Mortgage Loan Approval Sometimes Need a Human Touch
In the mid 1990′s, the mortgage industry saw the credit score and its predictive power to assess a borrower’s ability to repay a mortgage step into the limelight as one of the most indicative factors for loan approval. After conducting statistical test after statistical test, Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie, the 3 big lending institutions, mandated that the credit score should be used in conjunction with manual underwriting to assess loan approval. Not too long after, automated underwriting systems (AUS) were developed that expedited and streamlined the underwriting process even further for lenders. A loan officer today simply inputs a borrower’s key information into the preferred underwriting automatic engine, such as his/her credit score, income, amount being borrowed, cash reserves, employment and housing history, and the value of the property. A response is returned by the underwriting engine recommending approval or denial for the loan.
If your loan receives a denial from an AUS, the buck doesn’t necessarily stop there. Life happens to people, and oftentimes it’s going to take a real live person understanding the nuances of a file to make an underwriting decision. That’s when your lender may suggest submitting your file to underwriting for a manual review. After all, not everything in life can be automatic, right?
A perfect scenario for a manually underwritten file would be someone who has no credit scores. No credit scores? Yes, it is possible. I’ve had customers who, being old school and always having paid for everything in cash, had never established traditional credit lines that reported to credit reporting bureaus. In a case such as this one, I had to submit non-traditional lines of credit to underwriting, something a machine can’t assess. This means I had my customer bring in bills he had paid on time for the past year to create a credit history. Typical ones used are car insurance, utility bills, cell phone bills and cable bills. You can expect to have to provide 3-4 different trade lines if you haven’t established a traditional credit history and score.
“The most typical reason we see a file submitted to us for manual underwriting is for either no credit score or an error reported on a credit report,” reflects Patricia Haynes, onsite Government Underwriter at Mortgage Investors Group. “For instance a judgement that doesn’t really belong to the borrower. Maybe it’s really Dad’s judgement reflected on the son’s report because Junior and Dad have the same name. That’s when I can overwrite an AUS decision because I have the documentation to support my decision to do so in front of me.”
Another very common reason to submit a loan for a manual underwrite is when your customer’s credit score is below 620 and gets an AUS denial. If this is the case with your loan, be prepared to provide more than average documentation about your credit history, as well as written explanations as to why your credit score has suffered recently. Maybe two years ago you had a financial meltdown due to a medical illness, but in the last twelve months, you can prove you are back on your game and have been repaying debt. However, your credit scores haven’t exactly caught up with your actions. An underwriter is going to piece together the different aspects of your file and see if it makes sense. Your home lender should be able to review your file and guide you as to what documentation an underwriter will want from you to grant you loan approval.
Naturally, if your credit score is really low and you have very little explanation for your state of credit affairs other than you failed to pay your bills on time, don’t hold your breath for loan approval. An underwriter can see through smoke and mirrors. After looking at files as long as they have, they can basically sniff out a loan that has merit from the ones that are too risky.
So, even as our world gets more and more automated every day, it’s nice to know that you can’t replace genuine common sense, even in the mortgage industry. And it’s nice to know that you can plead your case for credit worthiness to a real live human being.
Watch the video related
With the real estate market in decline, mortgage lenders are stricter about requirements for loans. Do you need a bigger down payment, a better credit score, or more solid work history? How has qualifying changed and what do you need to know in order to qualify for a mortgage loan in today’s tough market? Watch this Expert Real Estate Tips segment to find out more about what mortgage lenders require.
Help answer the question
How do Mortgage loan officers make their money?
I'm getting a mortgage loan through a mortgage company but the guy that is giving me the loan seems a little bit to excited. How much money is he making off of the loan of 170,000 and what should I look out for?
mortgage loan
Tags: Home loan modification, mortgage modifications
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 5:08 am and is filed under Loan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 17th, 2009 at 5:58 am
FYI I totaled up ALL the money I paid over the 18 years on a mortgage! I’m not including all the money I spent on maintainance (like the roof, the water heater, the forced air system, the landscaping, the garbage disposal, the sinks, the flooring, the carpeting, the garage door opener, the new fense, paint, wallpaper etc…..). If I had put this money in savings, I believe I’d have much more money!!
I’m glad I had my 3 houses, but I didn’t MAKE any money : (
September 17th, 2009 at 6:09 am
In an interest-only loan or mortgage the borrower only pays interest each month. This makes it cheaper than a conventional mortgage, in which part of each month's payment goes towards the principal and part goes towards interest. These loans have become popular because the monthly payments are lower, allowing borrowers to afford a larger home.
