 or higher (if your credit score is below 580, I can help you improve it).

So, you may be thinking that I must be describing only awful sub-prime loans are still available. Far from it! Sub-prime loans are basically non-existent anymore.

The loans I am talking about are FHA loans, which are insured by the government. FHA loans are great loans for both first time buyers and repeat home buyers. What are the benefits of a FHA loan?

· Fixed rate loan terms of 15-30 years providing you with peace of mind.

· Great interest rates—if your credit score is less than 740 almost always a FHA loan will give you a lower rate than a conventional loan from Fannie or Freddie.

· Only 3% down through end of 2008. In January this increases to 3.5%.

· Only need a 580 credit score to be approved.

· Much cheaper mortgage insurance than on a conventional loan.

· Down payment can be gifted to you or lent to you by a family member.

· A co-borrower such as a parent who will not live in the home is allowed.

· Down payment assistance loans are allowed.

· No hefty pre-payment penalties.

FHA loans have come back “en vogue” in the last 15 months with many mortgage professionals. For me they have always been “en vogue” as I HATED doing sub-prime loans for two reasons. First, they are bad loans for my clients. Second, don’t even get me started about how these sub-prime lenders treated me and my clients before closing. I would blow a gasket! Ugh!

This is why I have only closed 6 sub-prime loans in nearly 11 years and hundreds of FHA loans in that time. It’s all about doing what is best for my clients and my own sanity.