A question I hear quite a bit about the USDA Loan looks at collections. It’s pretty common to hear “I have a few old collections, are they going to keep me from being able to get the Rural USDA Program.”It’s always a good idea to know what is on your credit report and so it could be a good idea to head on over to annual credit report dot com and pick up a free copy. Then you can be sure that all the info on it is correct, if it isn’t you can dispute it immediately.Anytime you see a collection on your credit report you’ll want to let your USDA Home Loan Representative know about them right away because certain types of collections can have a damaging impact on if your lending agency can get clear title. Which basically means that individual collection could end up as a lien on the property. Normally, simply paying off an old collection before you close will be okay. Just be sure to speak with your loan officer before paying off any old negative credit items, because it could work against you.And any lien on title is required to be paid off before the USDA Loan can fund.Now the Rural USDA Program relies on the lender to provide good quality loans and the USDA requirements say that the LENDER must make a decision if an open collection account would need to be paid at closing or before closing. In the current mortgage market, these rules will be different from lender to lender and will also change as time goes on as tougher regulations hold the specific loan agent responsible for their loan determinations.Any time there is a collection on the credit report, be sure to provide a written letter explaining the what caused the collection and that those problems have been eliminated.
