Collections show on your credit report, and outstanding collections will raise concerns for lenders.
Having a record of a charge-off or collection doesn't necessarily mean you won't qualify for a home loan. Every mortgage lender will vary, but in most cases, the lender will likely want you to address any unpaid collections or charge-offs before they approve or close on the loan.
Delinquency can also make it harder to secure approval for new loans or credit cards in the future, and if you're approved at all, you'll probably receive a higher interest rate. A delinquent bill that remains unpaid risks going into default.
If you are buying a single unit property, you are not required to pay off or establish a payment plan for the collection account, unless required by the lender. In most cases, the collection account does not affect your ability to qualify for the mortgage.
Mortgage underwriters do not require that all old collections be paid off, but oftentimes they will require a letter explaining why the accounts are in collections.
Yes, it is possible to have a credit score of at least 700 with a collections remark on your credit report, however it is not a common situation. It depends on several contributing factors such as: differences in the scoring models being used.
It is certainly possible to qualify for an FHA mortgage with accounts in collection but you may need to set up a payment plan, depending on the amount you owe. The collections may also impact your credit score, which may affect your ability to get approved for the loan.
Collection Accounts
FHA does not require collection-accounts to be paid off as a condition of mortgage approval. However, FHA does recognize that collection efforts by the creditor for unpaid collections could affect the borrower's ability to repay the mortgage.
Negative items on your credit report, such as patterns of previous credit delinquencies and balances on closed accounts, negatively affect your chances of getting approved for a mortgage. Lenders look at credit scores first to determine which home loan you're eligible for.
The Takeaway
Should you pay off debt before buying a house? Not necessarily, but you can expect lenders to take into consideration how much debt you have and what kind it is. Considering a solution that might reduce your payments or lower your interest rate could improve your chances of getting the home loan you want.
Late payments remain in your credit history for seven years from the original delinquency date, which is the date the account first became late. They cannot be removed after two years, but the further in the past the late payments occurred, the less impact they will have on credit scores and lending decisions.
"Serious delinquency" refers to any outstanding balance owed on a mortgage when it becomes 90+ days overdue. A past-due mortgage is considered a sign to the lender that the mortgage is at high risk for defaulting. If a borrower defaults on a serious delinquency, they may be forced into foreclosure by their lender.
Just because the creditor is no longer collecting the debt, it is still a big negative on a credit report and will affect mortgage qualification. However, buying or refinancing a home with either collections or charge offs is still possible. Actually, FHA loans are very lenient in these cases.
If you have a collection account that's less than seven years old, you should still pay it off if it's within the statute of limitations. First, a creditor can bring legal action against you, including garnishing your salary or your bank account, at least until the statute of limitations expires.
Paying a closed or charged off account will not typically result in immediate improvement to your credit scores, but can help improve your scores over time.
Paying on time is one of the biggest factors that affect your credit rating, so missing a payment can affect your score. Payments over 30 days late will mark your credit file for six years, and will be visible to lenders during that time. Like all credit issues, they lose impact the older they get.
If you have a strong credit history aside from the recent late payments, you still may be able to obtain a mortgage loan, but you likely won't qualify for the best rates and terms available.
Conventional and VA loans have harder requirements for qualified mortgages with 1 30-day late payment over the last 12 months, and no 60-day late payments are allowed in the past year. FHA loans are a little easier though as you can miss 2x30-day late or 2 missed payments for 30 days each in a 1-year span.
Also, "FHA does not require that collection accounts be paid off as a condition of mortgage approval. However, court-ordered judgments must be paid off before the mortgage loan is eligible for FHA insurance endorsement."
Accounts that are reported as past due (not reported as collection accounts) must be brought current. For one-unit, principal residence properties, borrowers are not required to pay off outstanding collections or non-mortgage charge-offs—regardless of the amount.
Because disputed credit accounts are generally not considered in the borrower's credit report, FHA requires loans of borrowers with derogatory disputed accounts of $1,000 or more (excluding medical) to be manually underwritten.
Reasons for an FHA Rejection
There are three popular reasons you have been denied for an FHA loan–bad credit, high debt-to-income ratio, and overall insufficient money to cover the down payment and closing costs.
The FHA loan program can help you buy or refinance a house even if you have a bad credit score. FHA home loans are backed by the Federal Housing Administration, which allows lenders like Freedom Mortgage to offer loans to customers who may have lower credit scores.
A conventional loan requires a credit score of at least 620, but it's ideal to have a score of 740 or above, which could allow you to make a lower down payment, get a more attractive interest rate and save on private mortgage insurance.