Asset-Based Mortgage Loans in California
Have substantial savings or investments but limited traditional income? Explore asset-based mortgage options for your California home purchase or refinance.
- Asset-Based Qualification
- Purchase & Refinance
- California Mortgage Broker
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Tell Us About Your Assets and Home Financing Plans
You don’t need to know which asset-based mortgage program to ask for. Share your property plans and a general overview of your financial assets. SV Mortgage Group can help you compare relevant approaches and understand the next steps.
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Your Property & Financing Goal
Tell us where the property is located, how you’ll use it and whether you’re buying or refinancing. Include an estimated price or current value.
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Your Savings, Investments & Other Income
Describe the types of accounts you hold and their approximate balances, along with any regular income. A general summary is enough—leave out account numbers.
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Your Financing Needs & Timeline
Share the approximate loan amount, available down payment or current mortgage balance. Mention any previous lending obstacles and your preferred timing.
Explore Your Asset-Based Mortgage Options
Can Your Assets Help You Qualify for a Mortgage?
An asset-based mortgage may allow eligible savings, investments or retirement funds to support your qualification. Asset depletion programs calculate a monthly qualifying amount from those assets, giving borrowers another approach when traditional income documentation does not fit.
Retired or Planning Retirement
Your savings or retirement accounts may support a mortgage review when employment income is lower or has ended. The lender will consider which funds are accessible and how they may be used under the selected program.
Between Businesses or Careers
A business sale or career change can leave you with substantial assets but a different income picture. An individual review can help determine whether documented funds may support your purchase or refinance while your circumstances change.
Investments Beyond Your Paycheck
Your financial position may include more than a regular salary. Eligible investment accounts and other liquid assets may offer an additional qualification path, depending on account ownership, access to funds and the lender’s treatment of those holdings.
Your assets still need to be reviewed. Account ownership, access to funds and lender guidelines determine what may count. Explore how this differs from other mortgages without traditional income documents.
Different Ways Lenders Can Evaluate Your Assets
Asset-based qualification follows different rules depending on the mortgage program. The accounts a lender accepts, the deductions it applies and the calculation it uses can all affect your options.
Conventional Asset-Income Options
Some agency guidelines allow eligible assets to support qualifying income. These methods have specific rules for account sources, access to funds and the transaction. Conventional financing may be worth reviewing before considering a specialty program.
Asset Depletion Programs
Lenders convert an eligible asset balance into a monthly qualifying amount using a defined calculation period. Some Non-QM mortgage programs offer lender-specific methods, with different asset adjustments, documentation requirements and rules for including other income.
Asset-Qualifier Programs
Certain programs evaluate documented assets against the loan amount and other obligations using a different qualification method. Required balances, account history and funds remaining after closing matter. The lender still reviews the borrower and property.
| Approach | How It Is Evaluated | What Can Differ | What to Ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional asset income | Eligible assets support an income calculation under the applicable agency guidelines. | Accepted account sources, access requirements, calculation rules and eligible transactions. | Do my accounts and property plans meet the specific agency requirements? |
| Lender-specific asset depletion | A qualifying asset balance is divided over the program’s calculation period. | Asset adjustments, deductions, calculation period and treatment of other income. | Which balance will be used, and how is the monthly qualifying amount calculated? |
| Asset qualification | Documented assets are compared with the program’s required coverage of the loan and obligations. | Required asset levels, account seasoning, debt treatment and post-closing balances. | How much must remain after closing, and which obligations are included? |
Reference examples: Program names and requirements vary. These sources illustrate different methods; they are not a list of confirmed SV lending partners or a commitment to particular terms. Reviewed October 16, 2026.
The calculation is only part of the decision. SV Mortgage Group can help compare relevant lending sources alongside asset requirements, loan terms and your property plans. A larger qualifying amount does not automatically mean a lower-cost loan.
How Could Your Assets Translate Into Monthly Qualifying Income?
