Can My Name Be Taken Off a Mortgage?

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READER QUESTION

Can My Name Be Taken off a Mortgage and have my ex-husbands name put on the mortgage?

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Bills.com Resident Expert
Dec 12, 2011
BILL'S ANSWER

You situation is not unique. Unfortunately, I do not have good news for you.

It is unlikely a mortgage lender will remove a party's name from a loan. A mortgage is a contract binding all parties to its terms. Indeed, mortgages are structured to not allow parties to come and go, unless under certain conditions.

You and your then-spouse qualified jointly at the time of the loan. You are both parties to the contract. There is no, "We broke up so I want my name off of the loan," clause in any loan contract I have read.

The only way a name can be removed from a mortgage is if the mortgage is refinanced or if the property is sold. If a person is removed during a refinance, the remaining people or person must qualify for the loan. To qualify, the parties must have a stable income, a good credit history, and the property must be have less than a 100% loan-to-value.

Your ex-spouse must qualify for a new mortgage loan to pay off the existing loan against the home. It is difficult for many to qualify for a mortgage lately because banks have made the lending criteria very strict since the collapse in the financial markets. It is even more difficult for individuals that are self-employed to qualify for a loan because banks are requiring full documentation of income, which is oftentimes difficult or onerous for the self-employed.

You mentioned a drop in business that your ex-spouse experienced recently. Depending on the present income, your ex-spouse may find it difficult to qualify for a mortgage refinance.

To find out more about how mortgages work visit Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Quotes and Refinance Help on Home Loans to Save.

I hope this information helps you Find. Learn & Save.

Best,

Bill

Bills.com

Comments (6)


Avatar
Gary B.
El Paso, TX  |  December 08, 2011
I was told I could not remove my name off of my Fannie Mae mortgage loan, even though the other person was approved for the refinance? Is this true can I not get off of a Fannie Mae loan?
Avatar
Bills.com
December 08, 2011
It is not true that if a person who is currently a co-borrower with you is approved for a refinance loan on his or her own that your name will still be on the loan. The loan for which you are responsible would be paid off in the refinance.
Avatar
Bills.com
February 20, 2010
Maybe. A bank wants three qualities in the perfect refinance candidate: 1) Stable income, 2) Attractive credit history, 3) Low debt-to-income ratio. The bank also want a low loan-to-value ratio on your property. If the LTV on your property is less than 100% and you meet the first three criteria I mentioned, then you are golden.
Avatar
Wendy H.
February 20, 2010
Because of my husband and my financial situation we would like to put our mortgage in my name only. It is paid through my bank account and I am the higher earner. Is this possible?
Avatar
Bills.com
November 18, 2009
The title is easy: You need to sign a quitclaim deed to put his name on the title. You can do this yourself, but I urge you to work with an attorney licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction (state) to make sure there are not any relevant facts you did not include in your question that might complicate the issue. The mortgage is more difficult: You need to refinance the mortgage. Go to the Bills.com savings center to get no-cost, online quotes from pre-screened lenders.
Avatar
Linda S.
November 18, 2009
I own a home that I bought before my husband and I were married. The title and loan are in my name. I would like for him to be on the title. Or the title and the loan. What do we need to do for this to happen?
Thanks for your feedback!

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