However, these loans can be dangerous, especially in a down housing market. The interest rates are generally fixed for the first 1, 3 or 5 years. After that, they convert to a conventional loan, with a higher monthly payment. Most borrowers take on these loans because they assume they will sell the home before the interest rate increases. In a down market, they may not be able to sell. If they cannot afford the increased payment, they may have to default on the loan, and foreclose on the home. So, when the rate starts to adjust, you would need to refinance again. And, either get a fixed or another interest only adjustable. And, yes, I do believe you mean ARM. Although, if you have extra money every so often, you can pay down the principal in extra payments.
September 17th, 2009 at 6:18 am
FYI I totaled up ALL the money I paid over the 18 years on a mortgage! I’m not including all the money I spent on maintainance (like the roof, the water heater, the forced air system, the landscaping, the garbage disposal, the sinks, the flooring, the carpeting, the garage door opener, the new fense, paint, wallpaper etc…..). If I had put this money in savings, I believe I’d have much more money!!
I’m glad I had my 3 houses, but I didn’t MAKE any money : (
September 17th, 2009 at 6:45 am
If you are both going to be on the loan, then both incomes will count. Critereia for a mortgage is dependent on the following:
* Credit Score – there are 3 credit bureaus and this thing called a FICO (Fair Issac) score. The closer your score is to 850 the easier the loan is to get and the better rate (lower interest) you will be offered.
* Debt to income ratio. If you earn $1,000 a month and have $750 per month in bills to pay, it will be tougher. Banks/mortgage companies like debt to income to be less than 50%, and would prefer 30% area.
* Don't be getting new loans and don't apply for new credit until after you have purchased your new home. These "inquiries" will bring down your credit score.
Look up your credit online now. You can get it done very inexpensively and know where you stand.
Hope that help
September 18th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Very informative video. I took some notes on the video and how it was done. I gave it 5 stars. Check out our vids and tell me what you think? We have some good stuff also.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
They can use you as a reference if they need to get another mortgage. Usually the company will require cancelled checks or copies of money orders used to pay you. Receipts aren't allowed as much now due to fraud in producing them as proof. However, if your borrowers can locate most of the cancelled checks and you are just missing a couple of months, lenders might accept the receipts. Usually they want a 12 month history or more of current timely payments. It's tough to report to a credit bureau unless you meet their criteria, which can include being licensed in your state. However, it never hurts to ask the big three.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Student loans that are deferred…need to be deferred for 3yrs in order to take it out of the expense ratio.
If not, I WOULD HIGHLY recommend that you find the original contract of the student loan. OTHERWISE, the underwriter will use his own calculations of what you will pay…which is USUALLY higher than you will normally pay.
September 19th, 2009 at 5:53 am
thehelpfund.blogspot
September 19th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Mortgage Loan officers do not make anything from the SALE of a home. They make a certain percentage of the amount of the mortgage loan on the PURCHASE of a house.
The percentage of commission varies from state to state and from lender to lender.
September 19th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Simply put the loan officer will get paid either three ways:
1. You pay him origination points
2. The lender will pay him
3. A combination of 1 and 2
For anyone to come here and tell you that only one or two ways is the right way or how much of % should be paid is completely wrong.
Each state is different on how much on an average a borrower will pay on origination points.
In order for you to find out how the loan officer is chargin your, look at the Good Faith Estimate.
If you are paying for origination points up front, you may be getting a better rate than having the lender pay the loan officer for his commission. Although you could be getting charge at both ends.
Look carefully at the Good Faith Estimate.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I really suggest looking around at different careers websites, such as monster.com, in addition to checking out our careers page (I’m an employee of Quicken Loans).
Don’t worry about your lack of experience. At many mortgage companies, including Quicken Loans, no lending experience is not a problem.
In addition to on-going training, all new mortgage bankers attend five weeks of industry-leading training. We’ve been hiring 200+ new mortgage bankers a month for the past few months and we consider candidates with various work backgrounds and experiences.
I’ve included a link to our mortgage banker careers page that has more information, but if you have any questions feel free to contact me through my profile.
One thing, we only hire for employment in Detroit, Cleveland, and Scottdale, Arizona.
Good luck!
September 20th, 2009 at 3:03 am
How difficult would it be for a retiree to buy a different home in this market. Say, 800+ Credit Score, but no job?
September 20th, 2009 at 6:05 am
yes
here is one example on 150 k 30 yr fixed with a 6.5% rate
first i must say you should make an additional payment and mark on check "apply to principle"! this way you have proof and there is no question your intention!
ok 150k home making a 150 extra payment every month!
pays your home off in 21 years and a 9 months
September 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Do it yourself. Most of the companies are scammers, take money and don't achieve anything you couldn't achieve yourself, and frequently achieve nothing at all. The companies collect up front money from the borrowers.
Call you lender and keep calling and asking about loan modification. Ask about how they are implementing Help for Homeowners. Persist.
Most loan modifications are only a reduction of interest rates or a change from ARM to Fixed rate loan.