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As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been on a refinancing binge. My wife and I have refinanced our home twice in the last 12 months, and my business partner and I are doing the same with three rental properties. With mortgage rates at an all-time low, these deals were just too good to pass up. And this got me thinking--which credit scores do mortgage lenders use to qualify people for a mortgage?
It’s an important question, as your credit score determines your mortgage rates or if you even qualify for a loan. While it’s common knowledge that mortgage lenders use FICO scores, most people with a credit history have three FICO scores, one from each of the three national credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Do lenders average the three scores, or take some other approach? And what happens when two people buy a home together? Do lenders average their scores together?
Tip: Get all 3 FICO scores from the major bureaus directly from myFICO
So I did some research on the following questions:
- Which FICO formula (there’s more than one, unfortunately) do mortgage companies use?
- For a single applicant, which of up to three FICO scores will be considered?
- For spouses, significant others, or business partners, how do lenders evaluate creditworthiness?
- And finally, what if an applicant doesn’t have FICO scores from all three credit bureaus?
Since most loans are sold to either Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, I focused on the requirements for these types of loans.
Which FICO Score is Used for Mortgages
Most lenders determine a borrower's creditworthiness based on FICO scores, a Credit Score developed by Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). This score tells the lender what type of credit risk you are and what your interest rate should be to reflect that risk. FICO scores have different names at each of the three major United States credit reporting companies. And there are different versions of the FICO formula. Here are the specific versions of the FICO formula used by mortgage lenders:
- Equifax Beacon 5.0
- Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model v2
- TransUnion FICO Risk Score 04
If you want to dig into the regulations for Freddie Mac to see the source of this information, you can do so here. But be warned, it’s like trying to drink water from a fire hose.
Lenders have identified a strong correlation between Mortgage performance and FICO Bureau scores (FICO score). FICO scores range from 300 to 850. The lower the FICO score, the greater the risk of default.
Resource: Get all 3 FICO scores from the major bureaus directly from myFICO
Which Fico Score Do Mortgage Lenders Use?
Since most people have three FICO scores, one from each credit bureau, how do lenders choose which one to use?
For a FICO score to be considered "usable", it must be based on adequate, concrete information. If there is too little information, or if the information is inaccurate, the FICO score may be deemed unusable for the mortgage underwriting process. Once the underwriter has determined if a score is usable or not, here's how they decide which score(s) to use for an individual borrower:
- If all three scores are different, they use the middle score
- If two of the scores are the same, they use that score, regardless of whether the two repeated scores are higher or lower than the third score
If it helps to visualize this information:
Identifying the Underwriting Score
ExampleScore 1Score 2Score 3Underwriting ScoreBorrower 1680700720700Borrower 2640660640640Borrower 3640660660660
Which Scores Are Used with Two Applicants
If there is more than one applicant, then the scores to be used for each individual are calculated as described above. Once the scores for each applicant are determined, the mortgage lender uses the lower of the two credit scores.
What If No Score is Available
In some situations, an applicant may not have a usable FICO score from one of the three credit bureaus. In that case, the mortgage lender will simply use the lower of the two scores that are available. And if two scores are not usable, they will use the one remaining score.
And since you may be wondering, if a mortgage applicant has no usable FICO scores, generally they won't qualify for a mortgage. I say generally because there are exceptions. If you fall into this category, contact a mortgage broker to see what options you have.
Obtaining FICO Scores
If you are looking to buy or refinance your mortgage, how do you get a glimpse of your credit scores before applying? Well, one option would be to get your official FICO score from myFICO--where you can actually get credit scores from all three major bureaus.
There are a number of ways to get your free credit score, which is where I’d start. They’re not perfect, but in my experience are pretty close.
If you’re looking for an easy way to increase your score, sign up for Experian Boost™ This service is free and can see when you make your monthly payments like your utility bill and cell phone bill on time. When you do, your FICO Score may get a boost.