Refinancing Home Mortgage
In: Mortgage Lenders
23 Apr 2010Details: My husband has a recent bankruptcy on his credit record (I was not included on bankruptcy). The bankruptcy is less than a year old.
My credit is decent, but I have been a stay-at-home-mom and full-time student for the past ten months, therefore have no income of my own.
My husband makes good money and has been current on our bills since the bankruptcy was discharged. Since the bankrutcy has freed up our finances, we can easily swing a house payment at this point.
So, what are our chances of getting a mortgage? And do you have any suggestions for making us look as good as possible to the lender? Can I go on the mortgage since I don’t have an income right now? Thanks!
This is about mortgage information questions.
10 Responses to Questions about mortgage after bankruptcy. Can you help?
Andy K
April 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
You could ask advice from your bank…
KL
April 23rd, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Just put yourself on the mortgage, than apply for an Alt-A loan in which 6-12 months of bank statments will be used as a full-doc loan.
For example, you will provide 12 months of statements. The bank total the amount in deposits and divides it by 12. They then use this as your monthly income.
Easy!
Fool in the Rain
April 23rd, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Just go see a mortgage lender and find out. Nobody here can tell you for sure. Your interest rate will be sky high, I know that much. Guess that’s the price you pay for freeing up your finances. That’s crazy, you just claimed bankruptcy and you turn around and buy a new house. Talk about working the system. Must be nice.
communityinflorida
April 23rd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
email lyoung@whartonmortgagegroup.com for help in obtaining a loan. Bankruptcy is not the end of the world. I will provide a consult on your situation with recommendations to boost your score.
roddy414
April 23rd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
you should probably ask ur bank
Mark Pfeiffer
April 23rd, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Hello Jen,
You do have some options depending on the type of bankruptcy and if a mortgage was involved. If a mortgage wasn’t involved in the BK then your husband may be eligible for a FHA loan after 12 months of the BK being discharged. FHA guidelines allow a manual underwrite and is not credit score dependent. The foundation of this is that your husband pays every bill on-time and in full since the BK. My only concern is that from the sounds of things you are not repaying your debtors. If that is the case, then you will need to wait 24 months after discharge (assuming no mortgage was involved) before applying for a FHA loan.
In regards to the some of the other answers, you can’t use bank statements to verify your income since you don’t have a job. The lender knows it is your husband’s income and would require his credit scores to be the determining factor.
A more viable option would be for you to get a part-time job (salaried preferable) and go with an Alt-A loan called a “No Ratio” loan. This loan mandates that you have job but you do not disclose your income; therefore, the basis to lend the money will weigh heavily on your credit and your cash reserves. The rate will be higher than your “traditional” loan but it is a great option.
If you can’t (or don’t want to get a job) then you can look at a “No Doc” or “NINA” loan. This is based totally on your credit and will have a higher rate. The good news is that the No Doc loan can make you a homeowner and allow your husband to repair his credit over time so you can refinance in a few years. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
W. E
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
You have a few good answers – and yes you can be on the loan, and use the Bankstatement program. And you can get a loan 1 day out of a BK, the loan to value may be lower, just depends on your middle credit scores and hubby’s middle credit score. That is why you use the Bankstatement Program. Since you have no income.
When you Decide to buy, decide on how much you want to spend, if you want to escrow the taxes and insurance. Say the taxes are 1200 a YR and insurance 800 a year (just an estimate, ok) That is 2,000 a year divided by 12 = 166.66 If you paid 1,000 a month now – (166.66) your P/I Principle and Interest would be 833.34. Now you decided on the price range you are looking into. If you have great credit, a 1 loan at 130,000 at a rate of 7 percent over a 30 year time would be 864.89 – This is just a estimate – ok –
It greatly depends if you need help with closing cost, (The seller could do Seller Help toward your closing cost). If that is the case, I normally tell my clients NOT to hackle over the price, since you are asking for closing cost help – especially if the home is thru a realitor, and the seller has to pay the realitor their fee which runs from 3-6 percent of the selling price, and you ask for 3-5 percent toward closing cost -assistance) Follow me so far??
