---
title: Mortgage Credit Availability Sees Improvement
description: Lending standards aren't fixed.
---

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# [Mortgage Credit Availability Sees Improvement](https://www.firstbankrichmond.com/mortgage-articles/mortgage-credit-availability-sees-improvement)

 Written by [Susan Richwine](https://www.firstbankrichmond.com/mortgage-articles/author/susan-richwine) | Mar 13, 2024

Lending standards aren't fixed. That means qualifying for a mortgage can be easier – or more difficult – depending on when you're applying for a loan. That's why the Mortgage Bankers Association keeps a monthly measure of mortgage credit availability. Its Mortgage Credit Availability Index measures whether standards are loosening or tightening on a scale where any increase means it has gotten easier for borrowers to get a loan. According to the most recent index, access to mortgage credit improved in February, though the improvement was small. In fact, the index rose less than 1 percent.

Joel Kan, MBA's vice president and deputy chief economist, says credit remains tighter than usual. “Mortgage credit availability remains quite tight – near the lowest levels in MBA's survey – even as application volume lags last year's pace and as the industry continues to reduce capacity,” Kan said. 

[[Source: MBA](https://www.mba.org/home)]

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