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Archive for the ‘Credit Tips’ Category

Credit lending today has certainly tightened up. People that could get financed only a year ago can’t seem to get any financing today. With the tightened credit requirements, many are beginning to see identity theft on the rise. That means you need to seriously consider doing something that will help protect your good credit.

One way to help protect your credit rating is to consider a third party program such as LifeLock. LifeLock is the only Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee! (Click here to get a 10% discount.) This means that if anyone were to steal your identity, LifeLock will spend up to $1,000,000 to clear your name. From what I have seen and heard, the clean up after the ID theft is the nightmare part, so with this kind of guarantee, you should get back to normal much quicker!

Getting approved for a Charlotte mortgage home loan is tough enough in today’s mortgage market. Don’t risk your good credit without some assurances. By protecting your credit rating today, you will help ensure that when you are ready to buy your home in Charlotte (or beyond) that you will be able to get approved for the mortgage loan you are needing.

LifeLock is offering a 10% discount! 

Lately I have had an influx of mortgage applications from folks with bad credit. In today’s lening environment, I am sorry to say that I am not able to assist these folks at this time.

Lenders have tightened up on their lending standards. Some people believe that FHA mortgages are a great choice for them if they have bad credit; however, this is a misconception. FHA has never required a specific credit score, but has always looked for a history of responsible payments. They especially look at the most recent 12 months.

If you have bad credit, does that mean you are just simply out of luck? No, not really. While you may not qualify to buy a home today, you can certainly begin working on improving your credit. The question for most is “How do I improve my credit?” Well, there are several specific things you can do, but first you must being to understand what credit is and how it works. If you can get that understanding together, you can easily recover. It will take time, but with a good roadmap it can be done.

I am working on creating a new website that will provide that roadmap. This is in the works. This will be a member’s only website for those that are serious about changing their credit status. If this is something that you would be interested in, please use the contact page and let me know. Once the website is live and active, I will email you with the information.

Thanks,
Ed

A Credit Tip Concerning FHA Mortgages

Important Notice! You may be hurting your chances to get approved for an FHA mortgage loan!

Any accounts in dispute on your credit report will automatically make your mortgage application with FHA a manual underwrite! This means that even if the FHA automated approval system says yes, your mortgage application will be downgraded to a no and it will be up to an underwriter to determine if you should get the mortgage. Manually underwritten mortgage loans face tougher scrutiny and can take longer to close.

The reason I tell you this is that too many people still believe that disputing a bad account on your credit will somehow either make it go away or make it not count. This is not true. Without proper documentation, removing an account that is correctly reported will not happen. In other words, if you did not pay them, you can’t simply dispute it to make it go away.

Under this FHA guideline, disputing the account can take you from an automated Yes to a manual No. In many cases, the account in question may not have made a difference either way.

So before you begin going around just disputing items on your credit, be sure to talk to a qualified mortgage consultant. Knowing how the FHA system works can make the difference between an approval and a long drawn out denial.

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Question:
I went through bankruptcy back in January and wonder now what chances, if any, I have to get a home. This may be completely fruitless at this time, but I would like to set some stepping stones so that I would know what I need to do along the way to prepare myself to better be able to get a loan.

Thanks,
Patricia

Answer:
Patricia,

Thanks for the contact. The recent bankruptcy would present the biggest challenge in obtaining a mortgage for buying a home right away. Typically most lenders are looking for 2 years of re-established credit after a bankruptcy is discharged. So while you are going through those re-establishing years, here are a few tips:

• Pay everything on time (beyond just credit debts… utilities can help create alternative credit when the time is right)
• Pay everything by Check or Debit Card (you want hard proof of timely payments)
• If you rent, pay by Check! (This is especially important to prove!)
• Open a credit card and use it effectively to re-establish credit (see http://startovercredit.com/build-positive-credit.php for more info)
• Build a savings account. Lenders like to see money in the bank for a cushion… gives them a sense of security.
• Keep debts to a minimum. When you are rebuilding credit, use credit cards (revolving credit) properly and avoid installment loans just to build credit. In other words, don’t buy a car unless you have to. Installment loans  take forever to make a positive impact on credit.

These should help get you on track to buy a home again in the near future.

If I can be of any assistance, please give me a call.

