Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions Guidelines

This Article Is About Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions Guidelines

Home Buyers who want to qualify for FHA loans will need a 3.5% down payment. Besides the down payment on a home purchase, there are closing costs on all home purchase and/or refinance mortgage transactions. Borrowers need to show that they have a 3.5% down payment in the bank account. All funds in any mortgage transactions need to be sourced. By being sourced, it means that either those funds need to be seasoned in the bank account for at least 60 days or if not, any large or irregular deposits made to the account need to be sourced.

For example, if a borrower made a $5,000 large deposit in their bank account from a sale of a vehicle in the past 60 days and need to use that $5,000 towards the down payment or closing costs of the home purchase, the borrower needs to provide the lender with the following:

Copy of bill of sale
Copy of the check
Copy of the deposit slip along with the title of the vehicle

Table of contents "Click Here"

Undocumented Assets

Those who cannot provide any documentation and just made the $5,000 irregular large deposit with cash, those funds cannot be sourced, cannot be used. Unsourced assets cannot be used as the down payment or closing costs in a mortgage transaction:

Any irregular deposits of $200 and larger need to be sourced
Any funds borrower wants to use towards seasoned funds towards the down payment on home purchase need to be sourced
Folks who have mattress money (cash) in a safe place and/or safe deposit box, I strongly recommend that they make that cash deposit in a bank account as soon as possible

Let that cash season in a bank account for at least 60 days if they need to use that for the down payment and/or closing costs.

FHA Allows Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions From Family Members

FHA allows home buyers to Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions. 100% gift funds from a family member and/or relative to be used towards their down payment on their home purchase. However, a gift letter needs to be signed by the donor stating that the gift funds are only a gift and not a loan and the gift funds will not be paid back after closing. The gift funds donor also needs to provide 30 days of bank statements showing that the gift funds have been seasoned in the donor’s account for the past 30 days. If the donor’s account had a large irregular cash deposit of the gift amount in the past 30 days and that deposit cannot be sourced, the gift funds cannot be used. A copy of the canceled check needs to be provided by the gift recipient. Bank statements from both parties need to be provided: gift funds leaving the donor’s account into the recipient’s bank account. If the gift funds were a wire transfer, then supporting documents of the wire transfer need to be provided.

Automated Underwriting System ( AUS )

Automated Underwriting Systems do not view gifted funds favorably. Automated Underwriting Systems like the loan applicant to have their own funds and not gift funds. A borrower showing that they have their own down payment shows more strength than those who receive gift funds for the down payment. A loan applicant may get an approve/eligible per DU FINDINGS or LP FINDINGS with having their own funds for the down payment. However, if the loan officer enters the down payment source as gift funds, borrowers may get a refer/eligible per DU FINDINGS or LP FINDINGS. This is a problem with mortgage loan applicants with low credit scores and high debt to income ratios. They get an approve/eligible per DU FINDINGS on the initial application process and towards the end of the loan approval process, they are short of funds to close and need to get gift funds. Lenders re-run automated underwriting system findings throughout the loan process when there are changes of circumstances. If a loan applicant gets a referred/eligible per automated findings, then the file needs to be manually underwritten. The lender needs to play around with the AUS to get an approve/eligible per automated findings in order for the home approval process to proceed.

Case Scenarios Where Gift Donor Doesn’t Want To Provide Bank Statements

There are case scenarios where family members or relatives want to help the home buyer with the down payment by providing gift funds but are adamant that they do not want to provide their bank statements due to privacy issues. This is very common, unfortunately, if the donor of the gift funds does not provide the 30 days of the donor’s bank statement, the gift funds are of no use. Mortgage guidelines require that the donor’s gift funds need to be seasoned in the donor’s bank account for at least 30 days and the only way of proving that is by providing 30 days of bank statements.

Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions: Closing Costs On Home Purchase

On every home purchase, there are closing costs the home buyer is responsible for.

Closing costs include the following:

Tax stamps
Transfer stamps
Title charges
Attorneys fees
Appraisal fees
Pre-paid which are escrows
One year homeowners insurance
Food insurance, etc

Sellers Concessions And Lender Credit For Closing Costs

Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions can be used for the down payment on the home purchase. However, the seller’s concessions and lender credit can only be used for closing costs and cannot be used for the down payment. Using Gift Funds In Mortgage Transactions cannot be used for reserves either. There are times when the Automated Underwriting System (AUS) will require reserves. Homebuyers who barely have enough funds for the down payment can get their closing costs covered by requesting a sellers concession towards homebuyers closing costs.

FHA allows up to a maximum of 6% sellers concessions from the home seller to cover the home buyer’s closing costs
Conventional loan programs allow up to 3% of seller’s concessions on primary and second homes
2% for investment properties
USDA loan programs allow up to 6% of sellers concessions
VA loans allow a maximum of 4% sellers concession towards a home buyer’s closing costs
Most jumbo mortgage loan programs allow up to 3% of sellers concessions

Homebuyers cannot have a seller’s concession overage. If there is a seller’s concession overage, then the sellers’ concession overage needs to go back to the home seller. The home seller cannot give a seller’s concession kickback to the home buyer. Overages in sellers concessions can be used to buy down the mortgage rates.

Home Buyers who need to qualify with a direct lender with no mortgage lender overlays can contact us at Gustan Cho Associates at 800-900-8569 or text us for a faster response. Or email us at gcho@gustancho.com. We are available 7 days a week, evenings, weekends, and holidays.