Asset-based mortgage in San Ramon, California — qualify on assets, not income
San Ramon Asset-Based Mortgage

Asset-Based Mortgage in San Ramon, California: Qualify on Assets, Not Income

In San Ramon, the buyer who could pay cash but would rather keep the portfolio invested has a mortgage built for the situation. The asset-based program behind these pages qualifies on assets rather than earnings, reaches principal residences and second homes on the path that documents no income, and adds investment property on the path that turns assets into income. The lender is never named on these pages, and the calculator’s benchmark is a published national average, not a quote.

Current Program Snapshot

Current asset-based guidelines, updated from one source.

Treat these as the program’s limits rather than an offer: the largest loan on each path, the credit floor, the maximum leverage, and the retirement-account credit on either side of the age line. The tables beneath the cards are the working rules a loan officer applies to the statements, and they change here when the sheets change.

Loan Amount
to $4M

Up to $4,000,000 on assets alone; $3,500,000 when assets become income

Loan size follows the path. Covering the loan outright with usable assets reaches $4,000,000; spreading a pool of assets into a monthly income reaches $3,500,000 and starts at $125,000. The amount on either path is a program parameter, subject to the lender’s guidelines at lock.

Credit Score
600 floor

The asset qualifier path’s published floor; the depletion path follows the suite’s score and amount matrix

The asset qualifier path publishes a 600 decision-score floor. The asset depletion path follows the score and loan-amount matrix of the documentation suite it belongs to, where the floor rises with the leverage and the amount. The score is read from the credit report at application; it is never promised here.

Leverage
up to 80%

That ceiling on a purchase and 75% on a refinance when assets cover the loan; 60% on a depletion cash-out

Leverage tops out at 80% on a purchase whichever path carries the file. The paths part on the refinance: 75% when the assets cover the loan, and on the depletion side 80% for a rate-and-term and 60% for a cash-out. Investment property, available on the depletion path only, is capped lower.

Retirement Accounts
90% / 100%

Credited under 59½, and at 59½ or older, when assets cover the loan; 70% at any age when assets become income

A 401(k) or IRA is credited at 90% of its balance for an owner under 59½ and 100% for an owner at 59½ or older on the asset qualifier path; the asset depletion path counts a flat 70% of the balance. Brokerage, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit count in full when the assets cover the loan.

Asset qualifier path — how much of each account counts toward covering the loan (the wholesale lender is not named)
Account typeCredit toward the loan
Brokerage accounts (stocks, bonds, funds)100% of the balance
Certificates of deposit100% of the balance
Money market accounts100% of the balance
Savings and checking100% of the balance
Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA) — owner under 59½90% of the balance
Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA) — owner 59½ or older100% of the balance
Asset depletion path — the share of each account that enters the income calculation, before the balance is divided by 60 months
Account typeShare counted
Cash accounts100% of the balance
Certificates of deposit100% of the balance
Securities (stocks, bonds, funds)80% of the balance
Private stock75% of the balance
Retirement accounts (any age)70% of the balance
Real-estate equity60% of the balance
Maximum leverage by path and occupancy — purchase, rate-and-term refinance, and cash-out refinance
Path and occupancyPurchaseRate-and-termCash-out
Asset qualifier — primary residence or second home80%75%set by the lender
Asset depletion — primary residence80%80%60%
Asset depletion — second home80%80%60%
Asset depletion — investment property65%65%60%

Two paths behind these pages: on the asset qualifier path the usable assets must equal or exceed the whole loan and no employment or income is documented; on the asset depletion path the usable assets are divided across the published number of months (the table above) into a qualifying income that carries the housing payment and other debts through the debt-to-income test. Reserves are not required on the qualifier path at or below the refinance leverage; the depletion path asks for statements at least one hundred twenty days old plus a current one. Minimum assets on the depletion path: the lesser of one million dollars or one and a quarter times the loan, never below a quarter million liquid when assets are the only income. Lendmire is a broker, not the lender, and the lender is not named.

