How to Manage Your Debt to Income Ratio and Choose the Right Loan for You

If you’re like most people, some form of debts, whether it’s credit card, auto loan, student loan, or a credit line, are required to navigate through life. However, sometimes when your debt becomes more excessive than your income, you will run into financial worry. In this article we discuss how to manage your debt and suggest best practices on deciding the type of loans to look at for your house. We will be discussing how to calculate DTI for mortgage purposes, which will help determine your debt in relation to your income.

Specifically, we will be addressing the following in this article:

• What is an Excessive Obligation in Relation to Income?
• What is the Debt to Income Ratio for Mortgages?
• How to Count Your Ratio With a DTI Calculator?
• What is the Front end Ratio and Back end Ratio?
• What DTI for a Mortgage Do You Need to Get a Loan?
• Where to Look for High DTI Mortgage Lenders
• How to Optimize Your Excessive Obligations in Relation to Income and Increase Loan Opportunities
• How to Know You Lender isn’t Taking Advantage of You
• FAQ Regarding Excessive Obligation in Relation to Income
• What Can a Mortgage Attorney Do for Me?

What is an Excessive Obligation in Relation to Income?

Excessive Obligation in Relation to Income means that your debts are substantially higher than the income you bring in. To determine what your excessive obligations are in relation to income, you’ll need to determine what your income figures are. You’ll most likely fall into one of the three below categories.

The first category for excessive obligations in relation to income is that you have no income and you can’t do anything in relation to purchasing a home using a mortgage. If you are in this category, you will not be able to meet your mortgage qualifications, which means that you do not make enough to afford a home at the moment. It’s probably best to rent for a while and pay off your existing debts, such as your student loan.

The second category for excessive obligations in relation to income is that you have a high income and carry lots of debt. If you are in this category, again, you will most likely not be able to meet the required mortgage qualifications or doing so, at the very least, will be too hard a struggle, which means that you do not make enough to afford a home at the moment.

The third category for excessive obligations in relation to income is that you don’t have excessive obligations in relation to income. If you are in this category, you are on the right path to be able to purchase a home without having to have to worry about meeting your mortgage obligations.

What is the Debt to Income Ratio for a Mortgage?

The acronym of DTI is debt to income. Your debt-to-income ratio is an important part of your overall financial health. Calculating your DTI may help you determine how comfortable you are with your current debt, and also decide whether applying for credit is the right choice for you. When you apply for credit, lenders evaluate your DTI to help determine whether you can afford to take on another payment.
You may ask yourself, what is a good DTI ratio or a healthy debt to income ratio? The following is a general guideline:

• DTI of 35% or less: Looking Good – Relative to your income, your debt is at a manageable level.

You most likely have money left over for saving or spending after you’ve paid your bills. Lenders generally view a lower DTI as favorable.

• 36% to 49%: Opportunity to improve.

You’re managing your debt adequately, but you may want to consider lowering your DTI. This could put you in a better position to handle unforeseen expenses. If you’re looking to borrow, keep in mind that lenders may ask for additional eligibility criteria.

• 50% or more: Take Action – You may have limited funds to save or spend.

With more than half your income going toward debt payments, you may not have much money left to save, spend, or handle unforeseen expenses. With this DTI ratio, lenders may limit your borrowing options.

How to Calculate Your Ratio With a DTI Calculator?

Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) compares how much you owe each month to how much you earn. This will determine your debt ratio high or low. Specifically, it’s the percentage of your gross monthly income or total monthly income (before taxes) that goes towards payments for rent, mortgage, credit cards, or other debt. To calculate your debt-to-income ratio, you’ll need to do the following:
You’ll first need to calculate your monthly expenses. This may include monthly rent or house payment, monthly alimony or child support payments, student, auto, and other monthly loan payments, credit card monthly payments (use the minimum payment), or other debts. Expenses like groceries, utilities, gas, and your taxes generally are not included.