Talk with a broker, a broker underwrites for many company’s (I underwrite for 150 companies) so I only have to pull credit 1 time, and they look at my credit. A single lender (not a broker) has programs available, but they may not be able to help you and your situation, so you go elsewhere, and than that person pulls your credit (see what I mean.) If you shop, your credit is pulled and that is considered a soft pull, for a 30 day period. Just like shopping for a auto, it is good for 30 days. If you apply for a credit card, that is considered a “hard” pull and it drags down your credit score. When looking for a home, please do not apply for a credit card, Department Charge Card, Gasoline Card or make any major purchases, like a auto, etc. This will pull your credit down.
Try to find someone (broker) that will pull your credit one time, and submit your loan application to company’s that will go off his credit report. By the way, a loan application is called a 1003, and they will issue you a GFE (Good Faith estimate, with-in 3 days, that is per the RESPA laws, and the TIL (Truth in Lending). The GFE will tell you the up-front closing cost associated with your loan. The TIL will tell you the terms, rate associated with your loan. This is a estimate only – not the final – but it does help you figure things out.
Lenders look at the middle score…of the 3 scores. If you only have 1 score or 2 scores (have seen it), it is still workable….but unless a lender sees the whole picture – credit – income – job time, etc – than you will not have a “true” picture of what you can afford – Hope this helps.
If you’re debts are under control now, but want to improve your credit history, the most important factor is to make your monthly payments on time. Use pre-addressed envelopes enclosed with your statements to mail your payments and call the company if you don’t receive your usual statement. Also send your payment as early as possible if you carry a balance. Most companies calculate interest on a daily basis, so the sooner they receive your payment, the less interest you’ll pay.
Don’t procrastinate. It’s the day your payment is received that counts, not the postmark date. Give the post office sufficient time (five business days is a good guideline) to deliver your mail. Late payments may mean late fees, higher interest, and/or a negative mark on your credit report.
Never send cash. Open a checking account if you don’t have one, or spring for a money order and keep your receipt. Finally don’t forget to tell your creditors your new address when you move.
If you are worried about making payments, make a list of your debts and when the payments are due. Contact your lenders immediately if you think you will have trouble meeting the monthly payments to arrange a payment schedule.
Taking money from your retirement account or tapping the cash value of your life insurance policy to pay bills or living expenses may have serious implications you haven’t considered, so try to get advice from an expert before you take any major financial actions.
Credit cards can be invaluable in a crisis, since they allow you to charge items and pay them off over time. But they can also be dangerous if you aren’t careful and charge more than you can afford. If you do use credit cards, choose those with the lowest interest rates and pay them back as soon as you can to cut your costs.
Credit Scoring – How it Works
. Credit scoring is a statistical method that lenders use to quickly and objectively assess the credit risk of a loan applicant. The score is a number that rates the likelihood you will pay back a loan. Scores range from 350 (high risk) to 950 (low risk). There are a few types of credit scores; the most widely used are FICO? scores, which were developed by Fair Isaac & Company, Inc. for each of the credit reporting agencies.
Credit scores only consider the information contained in your credit profile. They do not consider your income, savings, down payment amount, or demographic factors like gender, race, nationality or marital status. Past delinquencies, derogatory payment behavior, current debt level, length of credit history, types of credit and number of inquiries are all considered in credit scores. Your score considers both positive and negative information in your credit report. Late payments will lower your score, but establishing or re-establishing a good track record of making payments on time will raise your score.
Different portions of your credit file are given different weights. They are:
35% – Previous credit performance (specific to your payment history)
30% – Current level of indebtedness (current balance compared to high credit)
15% – Time credit has been in use (opening date)
15% – Types of credit available (installment loans, revolving and debit accounts)
5% – Pursuit of new credit (number of inquiries)
The most important factor for a good credit score is paying your bills on time. Even if the debt you owe is a small amount, it is crucial that you make payments on time. In addition, you may want to: keep balances low on credit cards and other “revolving credit;” apply for and open new credit accounts only as needed; and pay off debt rather than moving it around. Also don’t close unused cards as a short-term strategy to raise your score. Owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your score.
Recent changes minimize the negative effects that rate shopping can have on a mortgage applicant. If there is a consumer originated inquiry within the past 365 days from mortgage or auto related industries, these inquiries are ignored for scoring purposes for the first 30 calendar days; then, multiple inquiries within the next 14 days are counted as one. Each inquiry will still appear on the credit report.
