Sixteen programs
Every program, with the guideline table attached
Purchase, refinance, home equity and investor lending. Each page carries the score floor, the down payment minimum, the ratio cap, the mortgage insurance treatment and an honest list of what tends to go wrong.
Purchase lending
Six agency and non-agency purchase products. Underwriting, appraisal review and closing all happen in our Center City office.
Conventional
Conforming loans to $832,750 with cancellable PMI
The default answer for most buyers with a 620 score and 3% down.
620Details
FHA
3.5% down from a 580 score, 10% down from 500
The most forgiving credit box we lend in, with the trade-off stated up front.
580 with 3.5% down; 500 to 579 with 10% downDetails
VA
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, residual income test
The strongest program in American lending, if you have the entitlement.
No VA minimum; Keystone overlay 600Details
USDA guaranteed
Zero down in eligible outer-county tracts, income capped
Most buyers assume they do not qualify. Check the map before you assume.
640 for GUS automated approval; below that, manual underwriteDetails
Jumbo
Above $832,750, to $3,000,000, 10% down from 700 FICO
Portfolio pricing for Rittenhouse, Society Hill and the Main Line.
700; 680 accepted with 30% downDetails
First-time buyer
PHFA pairing, grant stacking and the 3% down route
The assistance money exists. Most buyers never find out they qualified.
No principal-residence ownership interest in the past three yearsDetails
Refinance lending
Three ways to restructure a loan you already have. We publish the break-even month before you sign a single disclosure.
Rate and term refinance
Lower the rate, shorten the term, or drop mortgage insurance
We publish the break-even month before you sign a disclosure.
95% conventional, 97.75% FHA, 100% VADetails
Cash-out refinance
To 80% LTV on one unit, 75% on two to four units
Useful for a rehab or a debt payoff. Rarely useful for anything else.
80% one unit, 75% two to four units and investmentDetails
FHA and VA streamline
No appraisal, no income documents in most files
The fastest refinance in the business, for the borrowers who qualify.
Not required in the standard caseDetails
Home equity lending
Second-lien and later-life options that leave a low first-mortgage rate exactly where it is.
HELOC
Ten-year draw at Prime plus margin, interest only on what you use
The right tool when your first mortgage rate is better than today's market.
85% one unit primary, 80% second homeDetails
Home equity loan
Fixed-rate second lien, 5 to 20 year terms
One lump sum, one fixed rate, one end date.
85% one unit primary residenceDetails
Reverse mortgage (HECM)
Age 62 plus, independent counselling required before application
A serious product with serious obligations. We explain both.
62 for all borrowers on titleDetails
Investor lending
Qualified on the property's cash flow or the project's exit, not on your personal tax returns.
DSCR rental loans
Qualified on rent divided by PITIA, no personal DTI
The property qualifies. Your tax returns stay in the drawer.
DSCR of 1.10 or higher for standard pricingDetails
Fix and flip
To 85% of purchase and 100% of rehab, drawn in stages
Priced on the exit, drawn on inspection, closed in nine days.
Up to 85%Details
Bridge loans
12-month interest only, buy before your current home sells
A non-contingent offer in a market where contingencies lose.
80% across the departing and new propertiesDetails
Portfolio blanket loans
5 to 40 doors under one note, one payment, one closing
Stop managing thirty servicers. Start managing one.
5 to 40Details
All six agency boxes on one screen
If you only read one table on this site, read this one. It is the fastest way to find out which door is open to you today.
| Program | Minimum score | Minimum down | Maximum DTI | Mortgage insurance | Limit, one unit | Occupancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional conforming | 620 (640 under 5% down) | 3% first-time, 5% repeat | 45%, to 50% with reserves | Cancellable at 80% LTV | $832,750 | Primary, second, investment |
| FHA 203(b) | 580 (500 with 10% down) | 3.5% | 43% manual, 50%+ with TOTAL | 1.75% upfront, 0.55% annual, life of loan above 90% LTV | $524,225 | Primary only |
| VA | No VA minimum, 600 overlay | 0% | 41% plus residual income test | None. Funding fee 2.15% first use | None at full entitlement | Primary only |
| USDA guaranteed | 640 for GUS | 0% | 29/41, higher with GUS Accept | 1.00% upfront, 0.35% annual | Income capped at 115% AMI | Primary only |
| Jumbo portfolio | 700 (680 with 30% down) | 10% to $1m, 20% to $2m | 43%, to 45% with 12 months reserves | None | $832,751 to $3,000,000 | Primary, second |
| DSCR investor | 660 (700 for best tier) | 20% purchase, 25% cash-out | Not used. DSCR 1.10 or higher | None | $100,000 to $2,000,000 | Investment only |
Swipe the table sideways to compare every column.
Sample guideline figures for 2026. Loan limits, score floors and ratio caps are illustrations for this demonstration site. Agency limits change annually, automated underwriting overrides published ratio caps in both directions, and Keystone applies its own overlays where stated.
Read all sixteen programsThree questions that usually decide it
Answer these honestly and the program almost picks itself.
- 1
What is your representative credit score?
Below 660, FHA usually wins on monthly cost. Above 700, conventional almost always does, because the mortgage insurance is cheaper and it ends.
Compare FHA against conventional - 2
How much cash can you actually put to work?
Zero down exists and it is real: VA if you are eligible, USDA in the right census tract. Otherwise 3% conventional, 3.5% FHA, and assistance that stacks on top.
See the assistance route - 3
Will you live in it?
If not, personal debt ratios stop mattering and the property's rent takes over. That is a different desk with different arithmetic.
Open the investor desk
Find out what you qualify for
A fifteen minute call, a soft credit pull and a straight answer about the program and price range that actually fit.
No application fee. Soft credit pull at pre-qualification. Flat $1,095 origination at closing.
Licensed, approved and audited
- Equal Housing Opportunity lender
- In-house underwriting since 2009
- Licensed in PA, NJ, DE and MD
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller-servicer
- FHA, VA and USDA approved
- 4.9 from 1,284 closed-file surveys
Sample credentials for a demonstration site. NMLS identifiers are placeholders pending the client's licensing details.