 TITLE: Can Piggybacking Credit Help Me Get a Mortgage? CONTENT: How Mortgage Lenders View Credit Piggybacking\n---------------------------------------------\nEach lender has its own specific criteria for deciding whom it will lend to and how much it charges a given borrower in terms of interest rate and fees. Lenders often use credit scores as \"first pass\" indicators of the types of loan they'll offer you. If your FICO® Score falls in the good range, for instance, your application might be sorted into consideration for a relatively low interest loan, while a score in the fair range might steer your application toward consideration for a loan with a higher interest rate, or even a subprime loan.\nThose preliminary categorizations can go right out the window once the lender reviews your credit report. Once again, the criteria vary, but lenders seeking evidence of strong credit management typically like to see at least two or three credit accounts in your name, ideally in a mix of revolving accounts (such as credit cards) and installment loans (such as car loans).\nBecause authorized-user accounts are not ultimately your responsibility, some lenders ignore them for purposes of evaluating creditworthiness. That means a credit score built solely using piggybacked accounts could be setting you up for disappointment: You might be offered promotions for loans with attractive interest rates based on a score buoyed by authorized-user activity only to have those offers withdrawn or downgraded upon closer examination of your credit report. END