What do Lenders Look for When Assessing My Bank Statements?

Why does the lender need my bank statements? 

A lender will need to see your bank statements to learn more about you and your spending habits. How you have acted lately, and the presentation of your bank statements can affect how much a lender will let you borrow, if anything at all.

The lender needs to know you’re responsible with your money and can be trusted to handle finances appropriately. After all, a mortgage is likely the most significant financial commitment you will ever make in your life.

Your bank statements are easily obtained either in the post from your bank, over the counter from your local bank, or, as often seen these days, as a printable version from your bank’s online platform.

What will lenders be looking for on my bank statement? 

Again, they need to know you’re responsible for your finances. One of the things they’ll be looking at is if there are any overdrafts. Using this often is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you exceed your limit regularly, this will put your level of trust into question.

More factors to be careful with are potential returned Direct Debits, showing a lender you are not consistently reliable and not disclosing loans at the application stage. It won’t look good if the lender finds outgoings on your bank statements that you failed to mention. Once again, this is a process of trust.

Other things include missed payments for personal loans and items such as credit cards. If you can prove you handle your money well and meet monthly payment deadlines, a lender will be more likely to lend you an amount closer to what you would like to borrow.

Will gambling affect my chances of getting a mortgage? 

Customers find themselves stuck when they have a history of gambling. The occasional bit of fun is harmless, but if you are frequently betting large amounts of money, whether you’re making it back or not, a lender will not look at your situation favourably at all.

To learn more, please see our article on “Do Gambling Transactions Look Bad on My Bank Statements?” 

What can I do to show the lender I am reliable? 

From our experience working with many First-Time Buyers in Leeds & Home Movers in Leeds, we have found that most mortgage lenders will want at least three months of bank statements from an applicant.

With that in mind, it’s time for you to forget the past and think about the future. You have at least three months to work on your finances. The first thing we’d suggest is that if you are a frequenter of the local bookmakers or online gambling scene, you take a break for some time. Not only does this benefit your financial state, but it can benefit your mental health too.

The following steps we would recommend taking are to trying to save money. For example, cooking instead of eating out, treating yourself to unnecessary purchases and cancelling unneeded subscriptions are great ways of freeing up additional cash to ensure you can pay bills on time.

Again, this boils down to simply being sensible and planning with plenty of time ahead of what you’re looking to do. The further away you find yourself from bouts of debt and financial uncertainty, the better your chances will be with a lender.