Whenever you get beyond 40 percent of debt-to-income, you're getting into deep trouble.

The key to eligibility is your "front end" debt-to-income ratio.

Lenders are also looking for a consistent monthly income in line with their usual debt-to-income standards.

It was less than a decade ago, in 2004, that the ratio of mortgage debt-to-income first crept above three times.

The mortgage debt-to-income ratios for first-time buyers have risen each the past four months.

Household debt-to-income ratios are now above 160pc, higher than in the UK.

There are no caps on loan-to-income or debt-to-income either.

Lenders' underwriters are applying the traditional mortgage debt-to-income ratios of 28/36.

Basing the loan on one spouse's income instead of two means the lender will see a higher debt-to-income ratio.

But Bartels cautions that lenders will consider other factors apart from your housing debt-to-income ratio.

The Ellie Mae data shows that successful mortgage borrowers have an average housing debt-to-income ratio that's even lower, at 24%.

The report points to "unnecessarily rigid down payment, debt-to-income, and credit score requirements" as one of the obstacles facing potential homebuyers today.

A lower rate lowers the monthly payment and there will be more people who can qualify based on that lower debt-to-income ratio.'

Household debt-to-income ratios skyrocketed during 2001-2007, but households cut debt and spending significantly during the financial crisis that began in 2007, Duke said.

It affects families with low debt-to-income and high debt-to-income families alike.

Aggregate household debt-to-income ratio and mortgage debt-servicing ratio.

Gillian Tett: US household debt-to-income ratios are now below Europe's.

The mortgage origination and underwriting process involves checking credit scores, debt-to-income, downpayments, and assets.

Recalibrating would mean returning to the responsible use of underwriting that is transparent and allows for a higher debt-to-income ratio with a higher down payment.

However, this slow growth should be viewed together with Australia's high household debt-to-income ratio, which the RBA has warned about.

Additional borrowings will result in the ratio of the interest-bearing debt-to-income rising to a peak of approximately 30% - but it will remain manageable.

For instance, a borrower can sue the bank if it can be shown that a loan didn't meet the basic debt-to-income requirements, and therefore wasn't considered qualified.

The reason: Borrowers increasingly are falsifying W-2s and other records to meet the tougher debt-to-income thresholds lenders adopted after the bust and recession.

Income revisions suggest Canada's much-fretted-about household debt-to-income measures may not be as lofty as previously reported, Mr. Porter said in a research note this week.

Other cities topping the list include Nashville, Tenn., Boston and Kansas City, Mo., all with credit card debt-to-income ratios below 12.1 percent.