Mortgage lenders loosened their mortgage credit standards in October, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MBA’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index rose to 186.7, up 2.5% from 182.1 in September and 181 in October 2017. That index reading indicates that there is now more mortgage credit available than at any time since the housing market crashed back in 2008. Lenders appear to be making credit standards slightly more attainable in order to accommodate increased demand among first-time home buyers in Utah.