Next, you’ll need to divide the total by your gross monthly income, which is your income before taxes. How to calculate your gross income? First, to find your yearly pay, multiply your hourly wage by the number of hours you work each week, and then multiply the total by 52. Now that you know your annual gross income, divide it by 12 to find the monthly amount.
From the DTI calculator, the end result will be your DTI, which will be in the form of a percentage. The lower the DTI; the less risky you are to lenders.

What is the Front end Ratio and Back end Ratio?

What is the front end ratio in a mortgage loan? The front end ratio, also known as the mortgage-to-income ratio or front end DTI, is a ratio that indicates what portion of an individual’s income is allocated to mortgage payments. What is the front end ratio formula? The front-end ratio is calculated by dividing an individual’s anticipated monthly mortgage payment by his/her monthly gross income.
What is the back end ratio? Also known as the debt-to-income ratio, the back end ratio refers to a ratio that indicates what portion of a person’s monthly income goes toward paying debts. Total monthly debt includes expenses, such as mortgage payments (principal, interest, taxes and insurance), credit card payments, child support and other loan payments.

What is the Right DTI for Mortgage to Have in Order to Get a Loan?

Your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, plays a large role in whether you’re ready and able to qualify for a mortgage. It’s the percentage of your income that goes toward paying your monthly debts, and it helps lenders decide how much you can borrow. A good conventional loan DTI to get approved for a mortgage is 36% and below.
When it comes to the federal housing authority, DTI for FHA loan, or debt to income ratio FHA, FHA’s maximum qualifying debt ratios for borrowers in 2019 are 31% and 43%. This means the monthly housing payments should not exceed 31% of gross monthly income, while the total debt burden should not exceed 43% of monthly income.

When it comes to a veterans administration or a DTI for VA loan, VA loan requirements do not state a maximum debt to income (DTI) ratio. However, lenders set their own maximum DTI requirements for these mortgages. Typically, lenders maximum DTI ratio for VA loans is 41%.
When it comes to the USDA or a USDA loan DTI, to be eligible the applicants middle credit score must be at least a 620. The standard debt to income (DTI) ratios for the USDA home loan are 29%/41% of the gross monthly income of the applicants. The maximum DTI on a USDA loan is 34%/46% of the gross monthly income.

Where to Look for High DTI Mortgage Lenders?

Lenders want to make sure they get their money back (with interest.) In order to decrease the risk of default, they offer conditions on loans. The loan terms may include higher interest rates or private mortgage insurance. Lenders may offer private mortgage insurance (PMI) that guarantees that the loan will be paid back in case of a default. Loans with PMI often come with higher monthly payments. Loans are more likely to have PMI and higher interest rates if the buyer has a high DTI ratio.
If your DTI is low, a good source for a loan would be through a Fannie Mae. When it comes to manually underwritten loans, Fannie Mae’s maximum total DTI ratio is 36% of the borrower’s stable monthly income. The maximum can be exceeded up to 45% if the borrower meets the credit score

However, if your DTI is high and your trying to secure high DTI mortgage lenders, start your search with more forgiving conventional loan programs with the federal government. FHA loans, USDA loans, and VA loans will give you the best chance of getting mortgage approval.

A FHLMC loan or a Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp) loan is a stockholder-owned, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) chartered by Congress in 1970 to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of homeownership and rental housing for middle-income Americans. Freddie Mac lowers the interest rates on the mortgages you get from the bank. In fact, it estimates it lowers the rate 0.5 percent, which translates to a $12,000 over the life of a $100,000 loan.

