GCA Approves When Others Can’t

GCA Approves When Others Can’t: 2025 Guide to Getting a Mortgage After Being Denied

Have you been turned down for a mortgage? You’re not alone. At Gustan Cho Associates, we specialize in helping people get approved when other lenders say no. In fact, over 80% of our clients come to us after being denied somewhere else. Why? Because GCA approves when others can’t.

We understand that life isn’t always perfect, whether due to low credit scores, high debt, recent bankruptcy, or unique income situations. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t own a home.

Let’s examine exactly why Gustan Cho Associates is different and how we help homebuyers nationwide every day. Denied mortgages? Gustan Cho Associates GCA works approving loans where other lenders deny them. Bad credit? Self-employed? Avoid alternatives! No problem. Use our non-QM solutions for quick today. Get approved!

Why GCA Approves When Others Can’t

Most lenders have their own additional rules, known as “lender overlays.” These rules are applied on top of the standard guidelines from FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac. That means even if you technically qualify based on official mortgage rules, the lender might still deny you because of their internal requirements.

Gustan Cho Associates removes these roadblocks. We only follow official agency guidelines. That means if you qualify under FHA, VA, USDA, or Fannie/Freddie rules, we’ll help you.

At Gustan Cho Associates, we have no lender overlays. We’ll approve you if you meet FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan guidelines—even if other lenders won’t. That’s a big reason why GCA approves when others can’t.

What Are Lender Overlays?

Lender overlays can be understood as additional guidelines imposed by individual lenders that go beyond the minimum requirements set by loan programs. For instance, while the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) permits credit scores as low as 500, many lenders impose a higher threshold, often requiring a score of 620 or above.

Similarly, Veterans Affairs (VA) loans do not have a mandated minimum credit score from the VA; however, many lenders still adhere to a cutoff of 620.

Moreover, some lenders choose not to engage in manual underwriting, even though this practice is permitted under certain circumstances. These overlays can significantly impact a borrower’s loan eligibility and highlight the importance of researching specific lender requirements. That’s why GCA approves when others can’t.

Loan Denied at the Last Minute? We Can Still Help.

Many of our clients come to us in panic mode. They were told they were pre-approved, only to get denied days before closing. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking.

Here’s The Good News:

We’ve helped thousands of borrowers in this exact situation. Whether the denial was due to overlays, credit score, income, or something else, we’ll do everything possible to get you to the finish line.

Our Loan Programs: Something for Everyone

Gustan Cho Associates offers every type of mortgage loan available today, including loans most lenders don’t touch.

Government & Conventional Loans (No Overlays)

• FHA loans can be available for those with a credit score as low as 500.
• VA loans with no minimum or maximum credit score, minimum or maximum DTI
• USDA loans with flexible guidelines
• Conventional loans are based solely on Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac guidelines

These are ideal for people who meet the basic agency rules but were told “no” by another lender.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy? We Approve That Too.

Many lenders won’t even consider working with you if you’re currently in an active Chapter 13 repayment plan. However, we take a different approach. We can approve FHA and VA loans while you’re still in your Chapter 13 plan, provided you’ve made on-time payments for at least 12 months. It’s important to note that you’ll also need approval from your trustee for the loan.

This means that even in the midst of your repayment plan, you’ll have options available to secure financing for your home.

All loans during Chapter 13 are manually underwritten, and that’s where our team shines. We’re experts in manual underwriting, often the only path to homeownership for people with complex credit. This is another reason GCA approves when others can’t.

Gustan Cho Associates Is a Leader in Non-QM Loans

Non-QM loans (non-qualified mortgages) are tailored for borrowers who don’t conform to the traditional mortgage criteria. This category includes:

• Self-employed borrowers with no tax returns
• Investors using rental income only
• People with recent bankruptcies or foreclosures
• Foreign nationals or ITIN borrowers

Non-QM Loan Examples:

• Bank Statement Loans (No tax returns needed)
• Asset Depletion Loans (Use savings to qualify)
• P&L Only Loans (Profit & Loss statements)
• Loans 1 Day Out of Bankruptcy/Foreclosure
• No-ratio DSCR investment loans
• ITIN & Foreign National Loans
• Fix-and-Flip Loans
• Blanket Loans for Investors

If you’ve been told “you don’t qualify,” there’s a good chance one of our non-QM loan options can help. Again, this is why GCA approves when others can’t.

Self-Employed? We Get It.

Self-employed folks often hit roadblocks when getting traditional loans because their tax returns usually show a low net income. That’s where we come in with our Bank Statement Loans, designed just for them.

Many non-QM loans let you borrow up to 90% of the property value without needing those income tax returns, making it easier for freelancers, business owners, gig workers, and consultants to get the funds they need.

