The Bank Statement Loan Program is an excellent solution for self-employed ITIN Buyers (and US Citizen Buyers) as it allows you to qualify based on the income shown via a 12 to 24 month deposit history from your personal or business bank accounts. Your business or personal tax returns are not required. However, you will need to verify a 2 year history of being self-employed in the same business. The following documentation is required:
- Letter from a CPA stating your business has been existence for at least the last 2 years on CPA Letterhead
- Your business and CPA will be independently verified (via LexisNexis, D&B International Business Search, or other means of verification)
- 2 years existence can be validated by a Business License, or Secretary of State Filing
Once your income is calculated from your bank statements your monthly debt will then be calculated in order to determine your debt to income ratio ("dti"). The debt to income ratio cannot be higher than 50 in most cases and is determined by taking your current monthly debt PLUS your proposed mortgage payment and dividing it by your monthly income. (Monthly Debt/Monthly Income = Debt To Income Ratio) The proposed mortgage payment number will include Principal, Interest, Property Taxes, Homeowner's Insurance and any Condominium/Association fees. ("PITIA")
Bank statements should meet the following requirements:
- All parties listed on each bank account must be included as borrowers on the loan
- Statements must be consecutive, and the most recent statement must be dated within 90 days of closing.
- Statements should support stable and generally consistent deposits. Unusual deposits or inconsistent deposit history must be explained and documented.
- Up to 25 NSF checks and overdraft protection transfers in the most recent 12-month period are allowed with explanation from the borrower.
- Additional income deposited into the bank statements but derived from a source other than the self-employed business may not be included in the bank statement average.
- The lower of the 12- month average or the last 6 month’s average will be used to determine monthly bank statement income.
Below we will take a look at the required documentation necessary to satisfy the criteria of an ITIN Bank Statement Program. First let's start with some characteristics that are common to ITIN Buyer Programs:
ELIGIBLE PROPERTY TYPES
- 1 Unit Properties
- 2-4 Unit Properties (One unit must be occupied by the Buyer as their primary residence.)
- Condominiums (Both warrantable and non-warrantable)
- Townhouses/Planned Unit Developments
MINIMUM DOWN PAYMENT
Your minimum down payment will depend on your credit score as follows:
- 740 or above = 20% down
- 720 - 739 = 25% down
- 700 - 719 = 30% down
- 680 - 699 = 35% down
ELIGIBLE PARTIES
- All parties (borrowers, banks and property sellers) involved on the transaction must be screened through exclusionary lists, and must be cleared through OFAC's SDN list.
- Borrowers from OFAC sanctioned countries including Russia and Belarus are ineligible. Access the link below for a list of sanctioned countries: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx
- Individuals with diplomatic immunity are not eligible.
CLOSING REQUIREMENTS
- Any loan made to a Foreign National must have an ACH agreement signed at the closing table. The ACH account must be set to draw from a US bank account. The Borrower shall provide proof that a US bank account is opened in their name (or in the name of the LLC which owns the property, if applicable) and that the account is funded with the first month’s payment.
DOCUMENTS
- All documentation provided that has or will be translated to English must have a Certified Translator Stamp
- Documents signed outside of the United States must be notarized by a U.S. embassy or consular official. The certificate of acknowledgment must meet the standard notarial requirements and must include the embassy or consular seal.