Every score is accompanied by a maximum of four reason codes. Reason codes identify the most significant reason that you did not score higher. The reason codes can help a lender describe the reasons for higher than expected rates or loan denial. Scores are not part of the credit profile and are not covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Your credit report must contain at least one account which has been open for six months or greater, and at least one account that has been updated in the past six months for you to get a credit score. This ensures that there is enough information in your report to generate an accurate score. If you do not meet the minimum criteria for getting a score, you may need to establish a credit history prior to applying for a mortgage.
BK Paralegal
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Hello There!
I have to say, that working in Bankruptcy and spending lots of time with mortgage lenders, I have to tell you that currently, most lenders will not lend to a debtor who is less than a year out of their bankruptcy. The fact that you are not working, does not do well for you, but with a joint application you might be able to apply for a loan- but it would likely come back as a horrible rate (thanks to your husbands healing credit) and you would be better off waiting for 12 months.
But, our industry has been known to play tricks on us! You will never know until you ask, and the worse that can happen, is that a mortgage lender will tell you “no” or offer you a crazy man’s rate.
Here are some recommendations to prepare for going to a lender following a bankruptcy. Go ahead and pull a three bureau credit report. I strongly recommend going to https://www.annualcreditreport.com if you and your husband have not done so already this year, and request a free copy of your tri report. You get one a year free by law.
If you and your husband have already gotten the free reports this year, consider purchasing one from Experian, Transunion or Equifax (The tri-reports please!). You will need to carefully review the credit reports and see what is showing under the bankruptcy, and what things are not. Write a letter to the credit reporting agencies outlining things that are incorrect, or erroneous. Even addresses are important!
A good idea that is always shared with our Bankruptcy clients, is to send each of these three reporting agencies a letter explaining you filed bankruptcy, with a copy of your bankruptcy petition (the first document filed in your case) requesting that changes be made to accurately reflect the status of each account listed on your petition Schedules D, E, and F (All creditor account information).
If you don’t have copies of your bankruptcy petition, I recommend asking for a copy from your attorney (which will generally cost a fee) or joining Pacer (http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/) and pulling the documents directly off of the Federally run Bankruptcy website (also for a fee).
Once you have this document in your possession, a copy should be sent to each of the three reporting agencies, including a copy of your drivers license and social security card. You must send these items via green card certified return receipt ( find at your local post office), so that you have proof of the date the reporting agencies received your letter and documents. The law says that credit reporting agencies review and correct this information within 30 days of receiving any requests for investigation. The credit reporting bureau will make the appropriate changes and then report back to you what they have found or changed on your behalf. Doing this generally 3-6 months prior to attempting to receive a loan for the first time will for the most part clear up any future headaches.
It may not be exactly the answer you were looking for, but I hope it is helpful! Good luck!
BK Paralegal
Price is what you pay for value.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Lender will give you money for sure. Probably charge you a higher interests rate and extra insurance on the loan for not having the down payment or good credit.
Would you consider delaying your plan? Professional investors are careful in choosing each investment that would be near or immediately cash flow positive. With overpriced housing market, that is not possbile.
For example, it costs $500,000 to $550,000 to buy a two bedroom units in Sunnyvale California. Mortgage monthly payment with nothing down is $3500 to $4000 a month with 7% APR. The rent one can collect from such unit would be $2000 a month. Therefore, for each unit you buy, you would lose $1500 a month.
* We assume tax benefits would cancel out with tax and maintenance fee. Please consult your CPA.
**If you have large down payement, the rate may be lowered.
Another important factor to consider, home price may not appreciate as much anymore. In most area of the U.S., housing price stopped going up as inventory continues to build up. It is normal to see a correction as a boom that lasted for several years.
If you are investing new money in to real estate, this may not be a good time as the potential return on investment is small compare to the high risk of lower home price.
If you are doing a side way move, meaning you are selling one to buy another one, then it is acceptable.
Nothing is absolute, but housing market is very likely undergoing a correction and this is only the beginning. Some say this would be a soft landing (0 to 10%). Some say a big crashing is coming (10 to 20%).
http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/08/real_estate/caught_in_the_bubble/index.htm?postversion=2006090814
http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/05/real_estate/Ofheo_home_prices/index.htm?postversion=2006090514
bidia
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:50 pm
difficult question but there are companies specialising for people like u.