General Information On Private Mortgage Insurance By Tabitha Naylor

What is PMI?

PMI, or private mortgage insurance, is an insurance policy that home buyers are required to purchase if their down payment is low. It is usually required of home buyers whose down payment is 20 percent or less of the property’s sale price or appraised value. This insurance was created by private mortgage insurers to provide protection for the lender in the event that the home buyer should default on the loan.

Private mortgage insurance has helped millions of people purchase homes, since people are able to purchase homes with smaller down payments than had previously been accepted. As home prices continue to soar, the ability to purchase a home with a small down payment has become even more important. PMI allows potential homeowners to purchase homes sooner, with as low as a 5 percent down payment. Also, it can help an individual qualify for a variety of mortgages.

The cost of private mortgage insurance varies according to the down payment and mortgage loan, but it typically equals approximately one half of one percent of the total amount of the loan. So, how exactly is it calculated? Let’s assume you purchased a home for $100,000, and you put $10,000 as your down payment. Your lender will multiply the remaining 90 percent by .005 percent. The result, $450, is your insurance premium, which is divided into monthly payments.

After a few years of paying on your mortgage balance, you should be in a position to stop making payments towards the premium. Keep track of your payments and contact your lender when you reach 80 percent equity, so that the policy can be cancelled. In 1999, a new law, the Homeowner’s Protection Act, was passed. This act requires lenders to notify you, the buyer, how many months and years it will take to pay off twenty percent of your principal. It is still a good idea to keep track of it on your own, however.

This same law also allows lenders to force certain buyers continue their PMI payments, all the way to 50 percent equity. This requirement applies to buyers classified as high risk borrowers. Some Federal Housing Administration loans may even require that home buyers acquire private mortgage insurance through the lifetime of the loan.

If the idea of paying for this type of insurance for years sounds unappealing, you’re not alone. Over the years, new ways of avoiding these payments—even when you don’t have the 20 percent down payment available—have emerged. One strategy commonly employed is to pay a higher interest rate on your mortgage. Some lenders will waive the private mortgage insurance requirement if the home buyer agrees to pay a higher interest rate. One advantage to this strategy is that mortgage interest becomes tax deductible, where the insurance premium is not.

Another way to avoid paying PMI is by using the ’80-10-10’ loan strategy. This strategy involves taking on two loans and putting down a 10 percent down payment to purchase a home. One loan finances 80 percent of the mortgage, while the second loan finances the remaining 10 percent of the sales price. The second mortgage—the one that covers the 10 percent—has a higher interest rate. But since the amount of the loan is low, the interest charges are relatively easy to pay off. Under this plan, the mortgage interest is also tax deductible.

Thankfully, you may also be able to cancel your private mortgage insurance if you can prove that your home has increased significantly in value. If the value of your home has increased, you may already have 20 percent (or more) of the equity you need to cancel the policy. You can submit evidence of this to your lender, but the process is slow. Expect to wait up to two years for the lender to make a decision.

If you have a poor payment history, or if your credit record reflects any liens placed against your property, there is the possibility that your lender will continue to enforce your PMI insurance policy. You should speak to your lender to see how any changes in your credit record may affect the policy.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=68067&ca=Finances

Fico: Your Personal Financial Score Card By Tabitha Naylor

The 5 Percentage Breakdowns

Those looking to secure a loan learn very early how important a credit score really is. It can determine whether or not a lending institution approves your loan application. Furthermore, your credit score influences the interest rate offered to you by a bank or other lending organization.

Put simply, a credit score is a number assigned to you based on an analysis of your credit history. All of your credit history is entered into a computer. The computer analyzes this information and then assigns a number. The major credit ranking agencies do not use the same software, so you might be assigned a slightly different number from each of them. Credit scores are sometimes referred to as FICO scores. This is because Fair Isaac Corporation developed the software most commonly used to determine credit scores.

So, what aspects of your credit history matter most when your FICO score is calculated? Different factors are assigned different percentages in the calculation of your overall scores. Your payment history, amounts owed, and the types of credit you have are all factors in your personal credit score. Here is an approximate percentage breakdown:

Payment History

Records of amounts and schedules of payments (including late payments) account for 35%. Lending companies see the length of time you’ve been past due as well, as the amount of time since you had a past due payment.

