For the Self-Employed · Everyone Welcome
Bank Statement Loans
You run a business. Your tax returns are optimized to show less income — and then a bank uses those same returns to say you can't afford a house you could buy twice over. Bank statement loans fix that: qualify on your actual deposits, not your taxable income.
12–24 Mo. Statements
Income Docs
Not Required
Tax Returns
10–20%
Typical Down
Self-Employed / 1099
Who
How bank statement qualifying works
Instead of tax returns, the lender analyzes 12–24 months of business or personal bank statements, applies an expense factor appropriate to your industry, and treats the resulting cash flow as qualifying income. Two years of self-employment is the standard baseline.
These are non-QM (non-qualified-mortgage) products, so rates run somewhat above conventional — the price of flexibility. The strategy many of our self-employed clients run: buy now on bank statements, then refinance into conventional later when a tax year supports it.
Straight Answers
Bank Statement Loans: what buyers ask
What do lenders look for in my statements?
Consistent deposits, sensible expense patterns, and no heavy overdraft history. Twelve months can work; twenty-four strengthens the file and often the pricing.
Are the rates much higher?
Expect a premium over conventional — how much depends on down payment, credit, and reserves. For buyers whose alternative is not buying at all, the math usually still works, and refinancing later is always on the table.
Can I use business bank statements?
Yes — business or personal. Business statements get an expense factor applied; personal statements with business deposits are often cleaner. We'll look at both and use whichever qualifies you higher.
Do you also do full-doc loans for self-employed buyers?
Absolutely — if your returns support conventional or FHA qualifying, that's usually cheaper and we'll say so. Bank statements are the tool for when the returns undersell the reality.
Compare
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