Monday, January 26, 2009

Stated Income Credit Lines

By Pat Johnson

Not everyone can meet the bank's strict income verification criteria. For example those who are self-employed and small business owners lack the needed documentation to support their true annual income. As a result they have difficulty being approved for loans and mortgages. Mortgage lenders consequently have begun to offer stated income loan products to help these individuals get over this hurdle.

If you want to borrow against the equity in your home you may be eligible for a stated income line of credit. The lender will not require you to provide proof of your income, but instead will take your word for it. Then, once approved, they account will be administered like any other.

Accountants work to keep business owners' incomes as low as possible to minimize the amount of tax payable. This causes problems with banks, because what is left over is often not enough to justify the amount of credit that could realistically be carried. Stated income loans attempt to find a happy middle.

The banker does not request traditional documentation proving income. In its place they insist upon strong credit worthiness. The higher the FICO score the better. They put this criteria in place to offset the greater risk they are undertaking by not verifying income.

You may find that the interest rates on these types of loans tend to be higher than on their traditional counterparts. The usual fee schedule can be higher as well. Again to offset the additional risk.

Given that the lenders can't verify income, they will often endeavor to shore up and verify everything else they can. For example, they sometimes put in place restrictions on the minimum number of years in business or by what percent the new monthly shelter payment can go up by.

So there are options out there if you are self employed for getting home equity lines of credit. Be sure to contact your local mortgage lender and see if they offer stated income products. If not you can search online for one who does are consult with a mortgage broker. Regardless of your choice, just be aware there are options.

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