Lenders review bank statements before closing to assess your financial responsibility and ability to repay the mortgage. Bank statements play a crucial role, revealing your financial habits, income, and spending, impacting mortgage approval.
Cash reserves: Come closing day, you'll have to pay the balance of your down payment plus closing costs. Lenders look at your bank accounts to ensure you have enough money to pay these costs.
As part of the mortgage loan application process, lenders will request to see 2 to 3 months of checking and savings account statements. The lender will review these bank statements to verify your income and expense history as stated on your loan application.
Because the home purchase process takes time, mortgage lenders will reassess a few key criteria before officially closing on a loan. Some things a lender checks before closing include your credit score, income and debts.
What are mortgage seasoning requirements? Generally, lenders want to see that money has been in an established account anywhere from 60 to 90 days. If you keep the cash in your account for a couple of months, at least, before applying for a mortgage, that money becomes seasoned.
Mortgage lenders will often look at your spending habits to determine if you are a responsible borrower. They will look at things like how much you spend on credit cards, how much you spend on groceries, and how much you spend on entertainment.
Unexplained income or expenditure can also be a red flag for mortgage lenders. If you have unexplained income in your bank statements, the lender may question whether it's legitimate. Similarly, unexplained expenditure could suggest that you're hiding something or that you're not in control of your finances.
Two Weeks Before Closing:
Contact your insurance company to purchase a homeowner's insurance policy for your new home. Your lender will need an insurance binder from your insurance company 10 days before closing. Check in with your lender to determine if they need any additional information from you.
Can a mortgage be denied after the closing disclosure is issued? Yes. Many lenders use third-party “loan audit” companies to validate your income, debt and assets again before you sign closing papers. If they discover major changes to your credit, income or cash to close, your loan could be denied.
One of the important requirements of the rule means that you'll receive your new, easier-to-use closing document, the Closing Disclosure, three business days before closing. This will give you more time to understand your mortgage terms and costs, so that you know before you owe.
In addition to considering your employment history and income, the lender will also consider whether you have any additional assets that you could convert into cash. That's because these assets provide you with a potential source of cash flow.
Mortgage companies verify employment during the application process by contacting employers and by reviewing relevant documents, such as pay stubs and tax returns. You can smooth the employment verification process by speaking with your HR department ahead of time to let them know to expect a call from your lender.
Your loan officer will typically not re-check your bank statements right before closing. Mortgage lenders only check those when you initially submit your loan application and begin the underwriting approval process.
Lenders typically do last-minute checks of their borrowers' financial information in the week before the loan closing date, including pulling a credit report and reverifying employment. You don't want to encounter any hiccups before you get that set of shiny new keys.
Most real estate contracts stipulate that the buyer has the right to perform a final walkthrough, also known as a pre-closing inspection, within 24 hours before closing.
If there are any changes to your credit score or employment status, your loan can be denied during the final countdown. How can you protect yourself so that your loan isn't denied at the final step? First, don't quit your job or start a new one, even if it means a pay raise.
Financing Problems
After all, just because a lender pre-approves a buyer doesn't mean they are committed to providing financing. Last-minute changes to the buyer's income or debts could cause the lender to rescind their loan offer.
Yes, it is possible for a lender to ask for documents after the closing of a loan. In some cases, the lender may conduct a post-closing audit or review to ensure that all the information provided during the loan application process was accurate and that the loan was properly underwritten.
Under the TRID rule, credit unions generally must provide the Loan Estimate to consumers no later than seven business days before consummation. Members must receive the Closing Disclosure no later than three business days before consummation.
While any day is a good day to close on a desired property, real estate agents and attorneys typically prefer closes between Tuesday and Thursday for a practical reason. Closing real estate transactions requires both the buyer and seller—and their representative attorneys—to sign off on hundreds of pages of documents.
Insufficient Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio
Having too much debt will hinder your ability to pay monthly mortgage payments, as more of your income has to go toward paying your debts. Lenders generally want a DTI ratio below 36% to demonstrate you can handle a mortgage on top of your current debts.
The borrower typically provides the bank or mortgage company two of the most recent bank statements in which the company will contact the borrower's bank to verify the information.
Don't: Make Major Purchases
Don't make any large purchases—such as a new car, boat, or furniture—during this time, as these could impact your credit. Late payments can also be a red flag on a mortgage application, so make it a habit to pay your bills on time.