You might wonder whether a mortgage lender places more weight on one applicant’s financial profile than the co-applicant’s. After all, couples who apply for a home loan together often have incomes that differ. When evaluating borrowers for a joint mortgage, the lender cares less about who is listed first, and more about the sum of the applicants’ earnings and debts. In general, the lender evaluates the application the way the applicants submit it, without regard to whose name is listed first.