Oct. 11--Credit standards have been tightening a bit, but not extensively, for some home loan borrowers based on standards being set at the national level, Tulsa-area bankers say.

That means if you are seeking a conventional home loan, you might have to make a higher down payment or have a higher credit score.

Oklahoma bankers emphasize, however, that money is available and loans are being made.

Many of the underwriting techniques and criteria that were in place before are still in place today. Banks in Oklahoma and the Midwest didn't get as innovative or "out there" in their lending practices as some did in other parts of the United States, so the state's banking industry remains healthy, said Ron Reiser, president of RCB Bank.

Lending standards for home loans have tightened somewhat over the last six months for long-term, fixed rate loans that are sold into the secondary market, said Reiser.

Those standards set by the secondary market probably will continue to tighten until the financial mess is over, said Carl Hudgins, chairman and CEO of Commerce Bank.

Commerce Bank applies the same lending standards to mortgage

loans it keeps. Standards have tightened, however, for those loans it sells into the secondary market, which includes entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or Citibank and some larger banks.

"If we think we're going to package and sell them into secondary market, then we have to sell according to the standards of that market," Hudgins said.

Home buyers, for instance, might have to provide extra documentation such as W-2 forms.

When it comes to credit scores, every institution sets its own minimum requirement, Hudgins said. Although credit score requirements have gotten a little tighter, borrowers with scores in the mid-600s or better should qualify for home loans, bankers said.

Borrowers should be prepared to make at least a 5 percent to 10 percent down payment on conventional home loans, they said.

Borrowers who qualify for FHA loans, which are guaranteed by the government, can put about 3 percent down on their home loan. The maximum amount that can be loaned under FHA is $271,000, Hudgins said.

It is always best if borrowers can make a 20 percent down payment on their home loan because it opens more options and is a financial advantage, Reiser said. Borrowers can get better terms and avoid paying for private mortgage insurance, for example.

"From our standpoint, we haven't changed a whole lot. We are still looking at things in a traditional way.