Plus, private mortgage insurance (PMI) is not required, and we don’t set any maximum loan limits, so it’s much more flexible and accessible for self-employed individuals. We totally get the unique financial situations that come with non-traditional income, and we’re here to help them reach their homeownership dreams.

Low Credit Score? We’re Not Afraid of That.

Some lenders won’t touch your file if you have a credit score below 620—or even 580. But FHA allows scores down to 500, and we honor that. If you have a 500–579 score and at least 10% down, or a 580+ score with 3.5% down, we can help you get approved.

This is another way GCA approves when others can’t.

Real Success Stories

• James from Ohio was denied after his lender said his DTI was too high. We approved him in 7 days with a VA manual underwrite.
• Maria from Florida was told she couldn’t buy after her Chapter 13 bankruptcy. We got her into her dream home during repayment.
• Amit, a self-employed tech consultant, was rejected due to inconsistent income. Our 12-month bank statement loan helped him close in 21 days.

These are real borrowers, real problems, and real solutions. That’s why GCA approves when others can’t.

Nationwide Coverage, Personalized Service

We’re licensed in 48 states, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. No matter where you are, we’ve got your back.

We also work 7 days a week—including evenings and holidays—because we know life doesn’t stop after 5 PM.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let One “No” Stop You

If you’ve been denied a mortgage, don’t give up. One lender’s “no” is not the final word. At Gustan Cho Associates, every borrower deserves a second chance.

We understand overlays, manual underwriting, non-QM loans, and complex credit better than anyone. That’s why GCA approves when others can’t.

Ready to Try Again?

Call us at 800-900-8569, Text for faster response, or email us at alex@gustancho.com. We’ll listen to your story, review your options, and help you build a path to homeownership—even if others said it’s not possible.

Let’s get you approved. Let’s get you home. GCA Approves When Others Can’t.

GCA Approvals Come Easy: Your Guide to Success Lending Post Denials Mortgage

Denied mortgages? Gustan Cho Associates GCA works approving loans where other lenders deny them. Bad credit? Self-employed? Avoid alternatives! No problem. Use our non-QM solutions for quick today. Get approved! “Home” financing can be limiting—one, maybe a couple of denials can completely suck the drive out of the homeowner. But, what if, denials were a kind of wallpaper?

The bottom line is: What if they were, in fact, the beginning of a journey to make homeownership a reality? Gustan Cho Associates, GCA, aims to flip the negative to a positive.

For many folks, conventional banks are the only lenders. For credit-related issues, employment issues, they are ignored. If this pattern resonates with you, this guide will act as the GPS. GCA is different, and this is what the country has to offer for non-QM mortgages. Self-employed, real estate, recovering folks. GCA proving the fact homeownership under less than ideal circumstances is possible is a bold and helpful step in a positive direction.

Why Mortgage Applications Get Denied: Understanding the Roadblocks  

People getting a mortgage denied happens more often than you might think. The norm for the average lender reporting to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is to stick to a guideline rather than form a strategy accommodating the individual. It’s a cost benefit analysis. The first borrower, nonstandard borrowers are out the window. The misconception is most often the lack of understanding most triggers for denial. The mortgage reasons for denial most borrowers are not prepared for lendgers like GCA are denial tru triggers.

How Mortgage Denial and Denial Reasons Impact Borrowers  

Lower than a 620 credit score puts you in immediate risk of denial. Doesn’t matter if you are a big bank or small bank, if you meet the risk score you are out. The quick assessment or the credit scoring model completely takes into account temporary situational or situational factors such as medical debt. D is too high and DTI is over 43% as a deficit. It puts lenders into panic mode in regards to payment capability deficit. The moment DTI spikes over 43 reposed the debt.

Self employment is another layer of complication with many complexities. Freelancers, gig economy workers and the like, are the kinders of the underwriting wilderness.

Housing is the first targeting purpose if there is no diploma for employment to the traditional lenders. You are left comprehensively without its earning potential. Gaps of employment, the most recent role into relation changes, and the over reliance onto the bonuses and commissions vicious punishment cycle is not wholistic enough of your financial picture. Then there are those with unconventional incomes like borrowers with rental properties or receiving alimony, or those with a history of bankruptcy and need to make a low down payment. Conventional lenders reduce their risk exposure, and therefore, avoid these types of scenarios, creating a void to serve the qualified borrowers. What does this lead to? Frustration, unnecessary delays on achieving your goals, and unneeded credit inquiries which cause your score to drop.

Who Does Gustan Cho Associates Serve?

Founded by industry veteran Gustan Cho, Gustan Cho Associates has forged a reputation for the last two decades as the go-to firm for the most difficult to impossible mortgage approvals. Headquartered with a national footprint, GCA is a direct lender which eliminates the intermediaries to save borrowers time and money.

