Archive for Home Refinancing News
Emergency Homeowner Loan Program
Posted by: | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development just confirmed that they will be launching a new $1 billon mortgage relief program called the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program. The Obama administration has extended several mortgage bail-out programs for distressed homeowners like the Home Affordable Refinance Program, but very few borrowers were able to qualify for this relief measure that enabled homeowners that had mortgages owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the ability to refinance their under-water loans up to 125% loan to value.
Bill Apgar, HUD Senior Advisor for Mortgage Finance said today, “HUD’s new Emergency Homeowner Loan Program will build on Treasury’s Hardest Hit initiative by targeting assistance to struggling unemployed homeowners in other hard hit areas to help them avoid preventable foreclosures.” Apgar continued, “Together, these initiatives represent a combined $3 billion investment that will ultimately impact a broad group of struggling borrowers across the country and in doing so further contribute to the Administration’s efforts to stabilize housing markets and communities across the country.”
Emergency Homeowner Loan Program to Help Refinancing Under-Water Mortgages
The Obama Administration today announced additional support to help homeowners struggling with unemployment through two targeted foreclosure-prevention programs. Through the existing Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will make $2 billion of additional assistance available for FHA programs for homeowners unable to qualify for mortgage refinancing as well as struggling to make their home loan payments due to unemployment.
The Emergency Homeowner Loan Program will offer loan relief and assistance for up to 24 months to homeowners to struggling homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure. This finance relief program is targeting homeowners who have experienced a significant reduction in income due to involuntary unemployment, underemployment, or a medical condition. “We remain committed to helping struggling homeowners, and this program will provide additional assistance to states hit hardest by unemployment,” said Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Herb Allison. “This is part of the Administration’s comprehensive housing policy that has helped to stabilize a fragile housing market and allows responsible homeowners the chance to reduce their monthly mortgage payments to affordable levels.”
HUD extended the homeowner assistance and the mortgage relief will be in the form of a deferred payment also known as a bridge loan which can be used to help get a mortgage, taxes and insurance payment current. HUD has stated that the Emergency Homeowner Loan can assist struggling borrowers for up to 24 months. The loan relief funds will be provided under the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program and will be set aside for the individual states and Puerto Rico based on each states proportional share of national unemployment measures as applied to homeowners.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the program a household must have had an income, prior to the event which caused the delinquency, equal to or less than 120% of the Area Median Income and a post-event decrease in income of at least 15%. The homeowners must be at least 3 months delinquent on home loan payments on their principal home and have either received a foreclosure notice or be able to self-certify to the likelihood that they will default on their mortgage due to the delinquency.
President Obama first announced the Hardest Hit Fund in February 2010 to allow states hit hard by the economic downturn flexibility in determining how to design and implement programs to meet the local challenges homeowners in their state are facing. Under the additional assistance announced today, states eligible to receive support have all experienced an unemployment rate at or above the national average over the past 12 months. Each state will use the funds for targeted unemployment programs that provide temporary assistance to eligible homeowners to help them pay their mortgage loan while they seek re-employment, additional employment or undertake job training. States that do not currently have Hardest Hit Fund unemployment programs must submit proposals to Treasury by September 1, 2010 that, within established loan guidelines, meet the distinct needs of their state.
FHA Mortgage Refinance Solutions
Posted by: | CommentsMortgage interest rates have dropped to record lows for three weeks in a row. Unfortunately the benefits of low home loan rates are not able to be realized by a high percentage of homeowners because they do not meet the current mortgage refinance requirements. For the most part, today borrowers need higher credit scores and more home equity. For borrowers who have the credit but not enough equity, Mortgage Refinancing Buzz recommends considering a FHA refinance loan. Many borrowers are migrating from a conventional mortgage to an FHA mortgage, because the conventional guidelines restrict rate and term refinancing between 80 and 90%. FHA loans do have a small mortgage insurance payment in addition to the mortgage payment, but FHA mortgage rates are just as low as the conventional rates.
FHA Mortgage Rates Are Prime for Mortgage Refinancing
FHA loan programs remain more flexible than conforming home loans because the conventional guidelines have been tightened significantly more for borrowers seeking low rate mortgage refinancing solutions. FHA approves mortgage refinancing of up to 97.5% loan-to-value for qualified borrowers. With FHA refinancing, borrowers must always document their income, but these days’ conventional loan programs have eliminated stated income and no income refinancing programs any way.