Current asset-based snapshot · updated October 21, 2026 · a Lendmire loan officer confirms the path, the asset credit, and the leverage for the file before an offer.

Program Notice

Informational only; not a commitment to lend, an approval, or a quote. Every figure on this page is a program parameter read from Lendmire’s guideline source, built on wholesale program sheets, and may change without notice; eligibility, the path, the leverage, and the amount are decided in underwriting. Nothing here is tax or investment advice, and the assets described are never required to be sold or moved by this page. Lendmire is a mortgage broker, not a lender. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. NMLS #2371349.

San Ramon Asset-Based Mortgage Guide

What an asset-based mortgage is — and how the two paths qualify a file.

The asset-based program is one program with two doors. Through the first, a San Ramon buyer walks in with statements that add up to the loan and leaves employment and income out of the file entirely. Through the second, a buyer whose balances do not cover the loan walks in with the same statements and the lender turns them into a monthly figure to test against the payment. The cards below describe each door and the rules at the threshold.

For the program overview, see Lendmire’s asset-based mortgage program, or the statewide guide at Asset-Based Mortgage in California; for the age rule on retirement withdrawals, see the IRS.

01.

Two paths, one program

Think of the two paths as two thresholds. On the asset qualifier path the threshold is the loan amount itself: the credited balances must reach it. On the asset depletion path the threshold is a ratio: the credited balances, divided into monthly income, must carry the housing payment and the other debts. A San Ramon file with a large balance sheet usually clears the first; a file with a moderate one is often written on the second.

02.

The asset qualifier path

No employment and no income is documented on this path. That is not a loophole; it is the structure. The lender’s ability-to-repay review rests on the assets themselves, which is why they must cover the whole loan rather than a share of it. A San Ramon retiree whose statements add up to the loan amount is read on those statements, without a tax return, a pay stub, or a bank statement income calculation.

03.

The asset depletion path

The path exists for the household whose assets are substantial but short of the loan. The minimum is a stated pool of qualified assets or a multiple of the loan balance, whichever is less, with a floor on liquid assets when the depletion income is the only income in the file. When the asset income merely supplements documented earnings, the minimum-assets rule is waived and the combined ratio may run to forty-five percent.

04.

Seasoning, statements, and what counts

Seasoning is the proof that the assets are the borrower’s to keep: two months of statements on the asset qualifier path, older statements plus the current one on the asset depletion path. Large recent deposits inside that window are read, not ignored: a transfer between the borrower’s own accounts is documented as such, a sale of property or a business with its paperwork, and a gift under the lender’s gift rules. A San Ramon file that shows the trail cleanly meets fewer questions in underwriting.

The Core Calculation
Usable assets − loan = the margin on the asset qualifier path; haircut assets ÷ months = the income on the asset depletion path; the calculator below runs both on the same balance sheet.

Enter the San Ramon price and the loan wanted, then the balances. The first result is the asset qualifier verdict: the usable assets cover the loan or fall short by a stated margin. The second set of results is the asset depletion reading: the haircut assets, the monthly income they produce, and the housing payment at the benchmark against that income.

San Ramon Market Context

San Ramon’s market in figures — and how asset-based lending fits.

An asset-based mortgage is written against the top of a local market, and these are San Ramon’s numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau: the population, the median home value, the share of households that own, and the owner households the program is sized against. Program figures live in the snapshot above; the figures here describe the market, not the file.

Citywide figures provide general market context, not an appraisal or an income calculation. Population and owner households describe the depth of the market; the median value describes its height. An asset-based file turns on the second more than the first, because the loan the assets must cover or carry follows the price.

85,993Population (ACS 2020–2024)
$1,509,500Median owner-occupied home value (ACS 2020–2024)
70.9%Households that own their home (ACS 2020–2024)
$196,161Median household income (ACS 2020–2024)

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.

San Ramon Submarkets

Distinct San Ramon neighborhoods, distinct asset files.

Each card below is a San Ramon submarket seen through the program: who buys there on assets, which path usually fits, and what the loan officer checks first. The figures in the snapshot apply everywhere; the emphasis changes from one card to the next.

01.

Close-in architect-designed homes

The architect-designed homes on San Ramon’s close-in streets are hard to value, and on an asset-based file the appraisal decides the leverage: the loan is measured against the lower of price and value. A buyer covering the loan on assets answers a low appraisal with a larger down payment, which lowers the loan the assets must cover. On a home in San Ramon priced at or above the median, the asset qualifier path finances up to 80% of the price on a purchase — the balance of the price is the down payment, and the usable assets must cover the loan itself.

02.

Newer luxury infill and new construction

Builder inventory and new infill in San Ramon are bought on assets by households that have just sold something larger. The proceeds season (two months of statements on the asset qualifier path, longer on the depletion path), the credited total is measured against the new loan, and the file is placed on the path the total supports. San Ramon is home to about 86K people and sits within the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area.

03.

High-rise and luxury condominiums

The downsizer’s file: the house is sold, the proceeds sit in the accounts, and the San Ramon condominium is bought on the statements. Two months of statements season the proceeds on the asset qualifier path; the project review and the appraisal are the building’s questions, not the borrower’s. About 29% of San Ramon’s households rent — roughly 8,763 renter households on the latest Census estimate.

04.

Estate properties

An estate purchase on assets is sized against the program ceiling and the usable total at once. A San Ramon buyer near the ceiling is read closely on the margin, on which accounts count, and on the age rule for retirement money, because a small change in the credited total moves a large loan. Roughly 21,340 San Ramon households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 71% of all households, the pool an asset-based purchase joins.

05.

Second homes and pied-à-terre purchases

A San Ramon pied-à-terre bought by a household whose principal residence is elsewhere is a second-home file at the second-home leverage on either path. The asset qualifier path covers the loan with the statements; the depletion path converts them. Neither asks about the income that supports the other home. The median owner-occupied home value in San Ramon runs near $1,509,500 on the latest Census estimate.

06.

Two-to-four-unit homes

Small multi-unit buildings in San Ramon attract the asset-rich buyer who wants rental income beside the portfolio. Financed as an investment, the file is a depletion file: haircut assets divided into income, the investment leverage row, and a stronger score for a first-time investor. Median household income in San Ramon sits near $196,161 on the latest Census estimate.

A San Ramon loan officer uses submarket knowledge to set expectations about value and comparable sales; the program’s figures are set by the sheets, not by the neighborhood, and every file is held to them.

How San Ramon Buyers Use Asset-Based Mortgages

Four ways San Ramon buyers put their assets to work.

The asset-based mortgage does one thing the income programs cannot: it lends to a household whose statements, not its earnings, show the means to repay. Four common San Ramon uses follow, each read against the path that usually carries it.

Asset qualifier refinance

Refinance a home the assets already stand behind

The refinance is the retiree’s use: the income that qualified the original loan has stopped, the portfolio has not, and the asset qualifier path reads the portfolio. A San Ramon file needs usable assets equal to the new loan, a loan inside the refinance leverage, and two months of statements per account.

Second home or investment

Finance a second home or a rental on assets

Second homes are a natural fit: a San Ramon household with a portfolio and a principal residence elsewhere buys the second home on assets, covering the loan outright when the balances allow and depleting them into income when they do not. Rentals follow the depletion path’s investment ceiling and its cash-out rules.

Borrow rather than sell

Keep the investments invested

For a San Ramon buyer weighing a cash purchase against a mortgage, the asset-based program offers the mortgage without the income file. The assets are counted on paper, the home is financed, and the portfolio stays invested. A loan officer shows the two paths on the actual balances before the offer is written.

After a sale or an exit

Buy after a liquidity event, before the next venture

The seller of a San Ramon business, the founder after an exit, the household after an inheritance: the money is new, large, and often unaccompanied by income. The asset qualifier path reads it once the two months of statements exist; the depletion path excuses the usual seasoning for sale-of-business, inheritance, and legal-settlement funds.

Asset Coverage Estimate

Measure a San Ramon loan against the assets before requesting a review.

The starting figures are a San Ramon price above the median, a loan at a share of the price inside both paths’ purchase leverage, and a balance sheet split among cash, brokerage, and retirement accounts with the owner under 59½. Change any of them. The verdict, the margin, the depletion income, and the payment update as you type.

Editable asset-based scenario

San Ramon asset coverage estimate

The starting figures are a San Ramon price in the upper part of the market with a loan at seventy percent of it and a balance sheet that covers the loan at the under-59½ retirement credit. Every field is editable, and the benchmark updates weekly from the Freddie Mac series.

Editable benchmark: 7.40% as of October 15, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an asset-based mortgage quote.

—Loan-to-value against the path’s ceiling for the purpose chosen.
—Usable assets on the asset qualifier path against the loan amount.

Illustrative starting assumptions: a $2,125,000 price above the San Ramon median, a loan at seventy percent of the price, a balance sheet split among cash, brokerage, and retirement accounts with the owner under 59½, a thirty-year payment at the current Freddie Mac conforming benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for California (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.

Asset qualifier path — do the assets cover the loan?
—
Usable assets after the credit percentages, measured against the loan amount entered.
—Usable assets on the asset qualifier path (retirement credited by the owner’s age)
—Largest loan these assets cover on the asset qualifier path, inside the leverage ceiling
—Assets counted on the asset depletion path, after the haircuts
—Monthly qualifying income on the asset depletion path (counted assets divided by the divisor)
—Estimated total monthly housing payment: principal and interest at the benchmark, plus taxes and insurance
—Housing payment and other debts against the depletion income

Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The credit percentages, the haircuts, and the divisor are wholesale program parameters hydrated from Lendmire’s guideline endpoint; the lender’s own calculation governs, and which accounts count, how they season, and what the age rule allows are settled in underwriting. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conforming benchmark, a market reference and not an asset-based mortgage quote; the terms on an asset-based mortgage are set by the lender at lock. Taxes and insurance are estimates. Nothing here is tax or investment advice.

Asset Qualifier vs. Asset Depletion vs. Bank Statement

Same buyer, three ways to document the file.

Three routes to the same closing table, compared on what each one counts: the balance sheet in full, the balance sheet as income, or the deposit history of a business owner. A San Ramon loan officer prices the route the file supports best, and the comparison below explains how the choice is made.

Structure Comparison

Assets that cover the loan, assets as income, or deposits as income.

The asset qualifier path

When the credited balances reach the loan, nothing else about income needs to be shown. The trade is the threshold: the assets must cover the loan itself, not a share of it, and investment property is not on this path. Reserves are not required at or below the refinance leverage, and the file is the statements, the credit report, and the appraisal.

The asset depletion path

The path for the household whose savings are real but smaller than the loan. It can carry a loan the balances would not cover outright, widens the occupancies to include rentals, and adds a cash-out ceiling; in exchange it brings the ratio back and counts retirement money at a flat haircut.

A bank statement loan

A different question entirely: not what the household owns but what the business brings in. The bank statement loan suits the San Ramon owner with strong deposits and modest savings, where the asset-based paths suit the household with strong savings and modest deposits. See Lendmire’s bank statement loan program.

Where each one fits

Assets that cover the loan, assets that become income, deposits that become income: three answers to one question, and the right one for a San Ramon household is read off its statements. The comparison on this page is run for real on every file before the lender’s terms are put in writing. Loans above the conforming limit on documented income: Lendmire’s jumbo loan program.

Typical File Components

What to prepare for a San Ramon scenario review.