GCA Approves When Others Can’t is more than just a slogan; we are dedicated to serving borrowers, and our lenders are qualified to come up with creative and innovative financing.

Gustan Cho Associates is a lot more flexible than other lenders which is why we can approve more borrowers. Other lenders use an entirely automated system to approve or deny a borrower. Our underwriters use a customizable framework, putting together the borrower’s profile with other relevant information.

Why Are Gustan Cho Associates Different than Other Lenders

With all the lenders around who follow the same approach, GCA is the only lender who focuses on acessibility rather than inflexibility. Other lenders, like Wells Fargo, Chase, and other banks tend to do Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac overlays, which adds extra rules on top of the baselines. At the same time, GCA Mortgage Group advocates Non-QM products meant for real world borrowers.

Other lenders who do not customize their offerings and predetermine the loans for only qualified mortgages tend to outsource their underwriting processes.

At the same time, we prefer to have custom, in-house, serviced underwriting professionals who can tend to complex cases, and do so expeditiously.  Gustan Cho Associates’ creative approach has enabled thousands of people to obtain funds to buy their dream homes or investment properties which these people could never get financing anywhere else.

Understanding Borrower Needs Is Essential

Gustan Cho Associates offers non-QM mortgage loans which do not fit the conventional box. While other lenders pride themselves in their automation, GCA can approve mortgage loans in more complex scenarios because of our advanced automation processes.   GCA Mortgage Group stands out in the mortgage industry because of the ease to avail non-QM loans without endless paperwork.

As other lenders tend to rely on bank statements or even rigid rules of FICO scores and tax returns to approve mortgages, GCA offers bank statement and asset based lending programs.

Self-employed individuals can breathe a sigh of relief and benefit from our services, as we do not require them to provide 2-year W2s. Instead, we can assist them with our 12-24 months bank statement programs.  GCA Mortgage Group considers DTI ratios up to 50% or higher in some selective programs, and even to quite some extent flexibility. As a non-QM lender, we approve on credit events, as GCA does for bankruptcies and foreclosures, which are recent with discharges as little as a year with late on payments along with recoveries. Other lenders tend to forget the borrowers history, but GCA focuses on the future.

Nationwide Access and Lightning-Fast Closings

As a direct lender, we can fund our own loans and avoid correspondent banking delays. Closings take between 21 to 30 days, compared to 45 days or longer with many competitors.

Gustan Cho Associates is licensed in 48 states (Not licensed in NY and MA) to offer our services without the geographical bias of most regional lenders. Customer service distinguishes us from our peers in the industry.

We offer ongoing support from pre-approval to after closing and keep all communication transparent through a secure client portal. Trustpilot and Google offer reviews of 4.9 stars or better out of thousands of clients, citing our responsiveness as a major selling point, compared to the year 2000 style support offered by many larger companies.

Ethical Practices and Borrower-First Philosophy

At GCA Mortgage Group, profit does not come at the expense of ethics. All fees are upfront and predatory upcharges are avoided if the highest standards of compliance are sculpted.

Non-QM products are pushed indiscriminately by other providers. At the same time, we formulate products specific to your needs, often at rates better than QMs.

Gustan Cho, a certified mortgage consultant, and our founder advocates the industry for reform through blogs and podcasts, teaching borrowers their rights – which is a level of thought leadership that many of the peers in the industry lack. At GCA Mortgage Group we are not only different, for we are different if we say we transformative. We empower those who are overlooked, and to prove that, we remove the financial shackles that are the limit to your future.

GCA Mortgage Group’s Specialized Loan Programs: Every Borrower is Unique  

GCA Mortgage Group’s extensive and diverse portfolio addresses each borrower’s needs. We continue to close the gaps, and offer programs custom fit to you, whether you are purchasing your first home, or expanding your renting business. Gustan Cho Associates stands as the solution to unmet demands.

Non-QM Loans: Specialized Freedom  

The backbone of GCA Mortgage Group are Non-QM Loans which offer alternatives that defy the QM standard. The bank statement program is an excellent example of one which underwrites income earners within the 1099 world. It calculates income by referring only to the bank deposits.

The DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loans are for the investors, and the only requirement is rental income. You do not need any personal earnings which is liberiting to say the least. You can achieve LTV’s up to 80%.

A borrower with poor credit has the option of applying for an ITIN loan which permits non residents, and individuals without an SSN to borrow using an Individual Tax Identification Number. You also don’t need to fulfill the waiting period which

Jumbo and Specialty Financing: Loan With No Ceiling  

Utilize the consummate flexibility GCA is known for to acquire jumbo loans which surpass the conforming limit of as much as $766, 550 by 2025. We only need $1.5 million, and offer much flexibility with the paperwork required, and do not necessitate a minimum reserve.