Top 5 Mortgage Refinance Loans in 2010
Posted by: | Comments2010 has been an interesting year for mortgage refinancing for both homeowners and lending professionals. Qualifying for a refinance loan has certainly been an easier process in years past. Since the subprime mortgage crash of 2006, the mortgage industry has transformed mortgage refinance programs to reduce risk and decrease foreclosure rates.
Mortgage refinance rates are at record lows and homeowners that do qualify can benefit from a fixed rate mortgage that will reduce their monthly payment and eliminate years of compounding interest. There is also an opportunity for millions of homeowners to escape the fear of their adjustable rate home loans. Al Pereida, the branch manager for iServe Lending in Irvine, California said, “Homeowners should not pass up these opportunities to lock in fixed rate mortgages below 5%.”
Listed below are the Top 5 Mortgage Refinance Loans in 2010:
1. FHA Refinance Loan – This is the most common refinance loan for homeowners this year, because FHA doesn’t require much equity and the credit score requirements are not as stringent as conventional lending guidelines. Low credit scores and lack of equity are the biggest obstacles for homeowners in this market.
2. VA Streamline Refinance – This is the most cost effective refinance loan available this year, but you must have VA loan eligibility. The VA refinance overlooks the lack of equity because there is no appraisal needed for the VA streamline program.
3. No Cost Mortgage Refinance – Refinancing into a low rate mortgage with no points and no fees is a great option for borrowers with good credit scores and worthy income documentation.
4. Loan Modification – This is technically not a refinance loan, but it accomplishes the same goal of achieving a lower monthly payment. Millions of distressed homeowners find themselves being rejected by lenders because they do not meet the tighter mortgage refinance guidelines.
5. Cash Out Refinance – Home equity loans have nearly vanished so the cash out refinance has remained a popular choice for home improvement financing and debt consolidation. FHA refinance loans allow 85% cash out. VA refinancing guidelines allow 90% cash out and most conventional lenders limit cash out to 80%.
Best Mortgage Refinance Programs
Posted by: | Comments2010 has been a great year for mortgage refinance rates! Sure lenders and banks have tightened their guidelines but home refinancing rates have fallen to record lows. If you qualify you will be rewarded with a lower mortgage rate, a reduced monthly payment and better fixed rate terms. If you need a stated income refinance, chances are you will need to wait for lenders to release new refinance programs.
Below, we listed the best mortgage refinance loans so you can have a better idea on what is out there before you begin shopping lenders online:
FHA Mortgage Refinance – The most popular refinance loan this year because it is flexible with credit and not much equity is required. The FHA streamline does not allow you to finance closing costs anymore, so we suggest sticking with the traditional FHA refinance loan because rates are available below 5% with no pre-payment penalties. FHA allows cash out to 85% loan-to-value.
Conventional Refinance – This is a great refinance loan for borrowers with credit scores above 700 and at least 20% home equity. There is no private mortgage insurance like FHA loans, so you will get the best of both worlds. Most conventional lenders will allow cash refinancing to 80% LTV.
VA Mortgage Refinance – If you are active in the Military or a retired veteran you will love the VA refinance opportunities. VA offers the VA streamline refinance that allows borrowers who already have a VA mortgage to refinance with reduced lending fees. No appraisal is required, so you save money and do not need to have any equity. No other lending program allows you to go above 100% loan to value and required no appraisal. VA enables cash out refinancing to 90%. The VA mortgage refinance program will even allow you to skip a payment.
Whichever mortgage refinance loan you choose, know that you are locking into the lowest fixed rates seen in a generation. Contact Nationwide for a free rate quote and refinance analysis with no obligation.
30-Year Fixed Rate Home Loans and 5-year ARMs Fall to Record Low
Posted by: | CommentsInterest rates on fixed rate 30-year home loans for refinance or purchase officially hit record lows today! On Thursday, Freddie Mac released their report that also indicated the 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage dropped to record lows this week acccording to the survey of conforming mortgage rates. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage reported averages of 4.69% for the week ending June 24th. This was lower than the low rates of 4.75% from the previous week and 5.42% a year ago. Fifteen-year fixed rate mortgage loans averaged 4.13%, down from 4.20% last week and 4.87% a year ago. The 10-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen to 3.75% and 3.875% on the no cost mortgage option.
VA home loans are still available at record low rates as well. If you already have a VA mortgage and want a lower rate talk to one of our VA lenders about qualifying for the VA streamline.
