Is money getting tighter? Do you need higher credit scores?

I've heard lately that credit is getting tougher to get. Even if your scores are in the 800's. However, I'm trying to figure out if this is for stuff like department store credit, or if it's actually affecting mortgage lenders.

I did a little checking around and here's a excerpt from the website of one of my lenders, R. Cavendar of Simplified Mortgage Solutions at: http://www.simplifiedmortgagellc.com/RCsBlog. Check out his blog!

 Here's the truth.

1. Mortgages are available, yes even to folks with 500-something fico's.
2. You can still get excellent rates on conventional, FHA, and VA mortgages.
3. There's no shortage of mortgage money for the qualified buyer or refinancer.
4. The stupid stuff - option arms, subprime, etc. is gone - good riddance.
5. High ratio, low down payment loans are still readily available, no - you don't need 20% down to buy a house.
6. Fannie and Freddie are alive and well and doing business.  Lots of business.  The worst of the excess they created will be flushed and we'll have stronger agencies in the secondary market than we've had for years.
7. Congress will pass something within the next week to restore confidence in the financial markets - and when everyone understands that the sky is not falling, at least not this time, our friends in the media will move on to the next topic like nothing ever happened - because their paychecks don't depend on whether or not there's any activity in the Colorado Springs real estate market.
8. If you continue to listen to these lying drama queens and do nothing relative to your housing needs out of fear, you may just miss the best opportunity to buy a home at these prices that you'll see in this lifetime.  Really.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could like just send them a bill for the business that like vanished because of the fear they like created?

R. Cavendar from R C's Blog