GTG Monthly Guideline Roll-Up November 2026

October in review. Five items that shaped October — plus the DU 12.1 worklist to get through November and December.

• Freddie opened appraisal waivers to investor refis (Bulletin 2026-13). Rate/term to 75%, cash-out to 60%; solar UCC-1 can be cleared with a title endorsement.
• DU 12.1 set the November/December date cluster. Nov 13 occupancy flag, Nov 14 job rule, Dec 2 K-1 verbal VOE, Dec 11 messages; the Nov 30 findings retirement was delayed to Q1 2027.
• Rental income rules are not waiting for Dec 1. Averra, Nations Direct, Kind moved early and PRMG loaded them Oct 29; rent comes from the 1007/market rent report, never a lease, and first-time landlords need 6 extra months of reserves. Full topic: Rental income.
• VantageScore 4.0 live in production. LPA shows per-borrower scores, a VantageScore loan must get Accept, no mixing score models; live at UWM and PennyMac TPO, AD Mortgage rolling out (confirm first), Kind not taking it. Full topic: Credit scores.
• UAD 3.6 went live Nov 2. Lenders not ready can use the exception through May 19, 2027.

Deep dive: DU 12.1 worklist for November and December

DU 12.1 is not one date — it is a cluster landing through November and December, and the work has to be done at intake and on every live file, not when a message pops up. Full topic: DU / AUS.

Monday-morning actions: ask every borrower at intake whether they work for family, the seller, the agent, or another party to the deal; pull the pipeline for those borrowers and check job start dates against Nov 14; gather occupancy proof before submitting on primary homes; put Dec 2 on every K-1 file.

Coming up: Nov 13-14 DU changes, Dec 1 rental rules, Dec 2 K-1 VOE, Dec 6 Freddie condo flood, Jan 1 2027 FHA lowest score controls.

Topics: DU / AUS, Rental income, Credit scores, Appraisals