Freddie Mac Says Lowest Fixed 30 Year Mortgage Loans Since They Began Recording Rates in 1971
Conventional and FHA mortgage lenders reported averages of the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.84% this week, down from 3.89% last week and 4.99% a year ago.
One-year Treasury-indexed ARMs averaged 3.77%, down from 3.82% last week and 4.93% a year ago. While not a record, this is the lowest the ARM has been since the week ending May 6, 2004, when it averaged 3.76%.
To lock into these home mortgage rates, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and both ARMs required payment of an average 0.7 point and the 15-year fixed rate mortgage required an average 0.6 point. A point is 1% of the home loan amount, charged as prepaid interest. According to Frank Nothaft of Freddie Mac “Mortgage rates for all but traditional 1-year ARMs hit all-time record lows this week in our survey while activity in the housing market slowed in May following the expiration of the home-buyer tax credit”. “Freddie Mac began collecting rates for 30-year fixed loans in April 1971, 15-year fixed home loans in September 1991 and 5-year ARMs in January 2005.”
Is Mortgage Refinancing the Best Way to Consolidate Debt?
Posted by: | CommentsHomeowners seem to have the ability to accumulate more debt than non-homeowners. Maybe it’s because typically their housing expenses are greater than non-homeowners or maybe it’s because homeowners have been leveraging the debt with tax deductible mortgage refinancing for the last few decades. Credit card debt is the most common debt that homeowner look to refinance by they also like to refinance home equity credit lines, automobile loans and existing second mortgage loans. If the borrower has the ability to make their mortgage payments on time, then we recommend refinancing a large amount of debt if doing so doesn’t increase the interest rate of your first mortgage. If your job or income is unstable then we would likely not advise you to use your home as collateral for a loan you may not be able to pay back.
Second mortgage refinancing would be less of risk in this case, because 2nd mortgage lenders can rarely foreclose on a home if the borrower is current with their first mortgage. Home equity loans can also be used as a debt consolidation loan. All of these types of loans are considered cash out refinance loans and this form of financing is used as a vehicle for homeowners to consolidate debt and lower their monthly payments.
Before utilizing the cash out refinancing features, homeowner should consider the pros and cons of leveraging their debt with a secure mortgage loan that uses their homes equity to pay off debt. Debt consolidation refinancing can offer many benefits, but you should evaluate your financial goals before committing to another mortgage.
Mortgage Refinance Tips to Maximize Low Rates
Posted by: | CommentsMortgage refinance guidelines tightened this year, so many homeowners are being rejected by their lender for refinancing. Just when you think that you have seen the lowest mortgage rates ever, the interest rates get even lower. Most mortgage executives have indicated they believe the low rates won’t last and that mortgage rates will begin to rise again in 2011. With that being said, it is important to qualify for a mortgage refinance loan, now while the rates for home refinancing are so favorable. Nationwide loan officers provide mortgage refinancing tips at no cost.
Looking for an Affordable Home Refinancing Solution Online?
We outlined the top 3 mortgage refinancing benefits:
1. When refinancing, your new loan should have a mortgage refinance rate at least .5 percentage points less than your present interest rate.
Years ago most financial advisors had recommended mortgage refinancing if you could get a mortgage rate at least 1 percentage point less than your current mortgage. Well, the rules have changed, because refinance rates in recent years have been at historical lows, so a half point drop makes up a larger percentage of your existing rate.
2. Typically most people refinance into the same type of home loan they started, simply because they do not know any better. That can be a financial blunder that could cost the borrower thousands of dollars a year. If you are a few years into a thirty-year mortgage, don’t just refinance into a new mortgage because you save a little bit of money with a reduced mortgage interest rate. The new mortgage could be stretching out your payments over several more years, so you might not really be saving money. For example, let’s say you only have twenty years left on your existing home mortgage. If you can refinance into a thirty-year home loan you would be adding ten years to your existing mortgage loan. If you have the option to qualify for a no cost loans we recommend that you seize the opportunity.
3. Closing costs and lender fees should be recovered within the first 3-5 years or less. Closing costs factors should be considered before signing the paperwork need to close a loan. You’ve got to make sure the proposed mortgage rate makes sense on paper financially. Don’t assume that the closing costs are justified. Many home refinance loans will see closing costs in the $5,000 to $10,000 range and some have even higher lender fees.
