Connecticut Conventional Loan — 2026 Requirements, Limits and Down Payments

The minimum credit score for a Connecticut conventional loan is 620, but your rate is heavily influenced by where your score lands. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac price conventional loans in tiers — a 760 or higher score receives materially better pricing than 680, which beats 620 by a meaningful margin. Unlike FHA’s flat upfront MIP, conventional pricing rewards stronger borrowers directly through the rate. If your score is between 620 and 659, even a 20-point gain can shift your rate noticeably before you lock. We pull all three bureaus and show you the impact before you commit.

The maximum debt-to-income ratio for a Connecticut conventional loan is 49.99%. This includes every monthly obligation on your credit report — the proposed housing payment (PITIA), car loans, student loans, credit card minimums — divided by your gross monthly income. DTIs above 49.99% do not qualify. Between 47% and 49.99%, a credit score of 700 or above with twelve months of cash reserves usually closes the file. See our Connecticut mortgage rates page to model your payment before running your numbers.

If your down payment is less than 20%, a Connecticut conventional loan requires PMI. Unlike FHA MIP, which stays for the life of the loan when you put down less than 10%, conventional PMI is canceled once your loan balance drops to 80% of the original purchase price — through scheduled payments or an appreciation-based reappraisal. There is no upfront PMI premium added at closing. Monthly PMI rates range from 0.15% to 1.5% annually depending on credit score and LTV. Visit our Connecticut cash-out refinance page if you have equity and want to eliminate PMI now.

The 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750 for a single-family home across six of Connecticut’s nine planning regions — most of the state, including the Hartford and New Haven areas. Greater Bridgeport and Western Connecticut, which take in the Fairfield County towns and Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk and Westport among them, are the high-cost pair at a 2026 conforming high-balance limit of $977,500. Naugatuck Valley sits in between at $851,000. Loans above the standard conforming limit but within the high-balance limit are sometimes called “conforming high-balance” or “agency jumbo” — they still follow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines. Loans above $977,500 require true jumbo financing. According to Fannie Mae’s loan limits page, limits update each November and take effect January 1.