Couple, FICO Scores, Home Loans

[Anonymous]

If you are an unmarried couple buying a home, do all lenders use one individual's FICO score to in effect "set" your loan interest rate? More specifically, when our three credit reports were pulled, my middle score of the three reports was in the upper 700s and my significant other's middle FICO score was just below 700. We were told that his middle score (the lower middle score from the two home buying partners) must be used to set our interest rate rather than say my scores or an average of his scores/my scores.  Do all lenders follow this same procedure or should we be looking for a lender who will consider both scores/are there lenders that would consider both scores?

[ujocka]

The lower middle score of the two applicants seems to be the way things are done now. Seems to be the lenders excuse not to offer you their best rate. Odd to me that you could have anywhere from an 850 down to a 700, but if your spouses score is 699, yours are irrelevent for the rate.