Amounts You Owe

Any loans or debts you have outstanding counts as 30% of your score. Lending companies have a chance to see how many accounts you owe money to and what balances you currently owe. They also review your credit lines for indications that you might currently be overextended.

Length of History

This area accounts for 15%. Mortgage lenders review how long your accounts have been open, and how much time has passed since there was activity in your accounts. The longer and better your credit history, the better your scores will be in this area.

Types of Credit

The number and types of accounts you have makes up 10% of your FICO score. You will receive a better score is there is a variety of account types, as opposed to just credit card accounts.

New Credit

This area is also worth 10% of your credit score. Under this heading, mortgage companies see the number of new credit inquiries you have made and the number of accounts you have recently opened. Banks and lending institutions want to ensure that you are not trying to open a lot of accounts at the same time, thereby overextending yourself and your financial obligations.

Now you might be wondering, what is considered a good score?

Credit scores usually fall between 350 and 850. The higher your score the better, since the higher your score is, the less of a risk you are perceived to be. Banks and other lending institutions feel they are more likely to get their money back from people with high FICO scores because these types of people have a good history of managing and meeting their financial obligations. The less of a risk you appear to be, the more likely you are to have your loan application approved.

So, for those with less than perfect credit scores, you might be wondering what you can do to improve your score? It takes time, of course, but it’s never too late to start practicing proper financial management strategies. Make sure you pay your bills on time and keep your credit card balances low. Also, try to avoid opening a lot of new accounts in a short period of time, since this can alter your score under the new credit heading. Mortgage companies are looking for people who are able to successfully manage their financial matters, so it takes time to make a favorable impression, especially if your current credit scores are poor.

You also want to take a close look at the information on your credit report and ensure that it is up-to-date and accurate. If the credit agencies have incorrect information, your FICO score is most likely incorrect.

Credit and debt can be difficult for anyone to handle, but you need to remember that it is not only the amount of debt you have that influences your credit scores, but also the manner in which you manage it.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=68068&ca=Finances

What To Do When You Are Turned Down For A Loan By Tabitha Naylor

Often, when your lender scrutinizes your loan application, and it is turned down for one reason or another, it is very distressing and discouraging. If this happens, you need to understand just why the decision was taken, and do what is necessary to remedy the situation. The causes for rejection listed below will help you understand why mortgage applications are declined.

Causes for rejection:

1. The appraised value is far too low: Your lender perhaps found the ratio of the loan amount to the sale price or the appraised value of the property to be substantially lower than the purchase price or loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. Or perhaps the LTV is higher than your lender is allowed to approve. Or, perhaps you have applied for 90-100% of the purchase price, as new the loan amount. A low appraisal will then make your loan request far too large.

If the seller’s price of the property far outstrips the prevailing rates in your locality, you would be best advised to renegotiate the price with him so that it conforms to the prices in the area. It should also be one which your lender would not refuse in order to pass your loan request. If this can’t be done, it might be a better idea to accept a smaller loan amount, and pay the balance from your personal funds.

2. Insufficient funds: When your lender goes through your financial information and your verification of deposits, he (or she) might find that you do not have enough funds to make the necessary down payment and cover closing costs. Even if these funds do not come from a loan, a gift could go a long way. Alternatively, you could ask the seller to take back a second mortgage on the property. This would help lower your down payment. Alternatively, you could get the seller to pay some of the closing costs. All these things could easily help your situation. Not to mention, each would help you buy more time, which would allow you to save more money.

3. Do you have insufficient income? Lenders will refuse your loan application if they find that the mortgage payment on your property exceeds approximately 28 percent of your monthly gross income. In addition, if your total debt, including mortgage payments and other installments reporting on credit, exceed 50 per cent, you stand to be refused. The figures are higher for FHA loans. But the situation can improve for you if your credit card record is good and you can prove that you already are carrying a huge household expense, including rent or mortgage payments. This is primarily the reason why it is highly recommended to be as accurate as possible when disclosing income and expenses on your initial application.

