Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers And Borrowers

This article is about Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers And Borrowers

I like to congratulate those who recently took the NMLS Exam And Passed it.

Now the fun part of becoming a loan officer starts
The NMLS exam is a tough 3 hour 125 question national test
The only way and best way candidates can pass this test is by studying hundreds of hours
Key is going over a few thousand multiple choice practice exams
I have guided countless of new loan officer recruits who came to me for advice about taking and passing the NMLS test and starting a new career as a licensed mortgage loan originator

Here Is A Recap On Becoming A New Loan Officer

Becoming a mortgage loan officer is a process.

Cannot decide to become a mortgage loan originator one day and try to get a job the next day and start originating loans

Starting Out As New Loan Officer After Passing Exam And Getting Licensed

Although there are tons of useful information on the NMLS exam, what is on the exam does not train you to go out and start originating loans.

Training a new loan officer takes time and it is like training a lawyer
Just because you graduated from law school and passed your bar exam does not mean that you are ready to practice law
If licensed to practice law, however, a new lawyer needs training trying cases and going over many case studies
Same with a loan officer
There are so many rules and regulations
There various different types of mortgage loan programs that it is almost impossible to learn everything overnight
It takes time, patience, and a lot of training by a senior loan officer to be the best loan officer
Even veteran loan officers do not know everything
Often times they need to consult with others when they run into a special type of case scenario

As a loan officer, borrowers will depend on loan officers for the best advice on which mortgage loan program for you to recommend.

Government Versus Conventional Loans

There are two different types of residential owner-occupant mortgage loan programs.

Government-backed loans which are FHA Loans, VA Loans, USDA Loans
Conforming loans which are called Conventional Loans
There is no government guarantee on conventional loans
There are times where a borrower does not qualify for an FHA Loan where they may qualify for a Conventional Loan and vice versa

Borrowers will qualify for an FHA Loan but not Conventional Loans.

Conventional Loans Explained

Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the two mortgage giants that set mortgage lending guidelines on Conventional Loans
Lenders need to follow Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac mortgage lending guidelines if they intend on funding Conventional Loans to borrowers and resell the loans to Fannie/Freddie
Once Lenders fund Conventional Loans and if they intend on selling it to Fannie or Freddie, these loans need to conform to Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac Guidelines
If they do not, Fannie and Freddie will not purchase
Lenders use their warehouse lines of credit to fund borrower’s loans
Once they fund them, they turn around and resell them and replenish the warehouse lines of credit they used to fund the loan
In order for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to purchase the conventional loan a lender funds, lenders need to make sure that the way the mortgage loan has been structured conforms to Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac guidelines
This is why Conventional Loans are also called Conforming Loans

This holds true because they need to conform to Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac conforming standards.

Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers And Private Mortgage Insurance

Private Mortgage Insurance is required on all Conventional Loans with less than 20% equity and/or 80% Loan To Value

Government Loans are guaranteed by the government in the event if the borrower defaults on their mortgage loan and it goes into foreclosure
Lenders have the mentality where the borrower needs to have skin in the game in order to minimize their risk level
That is why it is no rocket science that the more of a down payment a home buyer puts down on a home purchase, the less risk the lender has
The less risk lenders has the lower the mortgage rate the borrower will get
This does not apply for government loans.
- With FHA, VA, USDA Loans, whether the borrower puts down 3.5% or zero percent down on VA Loans or USDA Loans, or they put 50% down payment, there is no bearing on the mortgage rates
- This because government loans is guaranteed by the government

Conventional Versus Government Loans

This does not apply with Conventional Loans:

With Conventional Loans, the more buyers puts down as a down payment, the lower the interest rate
Any borrower who puts down less than 20% down payment on a Conventional Loan home purchase is required to have private mortgage insurance
The function of private mortgage insurance, also referred to as PMI, is in the event if the borrower defaults on their conventional loan, the private mortgage insurance company will cover part of the loss of the foreclosure to lenders
It is similar to the government guaranteeing FHA, VA, and USDA Loans
Private mortgage insurance can be canceled if the borrower reaches a 80% loan to value either by paying down the mortgage balance
Or by the home appreciating in value and the value increase being justified and verified through a home appraisal

Conventional Loan Requirements

Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac sets the Conventional Loan Requirements.

Here are the basic Conventional Loan Requirements:

The minimum credit score of 620
Fannie Mae allows for non-occupant co-borrowers
5% down payment on a home purchase. 3% down payment on a home purchase is available for first time home buyers
45% debt to income ratio caps
4 year waiting period after Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and 2-year waiting period after Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to qualify for Conventional Loan
4 year waiting period to qualify for Conventional Loan after a deed in lieu of foreclosure and/or short sale
7 year waiting period to qualify for Conventional Loan after foreclosure

Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers: Mortgage Part Of Bankruptcy Lending Guidelines

Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers On Mortgage Part Of Bankruptcy

There are many times when a borrower cannot qualify for an FHA Loan
But will qualify for a Conventional Loan
Hopefully, this article Conventional Loan 101 For New Loan Officers will explain strategies in helping you as loan officers using creative ways of making the pre-approval process as smooth as possible
With Conventional Loans, if borrowers had a prior mortgage as part of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, there is a four-year waiting period to qualify from the discharged date of Bankruptcy
The foreclosure can be recorded at a later date
This is a huge benefit for folks who had a foreclosure as part of their Chapter 7 Bankruptcy where the foreclosure did not get recorded until years later
With FHA Loans, there is a three-year mandatory waiting period to qualify from the recorded date of the foreclosure
The discharged date of the bankruptcy does not matter
There are millions of people who had a foreclosure as part of their Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Their foreclosures did not get recorded until years after the discharged date of their bankruptcy
They still cannot qualify for an FHA Loan but will qualify for a Conventional Loan.

The staff at Gustan Cho Associates is licensed in multiple states and is available 7 days a week, evenings, weekends, holidays. To qualify for a mortgage, please contact us at 800-900-8569 or text us for a faster response. Or email us at gcho@gustancho.com.

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