Ed Nailor
877-411-9327 Phone

Mortgage Loans Got Tougher

Throughout this mortgage “crisis” we have had one investor that was not requiring any particular credit score. They would underwrite any loan and did a lot of manual underwritten business. (A manual underwrite is a loan decision made by a real person rather than a computer and is a tough approval to get.)

With the tightening of money and credit lines available to lenders, this investor has just made some major changes. Not only have they imposed a minimum credit score of 620, they now will no longer accept any manual underwritten loans! The result: mortgage applicants with soiled credit have one less option for mortgage financing.

The way things are headed, home buyers and mortgage applicants are going to need solid credit in order to qualify. There are still a few options out there for dinged credit, but those that just won’t pay their bills are running out of options.

If you have had some credit issues and are on the fence about buying a home, now is the time to act! While there are still lenders willing to look at less than perfect credit and accept minimal down payments, you need to act now! Forget what the media is selling. The real estate and mortgage market in Charlotte is still attractive and strong! But if you wait until all the “smoke clears” you may be left sitting out in the cold!

Charlotte Home Loan Dies over $25

“But it was only $25.00. Surely that can’t matter that much!” Unfortunately, it did.

Recently a client of mine went from being approved to buy a home in Charlotte to being denied for a Charlotte mortgage loan. It was over a $25 credit card payment. Unfortunately, the payment on one of their credit cards was not paid on time and the late payment was reported to the credit bureau. This late payment caused their credit scores to drop significantly, enough to disqualify them from the mortgage they had applied for.

The amount of your monthly payments has no bearing on the significance of the payment history. It does not matter if the monthly payment is $1,000, $100 or $1. If there is a payment due and it is not paid on time, it is reported as late. A recent late payment will hurt your credit rating and your score will suffer because of it. Most mortgage companies in Charlotte and across the country are looking very hard at credit. It is more important than ever.

If you are considering buying a home in Charlotte, make sure that every obligation you have is paid on time. If you think it is insignificant, pay it anyway. The last thing you want to experience is what this client did… it can be very heartbreaking. And delivering the news isn’t fun on my end either!

New Risk Layering Added to FHA Mortgages

Effective July 14, 2008 FHA mortgage loans will charge new mortgage insurance premiums based on a combination of credit scores and percentage down. Currently all FHA mortgage loans enjoy the same premiums.

Right now, an FHA mortgage loan requires 1.5% of the loan amount to be paid up front for mortgage insurance, plus an annual mortgage insurance premium 0.50%, paid monthly. Using a $100,000 loan amount, the upfront mortgage insurance premium would be $1,500 and the monthly insurance premium would be $41.67. (0.50% annual = $500 / 12 monthly payments = $41.67 a month.)

Lets see how this new Risk Layering will impact FHA mortgages after July 14.

Most FHA purchases are done using the minimum 3% down. So with the new risk layering, someone with a credit score of 640 would see an upfront fee of 1.5% and an annual rate of 0.55%. Not bad! Realistically you are talking a difference of roughly $4 a month.

However, someone with a credit score of 550 would see an upfront premium of 2.25% and an annual premium of 0.55%. On a $100,000 mortgage loan, this equates to an upfront premium of $2,250 and $45.83 a month for the annual premium.

The good news is that the upfront premium can be financed back into the loan amount, so the additional $750 won’t be required in cash! And this small amount won’t make any significant monthly payment changes that will hurt your wallet!

This is a small change and not one to be too upset about. Yes, its an increase in premiums, but with the increase of foreclosures across the country, HUD has to ensure that they can continue to offer these great FHA mortgage loans!

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How to Avoid Unsoliciated Mortgage Calls

This article will address some items that you, the general public, may not be aware of. When you apply for a mortgage loan with any lender, your information may be getting sold. And not by the lender you applied with either!

Here’s the nightmare scenario…

Let’s say you apply for a mortgage loan in Charlotte. During the application process your credit report is requested from the 3 major credit bureaus. This is normal and so far so good. But what happens next is what gets scary for you…

Since a mortgage lender has pulled your credit, your information can now be sold to other mortgage companies nationwide as a “trigger lead.” A trigger lead is a lead that is sold when someone is actively seeking credit. When the report is pulled, it “triggers” that you are looking. The credit bureaus then sell your information to multiple lenders across the country, all geared to call you and pitch their offer to you. This can become a telemarketing nightmare!

Sure, you may want to compare lenders, rates and programs. But do you want 20 unsolicited phone calls from various lenders across the country?

