I have some good news for those looking to get a mortgage in the near future — as 20% of U.S. consumers could see their credit score increase this fall.
Credit Changes
The nation’s three major credit rating agencies, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, will drop tax liens and civil judgments from some consumers’ profiles if the information isn’t complete.
Because of the combination of these two dramatic changes, many potential borrowers that did not qualify for a home loan might now be eligible under these new regulations.
These credit bureaus will also be restricted from including medical debt collections. If the debt isn’t at least six-months old or if the medical debt was eventually paid by insurance, it can’t be listed.
The reason is that medical debts, unlike that of credit charges, are unplanned and doctors and hospitals have no standard formula for when they send unpaid debts to collection.
Debt-to-Income Changes
In addition to the FICO changes, mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are allowing borrowers to have higher levels of debt and still qualify for a home loan. Both are raising their debt-to-income ratio limit to 50 percent of pretax income from 45 percent. That is designed to help those with high levels of student debt.
This move by the mortgage leaders will dramatically increase the number of people who will now be able to qualify for a home loan. Most industry experts agree that this is a welcomed and much needed change for millennials and first-time homebuyers.
If you have been considering a home purchase or refinance, now is a great time to take a look at it.
Contact me to find out if these changes might benefit you or someone you know!