Preparation for a San Ramon asset-based review is mostly gathering: the statements for each account, the age of the owner of each retirement account, the credit report, and, on the depletion path, any income the asset income will supplement. The items below are the ones a loan officer asks for first.

Gift documentation, where a gift is part of the pictureA gift letter and the transfer trail for any gifted funds, read under the lender’s gift rules for the path chosen and documented like any other deposit.
Brokerage statements showing holdingsThe lender reads what the account holds, not only its balance; publicly traded securities count, while stock options and unvested restricted stock do not.
Government photo IDCurrent identification for every borrower on the loan; the lender verifies identity and runs the required screening before the file is placed with the program.
Retirement account statements and the owner’s date of birthA 401(k) or IRA is credited by the owner’s age on the asset qualifier path, so the lender confirms which side of the age line the owner stands on for each account.
Credit authorizationThe credit report is pulled once, read against the asset qualifier path’s floor or the depletion path’s matrix, where the housing history and any prior housing event are also reviewed.
Statements for every qualifying accountAll pages, for the months the path requires: two months on the asset qualifier path, and on the depletion path a statement at least four months old plus the most recent one.

This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the transaction, the property, the path, the accounts, and the credit picture. Nothing here is legal, tax, or investment advice.

San Ramon File Considerations

Local details that can change the loan.

Here are five details, chosen for the San Ramon file, that most often reshape an asset-based loan. The first two apply to nearly every file; the rest depend on the accounts, the occupancy, and the purpose.

Before You Move Forward

Use these checks to keep the San Ramon file clean and fundable.

Settle the age rule, the seasoning, and the eligible accounts first. Everything else in a San Ramon file, the path, the leverage, the loan amount, is arithmetic once those three are known.

  • Confirm the age rule: the depletion path haircuts retirement balances at a flat share regardless of age.
  • Count the months: a sale of a business, an inheritance, or a settlement is excused from the depletion wait.
  • Read the credit report: a prior housing event or repeated bankruptcies limit eligibility.
i.

Retirement accounts and the age line

Retirement balances are the most age-sensitive figure in the program. On the asset qualifier path they are credited by the owner’s age; on the asset depletion path they are haircut at a flat share whatever the age. A San Ramon household with a large retirement account and a modest brokerage account is read carefully on both, because the usable totals can land on opposite sides of the loan.

ii.

Seasoning by path

Seasoning is the detail that most often sets the calendar for a San Ramon asset-based purchase. The asset qualifier path is the shorter wait; the depletion path is longer except where the funds came from the sale of a business, an inheritance, or a legal settlement. A loan officer reads the statements against the path’s clock before the contract is signed.

iii.

Credit and housing history

The asset qualifier path publishes a credit floor; the depletion path reads the score against a matrix where the floor rises with the leverage and the loan amount, and it reads the housing history too: a clean recent record is expected, one late payment in the past year is tolerated, and a San Ramon file with a prior housing event waits out the program’s seasoning.

iv.

Large and recent deposits

Sale-of-business, inheritance, and legal-settlement funds are excused from the depletion path’s seasoning but still documented with their source. For a San Ramon file, the paperwork behind the deposit is as important as the balance, and gathering it early is what keeps the calendar. The source documents travel with the statements.

v.

Which accounts count

Most of the eligible list is shared by both paths, with real-estate equity and private stock counting on the depletion path only; the share counted is what differs. A San Ramon household whose wealth sits in a private company, in options, or in an account held abroad may find the usable total smaller than the net worth suggests, and the sorting is done before the path is chosen so the result is not a surprise.

A Clear Process

From a San Ramon asset review to keys in hand.

From the first conversation to the keys, a San Ramon asset-based file passes four stages. The first is the one that differs from an income loan: the statements are read, the accounts are sorted, the usable total is calculated on both paths, and the path is chosen before anything else happens.

i.

Asset review

Start with the statements, the credit score, the occupancy, and the purpose. A Lendmire loan officer sorts the eligible accounts, applies the credit shares and the haircuts, reads the usable total against the loan on the asset qualifier path and into income on the depletion path, confirms the age rule for each retirement account, and puts the result in writing.

ii.

