"TOP TEN DO’S AND DON’TS DURING THE LOAN PROCESS"
1.
DON’T
APPLY FOR NEW CREDIT OF ANY KIND, including those “You have been
pre-approved” credit card invitations that you receive in the mail. Do
not buy a new car or get a department store credit card while you are
refinancing.
2.
DON’T
PAY OFF COLLECTIONS OR CHARGE OFFS during the loan process. Paying
collections will decrease the credit score immediately due to the date
of last activity becoming recent. If you want to pay off old accounts,
do it through escrow, and make sure that 1) you validate that the
debt is yours and 2) that the creditor agrees to give you a
letter of deletion.
3.
DON’T
CLOSE CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. If you close a credit card
account it will appear to the FICO that your debt ratio has gone up.
Also, closing a card will affect other factors in the score such as
length of credit history. If you have to close a credit card account, do
it after closing, and make sure it is a more recent account, as the
recent accounts do not help your fico scores. The accounts which you
have established a 2-year history with will help your scores, so keep
those open.
4.
DON’T
MAX OUT OR OVER CHARGE ON YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. This is the fastest way to
bring your score down 50-100 points immediately. Try to keep your credit
card balances below 30% of their available limit at all times during the
loan process. If you decide to pay down balances, do it across the
board; meaning, make an extra payment on all of your cards at the same
time.
5.
DON’T
CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT ONTO 1 OR 2 CREDIT CARDS. It seems like it would be the
smart thing to do, however, when you consolidate all of your debt onto
one card, it appears that you are maxed out on that card, and the system
will penalize you as mentioned above in #4. If you want to save money on
credit card interest rates, wait until after closing.
6.
DON’T
DO ANYTHING THAT WILL CAUSE A RED FLAG TO BE RAISED BY THE SCORING
SYSTEM.
This would include adding new accounts, co-signing on a loan, changing
your name or address with the credit bureaus. The less activity on your
credit reports during the loan process will help you.
7.
DO LET
YOUR BROKER KNOW OF ANY DISCREPANCIES. If you notice some debts on
your credit report that you do not recognize, be sure to alert your
mortgage loan officer so that they can do some investigating for you.
The less debt you show on your credit report the better when
refinancing.
8.
DO
STAY CURRENT ON EXISTING ACCOUNTS. Like your mortgage and car
payments. One 30-day late can cost you anywhere from 30-75 points.
9.
DO
CONTINUE TO USE YOUR CREDIT AS NORMAL. Red
Flags are raised easily with the scoring system. If it appears
that you are changing your pattern, it will raise a
red flag, and your score could go down.
10.
DO
CALL YOUR LOAN OFFICER if you receive something in the
mail from a creditor or collection agency that you believe may affect
your score during the loan process. Your broker may be able to supply
you with the resources you need to stop any derogatory reporting to the
credit bureaus.
This report is
compliments of:
Bill Smith, REALTOR®
Liberty Realty |
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