Mary Beth Eastman

Low credit score: Most lenders prefer working with borrowers with reasonably strong credit scores. A FICO credit score of 670 is considered good and an even higher score will improve your chances for approval.
Insufficient income: Without adequate income to support loan payments, lenders are unlikely to approve your loan.
High debt-to-income ratio: You can calculate your debt-to-income ratio by dividing your monthly debt payments by your gross (or pretax) monthly income. If too much of your income is consumed by debt payments, lenders are less likely to approve your loan.
Incomplete application: If you leave information out of your application, like employment details, a lender might turn you down for a loan.

7+ years in personal finance.
Mortgage and personal loan expert.
Work has appeared on The Balance, U.S. News & World Report, CNN, and New York Post.

Bio and experience

Mary Beth Eastman is a personal finance writer and journalist, specializing in mortgages, lenders, insurance, student loans, refinancing, personal loans, credit cards, home equity loans, and home buying.

Her professional background includes an editor for The Beaver County Times, content manager at West Hall Publishing and Consulting, and content editor for The Balance and Investopedia. She has provided her expertise to Money Under 30, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Newsweek Vault, CNN, Bankrate, and New York Post.

Mary Beth won awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association, and the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors for design. She is a member of ACES: The Society for Editing and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.