Does shopping around for a mortgage hurt my credit?
No. Within a 45-day window, multiple credit checks from mortgage lenders are recorded on your credit report as a single inquiry. This is because other lenders realize that you are only going to buy one home.
The impact on your credit is the same no matter how many lenders you consult, as long as the last credit check is within 45 days of the first credit check. Even if a lender needs to check your credit after the 45-day window is over, shopping around is usually still worth it. The effect of an additional inquiry is small, while shopping around for the best deal can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Why do some mortgage lenders require a certain credit score whereas other mortgage lenders may not?
One Word Mortgage Overlays. Some lenders will institute a higher credit score than the minimum below to lessen their risk of having to buy the loan back from the government agencies if they get too many mortgage defaults. In order to protect their lending portfolio and hedging their risk, they will require say a 640 credit score or higher for a FHA loan, whereas the guidelines clearly state you can do a FHA loan with a minimum credit score of 580 To understand mortgage overlays, it helps to have a foundation of how the mortgage approval process works. Mortgage lenders always have underwriting guidelines—standards to determine the amount and terms you qualify for.
Credit Score Minimum guidelines are typically set based on the mortgage program, e.g., FHA, VA, or USDA. FHA, --
What score does the Mortgage Lender Use? Why may it be different than the one you are seeing?
The reason mortgage lenders use older FICO Scores is because they don’t have a choice. They are essentially forced to use them.
For a bank to sell a mortgage to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, FHA VA, USDA, Etc, the loan has to meet certain guidelines. Some of these guidelines require borrowers to have a minimum credit score under specific FICO Score generations.
If you’re planning to apply for a mortgage, be aware that the credit score you see on your application might differ slightly from the one you’re used to.
It might even be different than what comes up when you monitor your credit, or even when you apply for a car loan.
Banks use a slightly different credit score model when evaluating mortgage applicants. Below, we go over what you need to know about credit scores you’re looking to buy a home.
The scoring model used in mortgage applications
While the FICO® 8 model is the most widely used scoring model for general lending decisions, banks use the following FICO scores when you apply for a mortgage:
FICO® Score 2 (Experian)
FICO® Score 5 (Equifax)
FICO® Score 4 (TransUnion)
As you can see, each of the three main credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) use a slightly different version of the industry-specific FICO Score. That’s because FICO tweaks and tailors its scoring model to best predict the creditworthiness for different industries and bureaus. You’re still evaluated on the same core factors (payment history, credit use, credit mix and age of your accounts), but the categories are weighed a little bit differently.
The FICO 8 model is known for being more critical of high balances on revolving credit lines. Since revolving credit is less of a factor when it comes to mortgages, the FICO 2, 4 and 5 models, which put less emphasis on credit utilization, have proven to be reliable when evaluating good candidates for a mortgage.
Mortgage lenders pull all three reports, from all three bureaus, but they only use one when making their final decision.
“A bank will use all three bureaus,”--- “It’s called a tri-merge.”
If all three of your scores are the same, then their choice is simple. But what if your scores are different?
How do you increase your score to qualify for a Kentucky Mortgage Loan
How to improve your credit score!
Pay Every Single Bill on Time, or Early, Every Month
Please understand one thing; paying your bills on time each month is the single most important thing you can do to increase your credit scores.
Depending on the credit bureau, there are 4 or 5 main items that determine everyone’s credit score. Of those items, your history of paying bills makes up about 35% of the score. THIS IS HUGE!
Paying your bills on time shows lenders that you are responsible. It will also spare you from paying late fees whether it is a charge from a credit card or an added fee from your landlord.
Use a calendar, or a phone app, or some other organized system to make sure that you pay your bills on time every single month.
MAIN TIP: Do not pay ANY bill late!
Credit Cards: Lower Balances Are Always Better
Another big factor in calculating a credit score is the amount of credit card debt. Credit bureaus look at two things when analyzing your credit cards.
First, they look at your available credit limit. Second, they look at the existing balance on each card. From these two figures an available ratio is developed. As the ratio goes higher, so too will your credit score increase.
Here is one simple example. Suppose a person has the following credit cards, corresponding balances, and credit limits
Credit Card Current Balance Credit Limit Chase Visa $105 $1,000 Mastercard from local bank $236 $1,500 BP MasterCard $87 $500 Totals $428 $3,000 From these numbers, we get the following calculation
$428/$3,000 = 14%
In other words, the person is using 14% of their available credit and they have 86% available credit. The closer that ratio is to 100%, the better the credit score will be.
MAIN TIP: Keep all credit card balances as low as possible.In this particular example, if they had a problem with their car, or needed medical attention or some other emergency, the person would have the money necessary to handle the situation without incurring new debt. This is wise on the consumer’s part and lenders like to see this kind of money management.Credit Cards Part 2: 1 or 2 is Better Than a Wallet Full
The previous example showed a person that utilized just three credit cards. This is much better than someone who has 5+ credit cards, all with available balances. Why? Lenders do not like to see someone that has the potential to get too far in debt in a short amount of time.
Some people have 5, 10 or more credit cards and they use many of them. This shows a lack of restraint and control. It is much better, and neater, to have only 2 or 3 cards with low rates that handle all of your transactions. A lower number of cards are easier to manage and it does not give a person the temptation to go on a huge shopping spree that could take years to payoff.
MAIN TIP: Try to limit yourself to no more than 2-3 credit cards.
Keep the Good Stuff Right Where it is
Too many people make the mistake of paying off old debts, such as old credit cards, and then closing the account. This is actually a bad idea.
A small part of the credit score is based on the length of time a person has had credit. If you have a couple of credit cards with a long track history of making payments on time and keeping the balance at a manageable level, it is a bad idea to close out the card.
Similarly, if you have been paying on a car or motorcycle for a long time, do not be in a hurry to pay off the balance. Continue to make the payments like clockwork each month.
An account that has a good record will help your scores. An account that has a good record and multiple years of use will have an even better impact on your score.
MAIN TIP: Keep old accounts open if you have a good payment history with them.
Stop Filling Out Credit Applications
Multiple credit inquiries in a short amount of time can really hurt your credit scores. Lenders view the various inquiries as someone that is desperate and possibly on the verge of making a bad financial choice.Too many people make the mistake of getting more credit after they are approved for a loan. For example, if someone is approved for a new credit card, they feel good about their finances and decide to apply for credit with a local furniture store. If they get approved for the new furniture, they may decide to upgrade their car. This requires yet another loan. They are surprised to learn that their credit score has dropped and the interest rate on the new car loan will be much higher. What happened?If you currently have 2 or 3 credit cards along with either a car loan or a student loan, don’t apply for any more debt. Make sure the payments on your current debt are all up to date and focus on paying them all down.
In a few months of making timely payments your scores should noticeably go up.
MAIN TIP: Limit your new loans as much as possible
Joel Lobb Mortgage Loan Officer
American Mortgage Solutions, Inc.10602 Timberwood Circle
Louisville, KY 40223
Company NMLS ID #1364
Text/call: 502-905-3708
fax: 502-327-9119
email: kentuckyloan@gmail.com
http://www.mylouisvillekentuckymortgage.com/
NMLS ID# 57916, (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).
