Q. My fiance and I bought a house just seven months ago. Both names are on the mortgage. If I want to keep the house and he is willing to just leave it to me can this be done? Will he just simply need to take his name off the loan and it is mine to pay? Will the bank run another credit check to see if I am worthy of this loan on my own? I have a lower credit score than he did -- I think it was like 634. He also makes $70,000 a year and I make $44,000. I can make the payments because I have a roommate lined up and will be paying off a car and a credit card bill before he leaves.

A. Your bank will not allow your fiance to simply take his name off the mortgage. His income and credit score were a big reason that loan was approved, and it will not allow him to walk away from the obligation. And as long as his name is on the mortgage, he is still responsible for payments if you should miss one or even if you were late with a payment. The only way to get his name off the mortgage is to refinance into your name only.

You are right to assume the bank will check your credit score and your income before allowing you to refinance. You didn't say how much you paid for the house, but we suspect that your income won't be enough to qualify for a loan all on your own, especially with your below-average credit score.

We would suggest that if you can delay refinancing until you pay off your auto loan and credit card bills and get a roommate (preferably with a rental agreement or lease so that you can count the rent as income), you might be in better position to get the house refinanced. But try to hold off on this as long as you can and get rid of your debt.

If you can get refinanced, you may have to pay a substantially higher interest rate, which could be a problem. Mortgage rates are all about risk, and having the mortgage in your name only is a bigger risk to the lender than having two names on the mortgage.

As a last resort, you might have to sell the house and share the equity in proportion to your investment or whatever other agreement you have worked out.

We wish we could offer more positive solutions, but without knowing the cost of the house and other factors, it appears that your options are limited.