Posts tagged Qualifying

 FHA CREDIT Qualifying

 ANALYZING THE FHA Mortgage applicants  Credit History

 Florida home buyers should know the many advantages of the FHA mortgage loan programs. FHA loans were created to help increase home ownership. For the Florida home buyer the FHA program can simplify the purchase of a home, making financing easier and less expensive than a conventional mortgage loan product. Some highlights of the Florida FHA loan program include:

Minimal Down Payment and Closing costs.

Down payment less than 3% of Sales Price Gifts are allowed Seller can credit up to 6% of sales price towards closing and prepaid costs. 100% Financing available No reserves required. FHA regulated closing costs.

Easier Credit Qualifying Guidelines such as:

  No minimum FICO score or credit score requirements. FHA will allow a home purchase 1 year after a Bankruptcy. FHA will allow a home purchase2 years after a Foreclosure.

To take advantage of the FHA program in Florida, Visit

www. FHAmortgageFHAloan. com

Past credit performance serves as the most useful guide in determining a borrower’s attitude toward credit obligations and predicting a borrower’s future actions. A borrower who has made

payments on previous and current obligations in a timely manner represents

reduced risk. Conversely, if the credit history, despite adequate income to support obligations, reflects continuous slow payments, judgments, and delinquent accounts, strong compensating factors will be necessary to approve the loan.

When analyzing a borrower’s credit history, examine the overall pattern of credit behavior, rather than isolated occurrences of unsatisfactory or slow payments. A period of financial difficulty in the past does not necessarily make the risk unacceptable if the borrower has maintained a good payment record for a considerable time period since the difficulty. When delinquent accounts are

revealed, the lender must document their analysis as to whether the late payments were based on a disregard for financial obligations, an inability to manage debt, or factors beyond the control of the borrower, including delayed mail delivery or disputes with creditors.

While minor derogatory information occurring two or more years in the past does not require explanation, major indications of derogatory credit–including

judgments, collections, and any other recent credit problems–require sufficient

written explanation from the borrower. The borrower’s explanation must make

sense and be consistent with other credit information in the file. Neither the lack of credit history nor the borrower’s decision not to use credit may

be used as a basis for rejecting the loan application. We also recognize that some prospective borrowers may not have an established credit history. For those borrowers, and for those who do not use traditional credit, the lender must develop a credit history from utility payment records, rental payments, automobile insurance payments, or other means of direct access from the credit provider. The lender must document that the providers of non-traditional credit do, in fact, exist and verify the credit information. Documents confirming the existence of a nontraditional credit provider may include a public record from the state, county, or city records, or other means providing a similar level of objective confirmation. To verify the credit information, lenders must use a published address or telephone number for that creditor. As an alternative, the lender may elect to use a non-traditional mortgage credit report developed by a credit-reporting agency, provided that the credit reporting agency has verified the existence of the credit providers and the lender verifies that the non-traditional credit was extended to the applicant. The lender must verify the credit using a published address or telephone number to make that

verification.

The basic hierarchy of credit evaluation is the manner of payments made on

previous housing expenses, including utilities, followed by the payment history of installment debts, and then revolving accounts. Generally, an individual with no late housing or installment debt payments should be considered as having an acceptable credit history, unless there is major derogatory credit on his or her revolving accounts.

When reviewing the borrower’s credit and credit report, the lender must pay

particular attention to the following:

A. Previous Rental or Mortgage Payment History. The payment history

of the borrower’s housing obligations holds significant importance in

evaluating credit. The lender must determine the borrower’s payment

history of housing obligations through either the credit report, verification

of rent directly from the landlord (with no identity-of-interest with the

borrower) or verification of mortgage directly from the mortgage servicer,

or through canceled checks covering the most recent 12-month period.

B. Recent and/or Undisclosed Debts. The lender must ascertain the

purpose of any recent debts, as the indebtedness may have been incurred

to obtain part of the required cash investment on the property being

purchased. Similarly, the borrower must provide a satisfactory

explanation for any significant debt that is shown on the credit report but

not listed on the loan application. The borrower must explain in writing

all inquiries shown on the credit report in the last 90 days.

C. Collections and Judgments. Court-ordered judgments must be paid off

before the mortgage loan is eligible for FHA insurance endorsement. (An

exception may be made if the borrower has agreed with the creditor to

make regular and timely payments on the judgment and documentation is

provided that the payments have been made in accordance with the

agreement. ) FHA does not require that collection accounts be paid off as a

condition of mortgage approval. Collections and judgments indicate a

borrower’s regard for credit obligations and must be considered in the

analysis of creditworthiness with the lender documenting its reasons for

approving a mortgage where the borrower has collection accounts or

judgments. The borrower must explain in writing all collections and

judgments.

D. Previous Mortgage Foreclosure. A borrower whose previous principal

residence or other real property was foreclosed or has given a deed-in-lieu

of foreclosure within the previous three years is generally not eligible for a

new FHA-insured mortgage. However, if the foreclosure was the result of

documented extenuating circumstances that were beyond the control of the

borrower and the borrower has re-established good credit since the

foreclosure, the lender may grant an exception to the three-year

requirement. Extenuating circumstances include serious illness or death of

a wage earner, but do not include the inability to sell the house because of

a job transfer or relocation to another area.

E. Bankruptcy. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation) does not disqualify a

borrower from obtaining an FHA-insured mortgage if at least two years

have elapsed since the date of the discharge of the bankruptcy.

Additionally, the borrower must have re-established good credit or chosen

not to incur new credit obligations. The borrower also must have

demonstrated a documented ability to responsibly manage his or her

financial affairs. An elapsed period of less than two years, but not less

than 12 months, may be acceptable if the borrower can show that the

bankruptcy was caused by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her

control and has since exhibited a documented ability to manage his or her

financial affairs in a responsible manner. Additionally, the lender must

document that the borrower’s current situation indicates that the events

that led to the bankruptcy are not likely to recur.

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy does not disqualify a borrower from obtaining

an FHA-insured mortgage provided the lender documents that one year of

the payout period under the bankruptcy has elapsed and the borrower’s

payment performance has been satisfactory (i. e. , all required payments

made on time). In addition, the borrower must receive permission from

the court to enter into the mortgage transaction.

F. Consumer Credit Counseling Payment Plans. Participation in a

consumer credit counseling payment program does not disqualify a

borrower from obtaining an FHA-insured mortgage provided the lender

documents that one year of the pay-out period has elapsed under the plan

and the borrower’s payment performance has been satisfactory (i. e. , all

required payments made on time). In addition, the borrower must receive

written permission from the counseling agency to enter into the mortgage

transaction.