My point was simple, if asked on a cr application - and I know of none that do not ask housing info- and OP is making a mortgage pyt and fails to disclose it is lying. Lying on a cr application is fraud.
@fittiger
Regarding util and lowering them for your chances of approval. Most on this board understand how FICO scoring works - we decide if we wish to PIF each month or carry a balance. Comparing lowering one's util to obtain a cr approval is not even in the same ballpark as deliberately failing to disclose. In your scenario, why not inflates one's income cause that is also a determining factor on approval. IMO, that is also unethical and lying
We can agree or disagree- but if you were a lender and reviewed an application where the mtg pyt is left blank and made a decision to approve cause now OPs d-t-I is lower, would not you feel deceived?