The average mortgage borrower in 2012 paid an interest rate of
3.90 percent on a 30-year loan and put up a down payment or home
equity of 21 percent, according to a year-end review by mortgage
software provider Ellie Mae.
Those who were able to qualify had average FICO credit scores of
748 and an average debt-to-income ratio of 34 percent, with
mortgage payments and related costs taking up 23 percent of monthly
income.
Summary of 2012 mortgage requirements
The end-of-year report provides a look at what it took to obtain
a mortgage in 2012, as well as information about the loans
borrowers obtained. It also provides a snapshot of borrowers who
were turned down for mortgages as well.
Borrowers whose mortgage applications were denied last year had
an average FCIO score of 704, with a down payment or home equity
equal to 14 percent of the home value (86 percent loan-to-value
ratio).
Denied borrowers were seeking mortgages where their mortgage
payments would have averaged 27 percent of their monthly income and
given them a total monthly debt-to-income ratio of 44 percent.
Refinancing 62 percent of approved loans
The great majority of all mortgages closed in 2012, 62 percent,
were for mortgage refinancing, according to Ellie Mae's figures,
with the other 38 percent being for home purchases. By comparison,
the Mortgage Bankers Association has consistently reported over the
past year that about 80 percent of all mortgage applications are
for refinancing, suggesting that purchase applications have a
considerably higher approval rate.
It's worth noting that refinancing has become significantly
easier for homeowners with little or no home equity over the past
15 months. According to the company's figures, only 1.9 percent of
all mortgages refinanced in October 2011 had less than 5 percent
equity (including underwater mortgages); that share has since
increased to 11.40 percent of all refinances in December 2012.
Average FHA credit score of 700
As one might expect, the requirements for FHA mortgages were
considerably more lenient than for conventional home loans.
Borrowers approved for FHA home purchase mortgages had average FICO
scores of only 700, lower than the average for those rejected for
conventional mortgages.
FHA purchase mortgages had an average down payment of only 4
percent, while FHA mortgage payments averaged 27 percent of
borrower's monthly incomes, with total debt-to-income averaging 44
percent.
Overall, 79 percent of all mortgages last year were for 30-year
fixed-rate mortgages. Another 18 percent were listed as 15-year
loans, with adjustable-rate mortgages accounting for only 3 percent
of all mortgages in 2012.
The figures are based on mortgage applications processed through
Ellie Mae's software, which covers some 20 percent of all U.S. home
loan applications.
First published on MortgageLoan.com at:
http://www.mortgageloan.com/mortgage-credit-scores-average-748-9341