Conditional approval is the initial stage of application approval, when a lender is waiting to verify other important information. Essentially this initial process is a pending status for a loan. And although this does not guarantee final approval, it means you’re more likely to be approved.
What Kinds of Loans Have Conditional Approval?
In most scenarios, conditional approval will be present with mortgages. When you receive this kind of approval with your mortgage, your underwriter will be the one to process and verify certain information to come up with a final decision.
What Does a Lender Need to Make a Final Decision?
When you receive conditional approval, your loan underwriter may be going through one or more of these processes:
- Verifying income through documents such as bank statements and pay stubs
- Checking all debts remaining from the borrower
- Confirming assets
- Double-checking reward statements
- Taking a second look at tax returns
- Confirming identity
Your underwriter will take extra time to make sure everything looks good, and any loose ends are tied up. This is why it’s so important to understand what personal loan documentation you’ll need.
Is There a Difference Between Pre-Approval and Conditional Approval
Yes, there are differences between pre-approval and conditional approval. Pre-approval or prequalification is highly flexible. A lender will look at your credit score, ask for an estimate on annual income, look at existing debt by pulling a credit report.
From here, they will give you an estimated amount for what the loan could be. Pre-approval is the phase before a conditional approval, and so, less of a hurdle to get through with approval.
How to Move from Pre-Approval and Conditional Approval
To move from pre-approval, you will have to verify those initial answers you gave during the application process. Additionally, fulfilling purchase agreements is a requirement for conditional approval for a mortgage. Things like homeowner’s insurance, home appraisals, checking if there are any liens on the title for the home, and the loan to value ratio, are some of those purchase agreements.
How Long Will the Process Take Until Getting Final Approval?
Conditional approval can take anywhere between a few days up to a few weeks. The sooner your underwriter receives the documents they need and answers the questions they may have, the sooner you can get approved for a loan.
Conditional approval is a stage of approval for a loan (usually a mortgage) after pre-approval. It involves the verification of important information through various documentation. After this process, a potential borrower will know about final approval.
Make sure you’re aware of whether the loan you’re seeking will have a conditional approval phase. While it usually applies to mortgages, there may be other bad credit loan options that have it.