4. Up to your eyes in debt: Often, lenders don’t reject applications solely because of the amount of debt someone carries. Most of the time, loan applications are rejected due to excessive amounts of credit cards and other revolving credit accounts, which show histories of rising account balances that come close to the limit prescribed. Such information is detrimental if you are out to prove your creditworthiness. To remedy the situation, you will need to pay off as many of your debts as possible and then reapply for a loan.

5. Poor credit history: What can be more devastating than to have your loan request turned down due to a history of poor debt repayment habits? If your lender sees that you have a history of making late payments often, owing outstanding amounts to the bank, or insolvency, he/she is hardly likely to pass a loan application for the purchase of property. Your lender is surely not going to be tolerant of a bad credit record. Even if you have had a low loan-to-value ratio on past accounts, and you have low debt ratios, you cannot wipe out a history of poor credit.

Rejection is not the end of the world: Just because a lender rejects your loan application doesn’t mean you can never own property in your life. You can take corrective steps to improve your chances of acceptance. But, if you work diligently, you will iron out the wrinkles. The key is to find out why your loan application was rejected, and work towards correcting the issues.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=68054&ca=Finances

Balloon Mortgages? Are They For You? By Tabitha Naylor

Contrary to popular belief, mortgages are meant to fit into one’s life either for better or worse. Before locking yourself into a certain type of loan, it is best to know what qualifies you for the loan, and more importantly, what the regulations are on receiving this money. One of the most misunderstood types of mortgages is known as a balloon loan.

In simple terms, a balloon payment is one where there is a large, lump sum payment due at the end of a series of smaller periodic payments. These are usually included in loans or leases at the end of the term in which you are paying them for. Most balloon payments are taken when refinancing or when one is expecting an increase in cash from something such as inherited money, a large tax refund, or expected dividend. There are several different advantages and fall backs to balloon payments. Depending on the type of loan that you need and how you wish to pay this loan off, balloon payments may or may not be the right choice in taking out a loan.

The first advantage to this type of benefit is that the down payment will often be lower than it would normally be. Another advantage is that balloon payments often come with lower interest payments, which causes little capital outlay. If you choose this loan, you will be able to have more flexibility to advance capital during the loan. A third benefit is that the monthly payments will be lower than they would if you didn’t have a balloon payment. It is also possible to convert a balloon payment into smaller payments at any time during your loan if the money that you may receive is not going to come through. It is important to make sure that this is an option before you begin a balloon payment. Another benefit to balloon payments is that the interest rate will not adjust when rates go up on a national level. Once the first rate is set, it will stay in that category.

One of the problems with a balloon payment is that the payment at the end will be fairly large. You will have to be careful to decide on whether to make an investment if you do not know if there will be money coming in at a certain time. Another disadvantage is that the refinancing cost could become a larger challenge and cost more than expected in the end. If the interest rates increase while you are in a balloon payment, you will end up paying additional costs when wanting to refinance at the end. If rates rise more than five percent above the balloon interest rate that you began with, you will have to re-qualify for a loan and have your home reappraised. This will end up costing you more money in the end than you were trying to save. This is risky because of the fluctuation that happens with rates on a consistent basis. If you catch things at the wrong time, you will have to start the process of taking out a loan from the very beginning, which will end up costing more.

Before getting a balloon investment it is important to check on a number of factors, including the interest rate which you will start out with, when you will owe the balance, the refinance options available, whether you will be able to change your balloon payment to a regular payment and whether you will have to re-qualify for a mortgage when the final payments are due. If you get into a balloon payment, it is important to know that you will be able to get the fixed amount by the time the final balance will be due. It is also important to look into what will happen after this payment is due so that you don’t get caught in an endless cycle of having to take out loans for your home. If these factors will fit, then the disadvantages will be of no importance.

In my professional opinion, a balloon mortgage is suitable for you if you know that you will have end money, are looking for lower interest rate,s or know that you will be in the home for a defined period of time. If these factors don’t fit, or it seems like a risk to get into a balloon payment, than other mortgage and loan options are better to look into.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=67081&ca=Finances