Credit score formulas have recently changed affecting the qualification of some borrowers when financing a home purchase or refinacing a mortgage. Here are the main changes:
1. Ratio of Balance to Limit
The ratio of account balance to the amount of credit available appears to have more influence on the credit score formula. The less available credit a mortgage borrower has on credit cards, the lower the score would be. Having more credit available could result in a better score. This change could have a broad impact on credit scores used by mortgage lenders to qualifying borrowers, if credit card issuers implement more cuts on their maximum limits. A borrower’s credit score may drop if the available credit limit is reduced, whether an account has a balance or not.