Does a spouse’s bad credit mean no mortgage?

[Anita]

My husband and I want to apply for a mortgage, but we’re afraid that his bad credit can keep us from getting approved. My credit score is above the 640, but his is below 600.

The mortgage is going to be on my name only, and my DTI is good enough.

[Stacy Wall]

It varies, depending on state and situation

I see that you live in Louisiana, which is a Community Property State. In these states, the property acquired during marriage is held jointly (See this). Therefore, your husband’s name will be on the deed and his credit report will be pulled and considered as part of the loan approval. So in these states a non-purchasing spouse’s bad credit can certainly keep you from getting a mortgage.

In other states, potential lenders may overlook the non-purchasing spouse’s bad credit, but may include his/her debt for Debt-to-Income purposes.

There have been instances where lenders had the non-purchasing spouse signs an affidavit stating that the borrowing spouse is purchasing the home solely and the non-purchasing spouses waives interest in property. In these cases the non-borrowing posse’s debts were excluded from the DTI calculation.

[Author]

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