A straight answer
Can only one of us be on the HELOC if we both own the home?
The direct answer
Yes. On the bank statement HELOC I offer, the loan can be in whichever of your names you choose, so it uses the higher credit score while still counting both of your incomes. I offer bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns.
I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. I put the financing together, and I tell you plainly which program fits. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-22
Both on title and want one of you on the HELOC? Text me who owns the home, who wants to borrow, what you owe and what the home is worth.
This situation is worked out in a short conversation. No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Texts go to Zach's cell.
Is being on the title the same as being on the HELOC?
No.
The title shows who owns the home.
The loan shows who owes the debt.
The CFPB says "taking your name off a home or vehicle title doesn't take your name off the mortgage or auto loan" (CFPB, debt after a divorce).
It also says a creditor can collect from anyone whose name appears as a borrower on the loan.
So owning the home and borrowing against it are tracked apart.
How does a traditional loan read two borrowers' credit?
On a traditional loan sold to Fannie Mae, the guide says to "select the lowest applicable score from the group as the representative credit score for the loan" when there are multiple borrowers (Fannie Mae Selling Guide, determining the credit score).
That representative score is used for pricing on all of those loans.
For certain manually underwritten loans, Fannie Mae uses an average of each borrower's median score to check its minimum.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac describe the same pricing method: a score is picked for each borrower, then the lowest score of all the borrowers on the loan (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac credit score playbook).
That is why couples ask to leave the spouse with the lower score off the loan.
How does the bank statement HELOC I offer qualify the borrower?
I qualify the borrower on 12 months of bank statements.
I use the personal or the business account, whichever shows the larger average monthly deposits over those 12 months.
Business-account deposits get an expense factor.
Tax returns are not part of how it qualifies.
The lender still verifies the borrower can repay.
The full method is on the self-employed HELOC page.
Whose name, credit and income does the HELOC use?
You choose whose name the loan is in.
The loan uses the higher credit score.
Both of your incomes still count.
The lender still verifies you can repay.
What should I send first?
- Who owns the home.
- Which of you wants the loan in your name.
- Which accounts your incomes land in.
- A rough value for the home and your first mortgage statement.
Questions people ask next
Can the HELOC be in one name and still count both incomes?
Yes. On the bank statement HELOC I offer, the loan can be in whichever of your names you choose. It uses the higher credit score and still counts both of your incomes.
My credit is excellent and my spouse has a lower score. Can the HELOC be in my name to pay off their debt?
Yes. On the bank statement HELOC I offer, the loan can be in whichever of your names you choose, it uses the higher credit score, and it still counts both of your incomes. Once the line funds, you use the money however you choose, so you can pay their debts off yourself. A traditional loan works differently: on a loan sold to Fannie Mae, the guide picks a score for each borrower and uses the lowest one for pricing.
Is being on the title the same as being on the HELOC?
No. The title shows who owns the home, and the loan shows who owes the debt. The CFPB says a creditor can collect from anyone whose name appears as a borrower on the loan.
Does a traditional loan use the lower score of two borrowers?
On a loan sold to Fannie Mae, the guide picks a score for each borrower and uses the lowest one for pricing. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac describe the same method.
Does the HELOC need tax returns from the borrower?
No. I offer bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns.
Does asking about this affect my credit?
A conversation does not pull credit. A full application does.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for this page) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for these pages) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, September 2026 (checked 2026-09-27) · Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 (checked 2026-10-17) · CFPB, Can a debt collector contact me about a debt after a divorce? (last reviewed April 14, 2023) (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-5.1-02, Determining the Credit Score for a Mortgage Loan (04/22/2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Enterprise Credit Score Models and Credit Reports Initiative Partner Playbook (September 2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) (checked 2026-09-09).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (11)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| On the bank statement HELOC Zach offers, the loan can be in whichever person's name the borrowers choose, using the higher credit score while still counting both incomes. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach offers bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns, using whichever account shows the larger average monthly deposits; business-account deposits get an expense factor. He arranges the line as a broker and works with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona. | Confirmed by Zach, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for this page) | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach offers bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns, using whichever account shows the larger average monthly deposits; business-account deposits get an expense factor. He arranges the line as a broker and works with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona. | Confirmed by Zach, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for these pages) | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach's answers for the self-employed HELOC answers. The bank statement HELOC he offers has no set minimum time in business, so a business under two years old is fine. An unfiled or extended tax year does not matter for the bank statement HELOC, because tax returns are not part of how it qualifies; no extra documents are needed for it. He also offers a HELOC qualified on a profit-and-loss statement; it counts profit only, not losses, based on what runs through the borrower's bank accounts each month. He takes 1099 and gig earners with no business entity and no business account: any account the borrower receives income into can be used, as long as it gets frequent deposits, and those deposits count toward qualifying income. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach arranges a home equity line for self-employed owners that can be qualified on bank statements, which reads deposits instead of the net income on filed returns. | Confirmed by Zach, September 2026 | 2026-09-27 |
| Zach offers loans qualified on 12 months of bank statements instead of tax returns, at any loan size. He qualifies the borrower on either the personal or the business bank account, whichever shows the larger average monthly deposits over the past 12 months, and business-account deposits get an expense factor. | Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 | 2026-10-17 |
| Once a HELOC Zach offers funds, the borrower can use the money however they want, with no use restrictions. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| CFPB, Can a debt collector contact me about a debt after a divorce? (last reviewed April 14, 2023): a divorce decree "doesn't change the fact that a creditor can still collect from anyone whose name appears as a borrower on the loan or debt." "Keep in mind, taking your name off a home or vehicle title doesn't take your name off the mortgage or auto loan". | CFPB, Can a debt collector contact me about a debt after a divorce? (last reviewed April 14, 2023) | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-5.1-02, Determining the Credit Score for a Mortgage Loan (04/22/2026): "The representative credit score for the loan is determined based on the credit scores of each borrower and is used to determine loan eligibility for manually underwritten loans with only one borrower and for pricing purposes (i.e., assessing LLPAs) on all loans." "If there are multiple borrowers, determine the applicable credit score for each individual borrower and select the lowest applicable score from the group as the representative credit score for the loan." "For certain manually underwritten transactions, the average median credit score is used in place of the representative credit score to determine whether the minimum credit score requirement is met." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-5.1-02, Determining the Credit Score for a Mortgage Loan (04/22/2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| Enterprise Credit Score Models and Credit Reports Initiative, Partner Playbook (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, September 2026, updated September 9, 2026), hosted by Freddie Mac: "In general, the representative calculation for Classic FICO is Tri-Merge Middle/Lower Then Lowest. This means that the middle of three or the lower of two credit scores is selected for each borrower, and then the lowest score of all the borrowers on the loan is selected." | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Enterprise Credit Score Models and Credit Reports Initiative Partner Playbook (September 2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| On the West Capital Lending HELOC registration page, checking qualifying rates and terms uses a soft credit pull that does not affect the credit score; continuing and submitting an application requests a full credit report, which is a hard pull that may affect credit. | West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) | 2026-09-09 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-22.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Want only one of you on the HELOC?
No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Text Zach first so he can review your situation. The online check covers one HELOC program, not every option he may be able to arrange. Texts go to Zach's cell.