The calculation period can make a substantial difference. Explore how eligible assets and deductions affect an illustrative monthly amount, then compare 24 original scenarios developed by SV Mortgage Group.
24 scenarios · 4 calculation periodsSelect an example to load the calculator, or enter your own estimates. On mobile, selecting an example takes you to the tool.
Follow the calculation
- Start with assets after applicable eligibility and value adjustments.
- Subtract closing funds and any reserves or other amounts excluded from that pool.
- Divide the remaining eligible assets by the calculation period.
A planning example, not an approval estimate. This tool does not decide which assets qualify, how much you can borrow or which program you can use. The monthly result is a calculated amount, not an investment return or a required withdrawal.
Asset Depletion Calculator
Adjust the sliders or type an amount. All figures are in US dollars.
$950,000 net eligible assets ÷ 84 months
SV Mortgage Group Asset Depletion Scenario Comparison
Original modeled dataset · Created by SV Mortgage Group · 24 scenarios
October 16, 2026
| Adjusted eligible assets | Combined deductions | Net eligible assets | 84 months | 180 months | 240 months | 360 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $600,000 | $100,000 | $500,000 | $5,952.38 | $2,777.78 | $2,083.33 | $1,388.89 |
| $600,000 | $250,000 | $350,000 | $4,166.67 | $1,944.44 | $1,458.33 | $972.22 |
| $1,200,000 | $100,000 | $1,100,000 | $13,095.24 | $6,111.11 | $4,583.33 | $3,055.56 |
| $1,200,000 | $250,000 | $950,000 | $11,309.52 | $5,277.78 | $3,958.33 | $2,638.89 |
| $2,400,000 | $100,000 | $2,300,000 | $27,380.95 | $12,777.78 | $9,583.33 | $6,388.89 |
| $2,400,000 | $250,000 | $2,150,000 | $25,595.24 | $11,944.44 | $8,958.33 | $5,972.22 |
Select an asset amount to load that row’s example. Swipe or scroll the table on smaller screens. These are modeled comparisons, not market averages or lender quotes.
Methodology, assumptions and source references
Design: SV Mortgage Group created this 24-scenario comparison using three illustrative adjusted eligible asset balances ($600,000, $1,200,000 and $2,400,000), two combined deduction amounts ($100,000 and $250,000) and four calculation periods (84, 180, 240 and 360 months). The figures are modeled examples, not customer data or a survey of California borrowers.
Formula: Net eligible assets = the greater of zero or adjusted eligible assets minus combined deductions. Illustrative monthly amount = net eligible assets divided by the selected number of months, rounded to the nearest cent.
Assumptions: Starting balances are assumed eligible after applicable account-value reductions and withdrawal-penalty adjustments, but before the deductions shown. Deductions represent funds used for closing, excluded reserves or other applicable exclusions from the same pool. Enter each deduction only once. The calculator separates closing funds from reserves and other deductions; the dataset combines them.
Scope: Holding net assets constant isolates the mathematical effect of changing the divisor. It does not reproduce the full rules of any lender. Account eligibility, valuation adjustments, documentation, access restrictions and deductions can differ. No investment growth, taxes, interest rates, credit criteria or debt-to-income tests are modeled. Selecting a period does not establish program eligibility or approval.
- 84 months: NASB’s published asset-depletion example uses an 84-month divisor. Its other requirements are not modeled here.
- 180 and 240 months: Freddie Mac Bulletin 2026-10 announces a change from 240 to 180 months, effective February 3, 2027, with immediate implementation permitted. Confirm the lender’s adopted requirements.
- 360 months: Fannie Mae’s employment-related asset method divides eligible net assets by the loan’s amortization term. A 30-year term produces the 360-month example; it is not a universal divisor.
Sources checked: October 16, 2026. The references explain the choice of illustrative periods; they do not imply endorsement, a lender relationship or that these programs are interchangeable.
