Q. If I am concerned about getting approved for a mortgage loan, what should I do?

A.  Of course, the first answer is to do your research.  The number one way to help the mortgage loan approval process is to be prepared and understand how the mortgage loan process unfolds. 

This may sound too simplified, but with the creation of credit scores and automated underwriting, the home loan approval process is based on the analysis of a series of numbers.  Numbers such as, the amount of the down payment, the loan to value ratio, the borrower’s credit scores, debt to income ratios and more are all quantified and evaluated to come up with home loan approval or denial. 

What is not included is subjective analysis.  Number based assessments help to eliminate discrimination since color and race is not part of the input process.  But, numbers can also hurt those borrowers that fell on tough times and are now putting their financial house in order.  The mortgage loan approval and application is based on your debts, income, assets and credit at a point in time.  Another words, you are approved or denied for a home loan based on your credit and income and other figures today, not where you will be tomorrow.

Mortgage lenders use an automated underwriting program, usually the one’s established by either FNMA of FHLMC, and input data about your current financial situation including your credit, income, debts and assets into these systems.  Taking all the necessary information, the mortgage lender determines mortgage affordability.  The key to any one individuals loan approval is be prepared and have the prettiest set of numbers for the mortgage lender to input in the automated underwriting system. 

One of the most important numbers input or evaluated by the automated underwriting program is the borrower’s credit score.  The credit score is one of the primary indicators of your ability to repay the mortgage loan, so it’s a good idea to know it before you apply with a mortgage lender.  For the most part, if your score is above 760 you can expect to get the best mortgage rate a mortgage lender has to offer; if your score is below 660 you may have trouble getting approved until you improve your credit and credit score.  You can obtain a free copy of your credit report annually at www.annualcreditreport.com.
 
Debt ratios are another key number quantified by the mortgage lender.  Debt ratios are simply a measure of affordability.  Debt ratios are measurements of affordability expressed as the percent of a borrowers income used to pay for debt.  Mortgage lenders want to make sure a borrower’s monthly mortgage payment does not exceed 28 percent of their income before taxes.  The mortgage lender will also look to see that total monthly debt payments including the mortgage payment, car payments and credit cards doesn’t exceed 36 percent of total gross monthly income.  These two debt ratios are referred to as the front end and back end ratios in the mortgage industry.

Do the math calculations on your own with one of the mortgage calculators to see how your debt ratios stack up against these guidelines.  The web site, www.selectcalculators.com is great site for mortgage calculators.  If your proposed housing expenses or monthly mortgage payment is greater than 28% and total debt payments, car loan, student loans and other loans, is greater than 36 percent of your gross income, you may have trouble qualifying for new home loan.  In tight situations, you may want to see is if there is a way to reduce some of those monthly debt payments before you apply for a home loan.

The down payment, assets and loan to value are all related measurements.  The loan to value measure the loan amount in relation to the value of the home.  An 80% loan to value mortgage equates to a home loan that 80% of the home’s value.  For a purchase transaction, which would mean the borrower is putting 20% down or a 20% down payment. 

The assets the mortgage lender is evaluating are the funds held by the borrower needed to cover that down payment, closing costs and reserves.  The reserves are a measure of funds left over after paying for down payment and closing costs as a cushion or safety net.  At least two months reserves will be mandatory.  This is defined as two months worth of monthly mortgage payments.  More reserves will make the home loan approval easier.  Once again, the mortgage calculator and a look at your own finances can tell you where your loan to value will be as well as the number of months of monthly mortgage payments you have in reserve.

All of these numbers, debt ratios, credit scores and loan to value are evaluated by the mortgage lender via the automated underwriting program.  The better any of the numbers are the easier the home loan approval process will be.  Really high credit scores will be approved with less paperwork than lower scores.  Larger down payments are processed faster.  Low debt ratios will facilitate the approval process as well.

In a perfect world you want to save for a large down payment, improve your credit score and lower your debt-to-income ratio.  But, in light of that, you may simply want to know where your weak spots are regarding these factors and see what you can do to improve on them before you apply for new mortgage loan.  This is a good rule whether you are applying for a purchase or a mortgage refinance.