We also offer reverse mortgages and cash-out refinances with simplified procedures for seniors looking to access their home equity without the burden of monthly payments.

Real Stories of Approval: How GCA Changes Lives

Take Maria, for example. She’s a freelance graphic designer who three different banks denied because her W-2s were inconsistent. With GCA, she was approved for a bank statement loan within 25 days for 350,000 dollars because of her 18 months of PayPal deposits. Then there’s Jamal, who was foreclosed on 18 months ago. He was delt a lot of shame and laughter by traditional banks but was able to receive a 250,000 dollar refinance with GCA at 6.5%, saving him 400 dollars a month.

These success stories are the new norm at GCA, and we take pride in sharing them. Our 95% approval rating says a lot, and multiple testimonies have shown that applicants have not only received the loan but have their faith in America restored.

How to Get Started with Gustan Cho Associates: Your Path to Approval

How do you prefer to move forward? We offer a seamless GCA process. Start with the pre-approval consultation by calling us at 800-900-8569, or if you prefer, you can fill out the application on our website at Gustan Cho Associates- www.gustancho.com. All you need to send us are bank statements and a form of identification.

Expect a soft credit inquiry in 24 hours (no impact on your credit score) along with a personalized options outline. Afterward, lock your rate, complete underwriting, and close promptly. Pro tip: If possible, get 12-24 months of your statements ready before the meeting to speed things up.

For Defying the Odds in Mortgage Approval, Choose and Trust GCA  Mortgage Group

When other lenders shut the bifold doors, Gustan Cho Associates opens them. Our commitment to borrower-friendly, groundbreaking mortgage funding has changed the landscape of what’s possible in the mortgage industry. Denials shouldn’t impede on your goals, that’s why we offer partnerships for GCA. Contact ustoday and step into new home ownership with complete assurance. The yes youare looking for, is only one callworth away.

Frequently Asked Questions–Why GCA Approves When Others Can’t:

What Does it Mean When You Say “GCA Approves When Others Can’t”?

•  It means Gustan Cho Associates helps people get approved for a mortgage even if other lenders have denied them.
• We don’t add extra rules like many lenders do, so if you qualify under standard loan guidelines, we’ll help you get approved.

I Was Denied by Another Lender. Can GCA Still Help Me?

• Yes.
• Over 80% of our clients came to us after being denied elsewhere.
• GCA approves when others can’t because we don’t use overlays and offer flexible loan programs that many lenders don’t.

What Are Lender Overlays, and Why Do They Matter?

• Lender overlays are extra rules added by some lenders.
• For example, FHA says 500 credit scores are okay, but many lenders won’t go below 620.
• GCA approves when others can’t by following the official loan guidelines—no extra rules.

Can I Get a Mortgage With a 500 Credit Score?

• Yes, if you qualify under HUD guidelines on FHA loans.
• We approve borrowers with credit scores as low as 500 when they meet down payment and underwriting requirements.
• GCA approves when others can’t, even with lower scores.

I’m in a Chapter 13 Repayment Plan. Can I Get a Mortgage?

• Absolutely. We can help you get approved while still in your Chapter 13 repayment plan, as long as you’ve made 12 months of on-time payments and have trustee approval.
• GCA approves when others can’t, even during bankruptcy.

I’m Self-Employed and Don’t Show Much Income on Taxes. Can I Still Get a Loan?

• Yes.
• We offer bank statement loans where we look at your business deposits instead of tax returns.
• This is perfect for freelancers, business owners, and gig workers.
• GCA approves when others can’t, even when tax returns don’t show your full income.

What Are Non-QM Loans, and Who Are They for?

• Non-QM loans are for people who don’t qualify for regular mortgages, such as recent bankrupts, foreign nationals, or investors.
• We offer all kinds of non-QM options, which is another reason GCA approves when others can’t.

 I Was Told My Debt-to-Income Ratio Was Too High. Can I Still Buy a Home?

• Yes, especially on VA loans.
• We’ve approved many borrowers with high DTI ratios.
• Some programs don’t have DTI caps.
• If you got denied for DTI, GCA approves when others can’t.

How Fast Can Gustan Cho Associates Close My Loan After Another Lender Denied Me?

• We’ve helped borrowers close in as little as 7 to 21 days after being turned down.
• We move fast, especially when others drop the ball.
• That’s because GCA approves when others can’t—and we get it done.

Do I Need to Live in a Certain State to Work with Gustan Cho Associates?

• Nope!
• We’re licensed in 48 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• No matter where you live, GCA approves when others can’t, and we’re here to help you.

This blog about “GCA Approves When Others Can’t” was updated on October 20, 2025.