So how do you stop this from happening? Actually, it’s fairly easy! But you need to be proactive.

Before calling a lender, do this:

1. Visit OptOutPreScreen.com. This is the official website for all 3 credit bureaus to request them NOT to sell your information for what they call “prescreened offers.” You can opt in, opt out for 5 years and opt out permanently.
2. Visit DoNotCall.gov. This is the official National Do Not Call Registry which instructs telemarketers that they are NOT permitted to call your phone for unsolicited purposes. In other words, if you did not ask them to call, they can’t call. If they do they face possible fines up to $11,000.

The beauty of these two sites is that by Opting Out of “prescreened” offers, you should not be sold to other lenders. But if by chance it gets through, 99% of the lead sources will compare your number to the Do Not Call list and if your number is there, they “scrub” your name off the list.

There is one added benefit… your home mail box will get less junk mail as a result!

Acceptable types of Alternative Credit for FHA Mortgages

According to the HUD Mortgagee Letter 2008-11, HUD has created two groups of references that can be used as alternative credit for FHA mortgage loans. These are used when the borrower’s credit file does not have enough information to create a credit score, or when the credit file produces a score with very limited credit. HUD stressed that these are not to be considered as an alternative to “poor credit.”

Basic Guidelines for FHA Alternative Credit

There must be at least 3 references that can show a solid bill payment history. All of these should cover the payment history of the most recent 12 months. At least one of these should be from the “Preferred” Group with the focus of references being mainly in the “Preferred” group. Once all options have been exhuasted with the “Preferred” group, then references from the “Secondary” group can be considered.

The “Preferred Group”

rental housing payments (subject to independent verification if the borrower is a renter), utility company reference (if not included in the rental housing payment), including gas, electricity, water, land-line home telephone service, cable TV. If the borrower is renting from a family member, request independent documents to prove regularity of payments, such as cancelled checks.

The “Secondary Group”

insurance coverage, i.e., medical, auto, life, renter’s insurance (not payroll deducted); payment to child care providers – made to a business providing such services; school tuition; retail stores – department, furniture, appliance stores, specialty stores; rent to own – i.e., furniture, appliances; payment of that part of medical bills not covered by insurance; Internet/cell phone services; a documented 12 month history of saving by regular deposits (at least quarterly/non-payroll deducted/no NSF checks reflected), resulting in an increasing balance to the account; automobile leases, or a personal loan from an individual with repayment terms in writing and supported by cancelled checks to document the payments.

These alternative credit references must be verifiable. HUD’s preference is that they are verified by a credit reporting agency and that they create a “nontraditional mortgage credit report.” This report would be used by the lender just like a standard credit report would be used.

If a nontraditional mortgage credit report is not possible, HUD further requires that each reference be independantly verified and should be backed up by cancelled checks covering the last 12 months’ payment history.

In my next posting I will address what can be done if no references can be found, or if there no “Preferred” group references available.

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HUD Clarification on Alternative Credit

A while back, I wrote an article dicussing how FHA mortgage loans are not Subprime Mortgage Loans. Obviously, too many loan officers are not getting that point very clear in their minds. With the lack of mortgage loans available to individuals with very poor credit, many loan officers that worked strictly in subprime lending have turned to FHA as their savior. This is causing a lot of trouble and a major backlog with many lenders in their government underwriting departments.

The mess has gotten so bad with many lenders that loans can take up to 30 days just to get their government deals looked at! This includes both FHA and VA mortgage loans!

So in an attempt to help bring loan officers back to reality, HUD has released a Mortgagee Letter (#2008-11) to clarify Nontraditional Credit Verification and Evaluation. In this letter HUD addresses using alternative credit references, when they can be used and how they should be verified.

The idea is that using these alternative tradelines is appropriate when a borrower does not have sufficient credit to create a credit score. Alternative credit can also be used to help support what is considered to be a “thin” credit file where a credit score is created but based on very limited credit. HUD does clairify that if the credit is in bad shape, you can’t simply turn in a payment history for a light bill and get it approved!

“nontraditional credit reports may not be used to enhance any poor credit history on a traditional credit report.” HUD Mortgagee Letter 2008-11

Alternative credit lines must have a solid 12 month history and be one of two groups of trade line references. In the next couple postings, I will go more into what these groups are and how HUD wants these references to be verified.

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