Contract and appraisal

The contract sets the price the loan is measured against; the appraisal confirms the value supports it. On a San Ramon file where the assets just cover the loan, an appraisal that lands under the price is answered with a larger down payment, which lowers the loan the assets must cover.

iii.

Underwriting

Underwriting on an asset-based file is about the accounts: every page of every statement, every large deposit explained, every retirement owner’s age confirmed, the seasoning counted. On the depletion path the ratio is calculated with the new payment; on the asset qualifier path the total is confirmed against the loan.

iv.

Closing

Closing on an asset-based loan looks like any other closing from the outside. From the inside, the difference is what did not happen along the way: no employment call, no tax transcript, no income calculation on the asset qualifier path. A San Ramon loan officer attends to the funds to close so the usable total is intact.

Why Lendmire

A brokerage that reads both paths.

Asset-based files reward careful reading. Which accounts count, at what share, on which path, with what seasoning, at what leverage for the purpose: each is a place where a file placed carelessly costs the buyer a larger down payment or a longer wait. Lendmire reads them in order, before the offer, for every San Ramon buyer.

i.

Both paths, one set of statements

The comparison printed on this page is run for real on every San Ramon file: assets that cover the loan beside assets that become income beside deposits read as income, and the written terms follow from it. The buyer sees the usable total on each path, the margin above the loan, and the derived income beside the payment before anything is signed.

ii.

The account rules explained before the offer

The age rule, the seasoning, and the eligible-account list are the three places an asset-based file surprises people. Lendmire walks a San Ramon buyer through all three at the review, with the statements open, so the file that goes to underwriting is the file the buyer expected. The margin above the threshold is written down too.

iii.

Licensed, consumer-purpose, in writing

Asset-based mortgages on a principal residence or a second home are consumer loans, placed under Lendmire’s consumer licensing in sixteen states with the disclosures that attach to any consumer mortgage. A San Ramon buyer gets the terms in writing from a licensed loan officer, and nothing on this page is an offer or a quote.

Client Experiences

Trusted by buyers & families alike.

Verified Google Reviews
Google
Joseph Edwards
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Highly recommend, Cori was awesome to work with and had great communication. She was very helpful and got us through everything to close.
Google
K Star Real Estate LLC
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Cori on the Lendmire team was phenomenal! She was two steps ahead through the entire process of purchasing an investment property. She was solving problems before anyone knew there could have been a problem. Great communication, great availability, all around a great person to work with. She is the reason our deal closed. We look forward to working with her again in the very near future!
Google
Tristen Mosley
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Alayna Pack is very knowledgeable, helpful, communicative, and transparent. Highly recommend.
Google
J Mills
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Leigh is absolutely the best! Professional yet personable, diligent, and incredibly responsive. She was with us throughout the process and helped us secure a competitive rate. Leigh went above and beyond to make sure all of our questions were answered, and offered deep explanations for questions that arose. We felt supported through the entire process and trust her expertise completely. 5 stars!
Google
Tyjuana Atkinson
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Awesome experience!!!!!!! Leigh had our best interest at heart from beginning to the end.
Google
Anna Hernandez
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Curt Galbraith was a Great Loan Originator and goes above and beyond for his clients, working with him on this transaction was so easy. I would recommend him for any Buyers looking to Buyer or Refinance. Great Service all around
Google
RustynKelli Shelton
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Brenda is absolutely one of the most professional hardworking lenders we have ever dealt with; she’s helped clients of ours and now us personally. Her communication is top notch, you never feel like you’re forgotten or left to figure things out on your own, great to answer questions and explain each step. Definitely recommend Brenda to walk along beside you in your purchase process!
Google
Isaac Alonzo
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
As a first time home buyer Curt Galbraith was a wonderful man, he explained everything i had questions about and took time out of his day to meet up late at nights after my night shift, to explain things to me .Over all Curt was really helpful all through closing and always there when you needed him. Thank you so much Curt for helping me through out the whole process.
Google
Jason Fleck
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Brenda, Samantha and the Lendmire team were absolutely fantastic to work with. We had to jump through some major hurdles to get this home done, which most lenders would have gave up, they kept pushing to get this home done for us. I would absolutely recommend Brenda and team to anybody. Thank you so much for your commitment, communication, perseverance through the whole process. Jason & Brooke
Questions San Ramon Buyers Ask

