Eligible Types of Nontraditional Credit
The types of credit references that can be used to develop a nontraditional credit history are those that require the borrower to make periodic payments on a regular basis with intervals that are no longer than every three months.
The lender must conduct an informational interview with the borrower to identify all credit references over the most recent consecutive 12 months. If the lender is requesting a nontraditional mortgage credit report from a consumer reporting agency, the agency will conduct the borrower interview and obtain the list of available nontraditional credit references.
In all cases, the payment history for each credit reference must be documented for the most recent consecutive 12-month period. All credit references must be included, not just those that reflect acceptable performance.
The following nontraditional credit references may be used to develop a nontraditional credit history for the borrower:
- Rental housing payments. This includes payments made to a landlord or management company. Also included are payments made on a privately-held mortgage loan that is not reported to the credit bureaus, contract for deed payments and other similar arrangements, provided the payments are related to the borrower’s housing.
- Loans underwritten through DU where a nontraditional credit history is required must include rental housing payments as one reference of nontraditional credit.
- Manually underwritten loans do not require that one reference of nontraditional credit be rental housing payments. However, if no borrower on the loan is able to document a rental payment history, a minimum of 12 months’ reserves must be documented.
- Utilities, such as electricity, gas, water, telephone service, television, and internet service providers. If utilities are included in the rental housing payment, they cannot be considered a separate nontraditional credit reference. Utilities can be considered a credit reference only if the payment history can be separately documented.
- Medical insurance coverage (excluding payroll deductions)
- Automobile insurance payments
- Cell phone payments
- Life insurance policies (excluding payroll deductions)
- Payments for household or renter’s insurance
- Payments to local stores, such as department stores, furniture stores, appliance stores
- Rental (or lease) payments for durable goods, such as automobiles
- Payment of medical bills
- Payment of school tuition
- Payments for child care
- A loan obtained from an individual, provided the repayment terms can be documented in a written agreement
- Checking account, savings account, voluntary payments made to a payroll savings plan or contributions to a stock purchase plan, provided the records reflect an increasing balance as a result of periodic deposits over at least the most recent 12 months. Contributions must have been made no less than quarterly.
- Wire remittance statements demonstrating a consistent amount of funds remitted over the most recent 12-month period.
For additional information, see B3-5.4-02, Number and Types of Nontraditional Credit References.