755: The average FICO score for a conventional mortgage. Mortgage credit continues to loosen up, but getting a loan to buy a house is still difficult for the average American. This is especially true for people without top credit scores.

The average FICO score for a conventional mortgage – one that’s sold to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — was 755 in February, according to Ellie Mae’s latest mortgage origination report.

The average FICO score for FHA loans – which are backed by the government and attract buyers with lower credit in part because FHA loans require down payment as low as 3% – was 686.

The U.S. average FICO score was 711 in October 2013, the latest available data, so conventional mortgages remain difficult to get for most borrowers. A look at the distribution of credit scores shows why this is: Banks continue to avoid the worst borrowers like the plague.

The accompanying chart, from CoreLogic, shows the historical credit score distribution of purchase mortgages. As you can see, the largest losses have been among buyers in the lowest two tiers, and they aren’t budging much.