San Ramon asset-based mortgage FAQs

Plain answers to the questions San Ramon buyers ask most about asset-based mortgages, in the order they usually come up: what the program is, how each path works, how retirement accounts are counted, and what the credit and leverage rules are.

What is an asset-based mortgage?

It is a mortgage where the statements, not the pay stubs, make the case. Two paths run under the program: cover the loan outright with usable assets and document no income, or deplete the assets into a qualifying income and run the usual ratio test. A San Ramon buyer is written on whichever path the balances support.

How does the asset qualifier path work?

It covers the loan with the balances. Brokerage, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit count in full; retirement accounts count at a reduced share under 59½ and in full from 59½ on; the accounts combine. A San Ramon buyer whose credited total reaches the loan is written on this path with two months of statements per account.

How does the asset depletion path work?

It converts assets into income. Cash and certificates of deposit count in full, securities at a lower share, retirement accounts lower still regardless of age, and real-estate equity lowest; the haircut total is divided by the divisor and treated as monthly income. The path reaches principal residences, second homes, and investment property.

How are 401(k) and IRA balances counted, and why does 59½ matter?

The age line is applied per owner and per account. A San Ramon couple with accounts on both sides of 59½ sees each credited by its own owner’s age, and the sum counts against the loan. The accounts are not drawn on; the rule governs the credit, not the custody.

What credit score does an asset-based mortgage need?

Assets do not replace credit. A San Ramon borrower needs the score at or above the floor for the path; the depletion path also reads the housing history, tolerates one late housing payment in the past year at a cost, and does not accept repeated bankruptcies. The score is read from the report at application.

Can I buy a second home or a rental on assets?

A rental on assets means the depletion path, the investment ceiling, and the investor credit rules. A second home on assets means either path and the owner-occupied ceilings. A San Ramon loan officer confirms the occupancy with the borrower’s intent and the property’s use before the balances are read.

Which accounts count, and which do not?

Brokerage, savings, checking, money market, certificates of deposit, and vested retirement balances count on both paths; custodial accounts, deferred compensation, escrow balances, foreign funds, cash on hand, options, and unvested units do not. Equity in other real estate and private stock count on the depletion path only, at reduced shares, with real-estate equity the smallest of any account type, so a San Ramon buyer whose balance sheet is mostly property usually lands on that path, with the equity counted at a fraction.

Do I need to show any income at all?

Not on the asset qualifier path. No employment is verified and no income is documented; the lender’s ability-to-repay review rests on the assets, which is why they must cover the whole loan. On the asset depletion path the assets are converted into income, and any documented earnings can be added to it.

How long do the assets need to be in the accounts?

On the asset qualifier path, two months of statements for each qualifying account. On the asset depletion path, a statement at least four months old at application plus the most recent one, with funds from the sale of a business, an inheritance, or a legal settlement excused from the wait. The money must be traceable as the borrower’s.

How is this different from a bank statement loan?

Deposits versus balances. The bank statement program applies an expense factor to a run of business deposits and calls the result income. The asset-based program credits or haircuts the balances and either covers the loan or divides them into income. A retiree with no deposits has nothing for the first and everything for the second.

Get Started

Keep the portfolio invested and finance the San Ramon home on it.

An asset-based review is the first step, and it asks only for the statements. The statements are read against both paths and a bank statement loan, and the recommendation follows the numbers.