Heads up! Lenders are jacking up the interest rate or raising points–even after it is locked in. If you have a loan in progress, you need to know what’s going on so you can prevent it happening to you.

Today I received this email from T. Smith:

“I have a GFE (Good Faith Estimate) dated 13 September. Trying to close this week and they say our credit report has expired and want to increase the cost of our points. Is that legal?”

Yes, credit reports have a limited life; but moreover, a lender has the right to re-pull a credit report at any time, regardless of the date of the original report. Now more than ever before, lenders are re-pulling credit right at the end of the process in order to make sure no new negative information has popped. “Negative information” could include a new line of credit or an increase to a credit card balance.

If you purchased a car, opened a new line of credit for appliances or furniture for your new home, opened a new credit card, or increased the balance-to-limit ratio on a current card, then any one of those things could easily lower your credit score. And a lower score could place you smack dab in the middle of a higher risk category as a borrower.

Additionally, a new late payment would lower your score.

If a lender discovers that a borrower has a lower score than what they were previously approved at, then yes, they do have the right to raise your interest rate or increase your points in order to compensate for the higher risk they perceive you to be. (Increasing points is another way of charging more in interest. Points are interest paid up front in the form of a fee.)

This is why I have been warning people not to make any changes whatsoever–and not to purchase anything on credit at all–during the loan process. Patience is the name of the game while you have a loan in process. There will be plenty of time to shop after your new mortgage is funded and closed.

If you know someone who is refinancing or buying a house, please pass on this timely warning to them.