In order to determine how big your loan North Florida can be, Jacksonville lending institutions and banks use numerous criteria to evaluate your situation. Some of the things they will probably look at are your gross monthly income, your credit history, amount of your outstanding debts, your savings, your choice of mortgage, and current investment rates. Lenders also use your financial information to determine two important ratios: the debt-to-income ratio and the housing expense ration. A lot of lenders say that the amount of debt you are paying each month should not exceed more than 36 % of your gross monthly income. This is called your debt-to-income ratio. The housing expense ratio says that it is difficult to obtain a loan if the mortgage payment will be more than 28 to 33 % of your gross monthly income.