Another good source is an FHA loan. What is the DTI ratio for FHA loans or debt to income ratio for FHA loans? According to official FHA guidelines, borrowers are generally limited to having debt ratios of 31% on the front end, and 43% on the back end. But the back-end ratio can be as high as 50% for certain borrowers, particularly those with good credit and other “compensating factors.” When it comes to FHA DTI limits, FHA’s maximum qualifying debt ratios for borrowers in 2019 are 31% and 43%. This means the monthly housing payments should not exceed 31% of gross monthly income, while the total debt burden should not exceed 43% of monthly income

How to Manage Excessive Obligations in Relation to Income and Increase Loan Opportunities

One way to manage your excessive obligations in relation to income is through bad debt remortgage or debt modification. If you do remortgage with poor credit, you may be able to consolidate all your existing debts into one manageable monthly payment. You could also use a bad credit remortgage to raise cash for almost any other reasonable purpose.
Obviously, the other way to free up your mortgage ability to pay is to pay down debt. Doing so would require you to analyze your finances, figuring out a way to determine which expenses are necessary and which are not, and finding ways to then allocate those savings toward paying down debt.

How to Know Your Lender isn’t Taking Advantage of You?

When it comes to lenders, there are three common errors in which you are being taken advantage of when it comes to DTI for mortgage. These include:

• Using the wrong index value. In terms of adjustable rate mortgages or ARMs the index value can be incorrect if it’s off by one day. Your lender might not have looked back far enough to determine the correct rate.
• Adding the wrong margin. The margin is the profit your lender packs onto your interest rate. The margin (of profit) might be 2 percent or 5 percent. But typically, if a mistake has been made it’s so small you might not even notice – but your pocketbook will. The difference between 2.75 and 2.65 could cost you a fortune over the life of the loan, and your lender might not even realize this mistake has been made.
• Human error. From incorrect conversions of rates to accidentally inputting a wrong number, human error occurs pretty often and results in systemic mistakes.
  If these errors occur, you may want to consider switching lenders. Can I change my mortgage lender after I sign papers? Yes. For certain types of mortgages, after you sign your mortgage closing documents, you may be able to change your mind. You have the right to cancel, also known as the right of rescission, for most non-purchase money mortgages. A non-purchase money mortgage is a mortgage that is not used to buy the home.

In order to switch lenders, you’ll want to avoid predatory loan lenders. Predatory lending is the practice of convincing borrowers to agree to unfair and abusive loan terms. Predatory lenders look for people who are in need of a loan or a mortgage and use the deed of the property as collateral until the borrower has paid back the money plus interest. Instead, you’ll need the help of an honest and experienced property attorney with a background in financing law, DTI for mortgages, DTI calculator, and who can help you choose the right loan for you based upon your own individual needs.

BONUS: Stated Income to Avoid Debt to Income Ratio Problems

One way to avoid debt to income ratio problems is through stated income loans. Stated income loans or stated income mortgage loans are mortgages where the lender does not verify the borrower’s income by looking at their pay stubs, W-2 (employee income) forms, income tax returns, or other records. Instead, borrowers are simply asked to state their income, and taken at their word. These loans are nominally intended for self-employed borrowers, or other borrowers who might have difficulty documenting their income. Stated income loans have been extended to customers with a wide range of credit histories.Do stated income loans still exist? Stated income loans are still offered. Qualification requirements are based on stable employment, good reserves, good FICO and usually no less than 40% equity position in the property. Stated income loan availability changes state to state, county to county.Another way to avoid debt to income ratio problems is through asset loans. An asset based loan (ABL) is a type of business financing that is secured by company assets. Most asset based loans are structured to work as revolving lines of credit. This structuring allows a company to borrow from assets on an ongoing basis to cover expenses or investments as needed.

What Can a Mortgage Attorney Do for Me?

Having a good and honest mortgage attorney, and not a predatory lender attorney, is key to help you lower your DTI for mortgage purposes. They will be able to sit down with you, analyze your finances and debts, and provide you with a thorough plan to get you out of financial trouble since they are familiar with the different loans available to you, including a debt to income ratio FHA.

A qualified mortgage attorney from the Law Office of Yuriy Moshes will have the expertise, knowledge, and experience to do this. They help home buyers in the New York City area including all its boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island) as well as Northern New Jersey, Long Island, and Upstate New York.

Disclaimer:
The above does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for purely informational purposes. Please consult your financing professional for any financial advice.