Now is a Great Time to Eliminate Mortage Insurance!
Is It Time to Cancel the Mortgage Insurance?
Mortgage insurance benefits the lender if a borrower with less than a 20% down payment defaults on their loan. Most conventional mortgages greater than 80% and all FHA loans require the borrower to have this coverage.
Private mortgage insurance on conventional loans can range from 0.5% to 2.25% based on the loan-to-value and the credit worthiness of the borrower. A $350,000 mortgage would have a monthly mortgage insurance premium of $146 a month at the low-end of the scale and over $600 on the high-end.
You may request that your mortgage servicer cancel the PMI when the principal balance reaches 80% of the original value at the time the loan was made. You should have received a PMI disclosure form when you signed the mortgage documents stating the date. If you have made additional principal contributions, it will accelerate the date.
Other criteria considered to cancel the PMI on your loan is:
- The request must be in writing.
- You must be current on your payments with a good payment history.
- The lender may ask that you certify there are no junior liens in effect.
- If the lender is concerned that the value has declined, an appraisal may be required to show that it is eligible.
Conventional loans are supposed to remove the mortgage insurance when the unpaid balance is 78% of the original purchase price.
Another possibility is that the lender/servicer must end the PMI the month after you reach the midpoint of your loan’s amortization schedule. For a 30-year loan, it would be after the 180th payment was paid. The borrower must be current on the payments for the termination to occur.
With the rapid appreciation that many homes have enjoyed in recent years, homeowners may be able to refinance their home and if the new mortgage amount is less than 80% of the current appraised value, no mortgage insurance would be required.
The owner would incur the cost of refinancing but eliminate the cost of the mortgage insurance. To calculate the savings, subtract the new principal and interest payment from the old principal and interest with PMI. Then, divide the savings into the cost of refinancing to determine the number of months necessary to recapture the cost.
FHA loans have two types of mortgage insurance premium: up-front and monthly. For loans with FHA case numbers assigned on or after June 3 2013 with LTV% greater than 90%, the MIP will be paid for the entire term of the loan. If that is the case, refinancing on a conventional loan is the only way to eliminate the MIP. For loans with original LTV% less than 90%, the MIP is collected for 11 years until the balance is 78% of the original amount.
When buying a home, purchasers may not have enough resources for a large down payment. It is understandable to use the best mortgage available to buy the home. The next goal should be to manage the mortgage to lower the overall costs. In this article, we explored eliminating the private mortgage insurance, but let us know if would like any further information to determine what is the best course of action for you.
If you would like any professional residential Real Estate advice, contact us at Paramount Real Estate Services. 1008 12th St. SE Salem, OR 97302 503-851-1645
Also, to mobilize us right away to help you move, visit us here:
Mortgage Lenders
Good Decision for a Second Opinion
You’ve done your homework, contacted a mortgage company and believe you are pre-approved. That part of the process is finished and you can concentrate of finding a home and moving…or can you?
Pre-qualified and pre-approved are two different things but some people, including some in the business, use the terms interchangeably. Pre-qualified is an opinion of likelihood that a borrower will be approved based on preliminary information about their income and credit. Whereas, in a pre-approval, the borrower’s credit report is updated and pulled, income and assets verified and involves pre-underwriting.
Even when you have a highly qualified loan officer, the real decision maker is the underwriter who can commit the lender. Generally speaking, a person who has been pre-approved receives a written letter stating the terms and conditions of the commitment.
A second opinion from a different lender can be a comforting thing for a borrower. It will either confirm that the first lender was correct and that the rate and terms being offered are competitive or it will reveal that there could be differences that would warrant more investigation.
Mortgage money is a commodity and while competition usually keeps lenders close to each other in the rates and terms they offer, you won’t know for sure unless you shop around. The cost for being pre-approved is usually a nominal amount and when you are considering the size of the mortgage you’ll be borrowing for up to thirty years, it makes sense to get a second opinion.
Occasionally, during the process of being pre-approved, an unexpected credit problem may be discovered. It is better to learn about it early so you’ll have time to correct it before you have contracted on a home.
Your real estate professional, Team Paramount, will be able to recommend lenders who are active, experienced in the area and can share their experience with you regarding previous loans they have made. The benefits far exceed the time and effort it takes. You’ll be looking at the right priced homes; getting the best loan, rate and terms; have increased negotiating power with the Seller and can close quicker because many of the verifications have already been made.
If you would like any professional residential Real Estate advice, contact us at Paramount Real Estate Services. 1008 12th St. SE Salem, OR 97302 503-851-1645
Also, to mobilize us right away to help you move, visit us here: