Despite allowing a minimum credit score beneath the 600 floor set by the government, Genworth's Credit Assist and AIG's Equity assist programs are still being offered. 

How?  It's made possible by the government's new 3% "exception basket" rule. That means lenders can allow up to 3% of their high-ratio loans to have credit scores under 600 if warranted. 

This rule was implemented because good repayment can still be expected from a percentage of borrowers with sub-600 credit. 

Nonetheless, as one source told us, few "A" lenders are currently lending where the credit score is below 580.