Suggested citation: SV Mortgage Group. (2026). SV Mortgage Group Asset Depletion Scenario Comparison (Version 1.0). Dataset ID: SV-ADSC-1.0. Use this dataset section as the citation destination.
© 2026 SV Mortgage Group. All rights reserved in the original dataset compilation and explanatory material. Third-party guidelines and common mathematical formulas remain attributed to their sources.
Experienced Guidance for Your Asset-Based Mortgage
Your financial position involves more than a paycheck or an account balance. SV Mortgage Group helps California borrowers explore asset-based mortgage options through multiple lending sources. If another lender has declined your application, we start by understanding the obstacle and whether a different approach is worth pursuing.
Shane Valente brings more than 20 years of mortgage experience to each review, with guidance shaped around your assets, income, property and financing goals.
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A Review Built Around Your Situation
Discuss your available assets, income sources and plans before narrowing the search to programs that match your circumstances.
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Access to Multiple Lending Approaches
Compare relevant asset-depletion and asset-qualifier options, including differences in eligible accounts, calculation methods, costs and loan terms.
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Clear Guidance Through the Next Steps
Know which account records to prepare, why additional information may be requested and which conditions remain before your loan can close.
Asset-Based Mortgages in Santa Cruz, Carmel & Monterey
From our Santa Cruz and Carmel offices, SV Mortgage Group helps borrowers in Monterey, the Bay Area and throughout California explore asset-based mortgage options. Discuss your savings, investments and purchase or refinance plans with a local mortgage broker.
Local Offices In
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Carmel Office
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More Questions About Asset-Based Mortgages
Wondering whether you need to sell investments, how retirement accounts are reviewed or which documents to prepare? These answers cover additional details for your California purchase or refinance.
Not necessarily. Some programs use eligible investment balances to calculate a qualifying amount without requiring you to sell the entire portfolio. The calculation itself does not mean you must withdraw that amount each month.
You still need available funds for closing. Ask whether the specific program requires any liquidation, account transfer or pledge of assets before moving money or selling investments.
Potentially. Eligibility depends on the program, your ownership of the account and your access to the funds. A lender may adjust the eligible balance for applicable withdrawal penalties or other program requirements.
Being below retirement age does not answer the question by itself. Provide the account type and distribution rules so the lender can review access restrictions and determine whether the funds can be considered.
Some programs allow eligible assets to supplement documented income, such as Social Security, a pension or employment earnings. Other programs use a different qualification structure or restrict which sources can be combined.
The lender must also avoid counting the same funds twice. If an account already provides income used to qualify, its balance may need different treatment in an asset-based calculation.
Some programs permit refinancing or financing a second home. Availability depends on the asset qualification method, property use and transaction. A program that allows a rate-and-term refinance may have different rules for cash-out refinancing, or may not permit it.
Tell us whether you want to change your loan terms, access equity or buy another home. For a rental property, DSCR financing may also be worth comparing when the property’s rental income supports qualification.
No. Asset depletion uses verified eligible assets to calculate a monthly qualifying amount. It still requires documentation and review, even when traditional employment income is not the basis for qualification. Our no-income-verification mortgage guide explains the broader documentation alternatives.
A pledged-asset arrangement involves assets committed as additional collateral. Using investments to qualify does not, by itself, mean they are pledged. Confirm the actual documentation, collateral and account-control terms of the proposed loan.
Start with recent account statements showing ownership, balances and holdings, plus information about access or withdrawal restrictions. The lender may also request records explaining recent deposits or transfers, existing debts and the property you plan to purchase or refinance.
If another lender declined your application, its explanation can help focus the review. SV Mortgage Group can clarify the records needed for your situation. Submit financial statements through the designated secure application or document-upload process.
Could Your Assets Support Your Next Mortgage?
Tell us about your savings, investments and purchase or refinance plans. SV Mortgage Group can help you explore asset-based mortgage options, understand how your accounts may be evaluated and identify the next steps for your situation.