Mortgage Denial Due To Overlays And Choosing No Overlay Lenders

This Article Is About Mortgage Denial Due To Overlays And Choosing No Overlay Lenders

Over 75% of our borrowers at Gustan Cho Associates are folks who have been either denied or are stressed during the mortgage process. There is no reason why borrowers should get a mortgage denial after they have been issued a pre-approval. Mortgage Denial Due To Overlays is when borrowers meet agency guidelines but do not meet the particular lender overlays. Gustan Cho Associates is one of the very few national lenders with zero overlays on government and conventional loans.

What Are Lender Overlays And Reasons For Mortgage Denial Due To Overlays


There are two types of mortgage lending guidelines:

  • Agency Guidelines
  • Lender Overlays

If borrowers want to qualify for FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional Loans, they all need to meet agency guidelines. However, each lender can have additional lending requirements on top of agency guidelines. These additional lending guidelines required by each individual lender is what is called a lender overlay. Let’s take FHA Loans as an example since FHA Mortgages are the most popular loan program today for home buyers with bad credit. HUD is the parent of FHA. FHA has its own mortgage guidelines.

Basic HUD Guidelines

Here are the basic HUD Agency Mortgage Guidelines on FHA loans:

  • 580 Credit Scores on 3.5% down payment home purchase FHA loans
  • Borrowers with under 580 credit scores and down to a 500 FICO require a 10% down payment
  • 2 year waiting period after Chapter 7 Bankruptcy discharged date to qualify for FHA loans
  • Three year waiting period after foreclosure, deed in lieu of foreclosure, short sale
  • Borrowers in an active Chapter 13 Bankruptcy repayment plan can qualify for an FHA loan after being in the plan for 12 months with Trustee approval and a manual underwrite
  • There is no waiting period requirements after Chapter 13 Bankruptcy discharged date
  • If the discharged date has been seasoned less than 24 months, it needs to be a manual underwrite
  • 46.9% front end and 56.9% back end debt to income ratios
  • Outstanding Collections and Charged Off Accounts do not have to be paid to qualify for FHA Loans
  • 100% gifted funds allowed for the down payment and closing costs

Common Lender Overlays By Mortgage Companies

Here are typical lender overlays by lenders:

  • Even though FHA requires 580 credit scores, lenders can require 640 as an overlay
  • Lenders can have overlays on DTI where they cap it at 45%
  • Lenders can require collections and charged-off account to be paid even though FHA does not require it
  • Lenders can not allow gift funds for down payment even though HUD allows it

Qualifying For Home Loan With Bad Credit

There is one and only reason why borrowers get a last-minute mortgage denial and/or stress during the mortgage process. It is because loan officers issued a pre-approval letter without properly qualifying borrowers.  Borrowers may meet agency guidelines but may not meet the lender overlays. The great news with us is that Gustan Cho Associates Mortgage Group has no lender overlays on government and conventional loans. As long as borrowers get an approve/eligible per automated underwriting system findings and can meet the conditions of AUS, they will close their loans Not only will they close, but they will close it on time. Gustan Cho Associates also has the ability to broker loans such as non-QM loans, no-doc home loans, bank statement mortgages, P and L stated income mortgages, non-QM mortgages one day out of bankruptcy and foreclosure, 90% LTV jumbo mortgages, non-QM jumbo mortgages, and dozens of other alternative and specialty mortgage loan programs.

Check out our hundreds of satisfied borrowers on the main search engines.

Choosing A Lender With No Overlays To Avoid Mortgage Denial Due To Overlays

Borrowers with bad credit should consult with a direct lender with no overlays like Gustan Cho Associates. It’s just that big banks have these things called overlays. Overlays are protections that banks put in to protect them from potential foreclosures. FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac have guidelines. We only follow these agency guidelines where big banks have overlays. An example of an overlay is DTI. DTI stands for debt to income ratio. That is your monthly debt divided by your monthly income. Most banks cap borrowers between 45% to 50% DTI whereas FHA will go to 46.8% front-end and 56.9% back-end debt to income ratio. This is a perfect example of an overlay. We go to 56.9% honoring FHA guidelines to the tee. Another example of an overlay that has gotten you denied somewhere else is the credit score. Borrowers may have a 590 credit score and someone tells you they cannot help you. Well if the automated underwriting system finding approves you we can do it.

What If Automated Underwriting System Renders Refer/Eligible

If the automated underwriting system does not approve borrowers but gives us a REFER ELIGIBLE we can do a manual underwrite. Manual Underwriting is permitted with VA and FHA Loans: Manual underwriting is very rare in the industry but VA and FHA accepts this. A big percentage of our VA and FHA Loans are manual underwrites. Manual underwriting guidelines are very unique and I recommend you call us for details. Another loan we do that most lenders won’t are Chapter 13 Bankruptcy loans. These are automatic manual underwrites if Chapter 13 Bankruptcy discharged date has not been seasoned two years. Homebuyers can qualify for VA and/or FHA Mortgage during Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Repayment Plan. Borrowers need  to be in bankruptcy for 1 year. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy does not have to be discharged. Need to be on time with bankruptcy payments to Trustee.

So don’t feel down if you get denied by a lender. As long as you meet the minimum agency mortgage guidelines, you will qualify for a mortgage with a lender that has no lender overlays. Gustan Cho Associates is a mortgage company licensed in multiple states with no lender overlays on government and conventional loans. Gustan Cho Associates is a mortgage banker, correspondent lender, and a mortgage broker. We bank FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional loans but have the ability to broker specialty loan programs. Give us a call at Gustan Cho Associates contact us at 800-900-8569 or text us for a faster response. You can email us at gcho@gustancho.com. The team at Gustan Cho Associates is available 7 days a week, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

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