Archive for Loan Article
Refinancing Second Mortgage Loans
Posted by: | CommentsIf you took out an equity line or second mortgage in the last five years, we recommend you refinance it while rates are so low. Home equity loans and HELOCs were pretty easy to get a few years ago, but with the credit crunch and subprime mortgage melt-down, 2nd mortgages have become tough to obtain and even more difficult to refinance unless you have enough equity to refinance it into your first mortgage.
A second mortgage provides you the ability to eliminate your variable rate 2nd mortgage into a fixed rate mortgage with more stable terms. In most cases, refinancing adjustable rate loans and HELOC’s will save you thousands of dollars a year in interest by converting the compounded interest to a simple interest loan. If you are considering mortgage refinancing and want to get cash out with a FHA mortgage that lets you to borrow up to 95% of LTV. Take advantage record low rates and refinance your second mortgage and enjoy the financial benefits.
Refinancing Adjustable Rate Home Equity Lines with a Fixed Rate Mortgage
Posted by: | CommentsAt the end of the mortgage day, we know that one way or another, your variable rate home equity line of credit is getting refinanced. For a few years, every time the Federal Reserve sneezed the interest rates tied to the Prime Rate would go up. Your fun loving home equity line of credit rates increased almost 4% between 2006 and 2008. Yes the equity line rates started to drop again in 2009 but we all know when Mr. Inflation arrives in 2010, that the adjustable rates will go through the roof. Now that you can admit your maxed out line of credit has lost its luster it time to consider some fixed rate mortgage refinancing options.
The fact that this HELOC once helped you avoid a down-payment and mortgage insurance has long been forgotten. You need to convert this out of control credit line into a fixed rate FHA refinance loan that guarantees simple interest and fixed terms for loan repayment. If you want a cash out refinance or have high interest equity loans and credit card with compounding interest, now is the time to consolidate your debt.
Mortgage Loan-Modification Plan Revised for Home Equity Loan Relief
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Many mortgage servicing companies have refused to modify second mortgages and many homeowners have defaulted on their home equity line of credit because their variable rate payments rose beyond their affordability. In a recent article Ruth Simon considers the implications for a new loan modification designed for second mortgage loans. The Obama administration announced new home loan guidelines for its foreclosure-prevention program aimed at offering mortgage relief for borrowers who have a high interest rate equity loan that they have been unable to refinance because of lack of equity or late payments since their second mortgage rate rose after becoming adjustable. Thousands of homeowners tried to qualify for mortgage rate refinancing that would roll their 1st and 2nd mortgages together into one affordable home loan payment.
The new mortgage loan modification program looked to address a critical component in its efforts to stem the foreclosure crisis. According to Credit Suisse Group nearly 50% of delinquent borrowers have equity home loans. Many mortgage executives complained to the administration a few months ago because their $75 billion mortgage bailout program had no plans to re-work equity loans in 2nd position. Investors, who include pension funds, insurance companies and hedge funds, say that rewriting the first mortgage without touching the second violates their rights, because second mortgages are supposed to be repaid second. Critics also pointed out that Obama’s first plan had a conflict of interest, because many mortgage loans are serviced by big banks that also hold home equity loans.
Under the revised home equity loan relief plan, mortgage-servicing companies that participate in the loan modification program for fixed second mortgage liens must automatically renegotiate the 2nd mortgage when the 1st mortgage was reworked. The US government will share in the cost of reducing the interest rate on second mortgages for five years. As an alternative, it will pay holders of home equity loans to relieve their unpaid debt.
Mortgage-servicing companies that modify second mortgages will receive an upfront payment of $500 and additional payments of $250 a year for up to three years for successful modifications of home-equity loans and other second mortgages. Homeowners who do not fall delinquent on the modified equity loan would receive payments of $250 a year for up to five years that would be used to pay down the balance of their first mortgage. The revised plan also encourages the use of the federal Hope for Homeowners program, which allows borrowers to refinance into a more affordable, government-backed loan, provided the investor who holds the mortgage agrees to a principal write-down.
Mortgage Refinancing Expanded Under Home Affordable Refinance Program
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to recent mortgage lending reports, the Obama administration eased eligibility rules Wednesday for its Home Affordable Refinance program, lifting the maximum loan-to-value ratio to 125% from 105. The shift, which regulators had hinted was coming, is aimed at making refinancing available to more people whose homes are worth less than their mortgage loans. Clearly under the President’s new mortgage relief program, more homeowners will be eligible to refinance their bad credit mortgages or high rate ARM’s that they can no longer afford. 125% mortgage refinancing could pave the road for a quicker recovery.
HARP is open to homeowners whose loans are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the mortgage financing giants now under government control. It covers 1st mortgages only. Second mortgage loans are not eligible for the Home Affordable Refinance Program. The mortgage refinance program, launched this year, has gotten off to a slow start, in part because the maximum 105% loan-to-value ratio was too low to include many homes that have fallen sharply in value. The new 125% maximum means an eligible homeowner with a $375,000 home loan can refinance if his or her house is worth at least $300,000. But the borrower still must be able to afford the new loan. Income requirements are an increasing problem as unemployment soars and many workers are dealt pay cuts.
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said the move to raise the loan-to-value limit was “a crucial step in our broader efforts to get America’s housing market and economy on the path to recovery.” But refinance activity in general remains vexed by the jump in mortgage rates from their generational lows in April. Refinance applications to lenders have tumbled since mid-May as rates have surged, according to Mortgage Bankers Assn. data released Wednesday. Despite a down-tick in rates in the last two weeks, refinancing activity hasn’t rebounded.
Home refinancing applications fell 30% last week from the previous week, to the lowest level since November. Home loan applications fell 4.5%, according to the report. The average contract interest rate for thirty-year fixed-rate home loans decreased to 5.34% from 5.44% a week earlier. For fifteen-year fixed loans, the rate averaged 4.81%, down from 4.93%. The average upfront fees known as points, including the origination fee, edged up to just over 1%.
The 30-year fixed rate bottomed out at 4.61% in late March, the lowest level since the mortgage group started keeping track in 1990. The recent mortgage rate trends may delay the arrival of a solid housing recovery, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen said in a speech Tuesday. “I am concerned that FHA mortgage rates, which have risen of late, could place a drag on a still very sick housing market, potentially driving home prices still lower and pushing more borrowers into foreclosure,” she said.
Is this the Best Time for Mortgage Refinancing
Posted by: | CommentsIs today the best time to refinance your mortgage? How is your credit score? What is the current estimated value of your home? Can you document your income with pay-stubs, W2, etc? What is the existing interest rate on your 1st mortgage? Do you currently have a FHA home loan? Are you seeking a cash out refinance or simply a rate and term transaction? Do you have a second mortgage or home equity loans as well? Have you been turned down recently by other lenders? How long do you anticipate staying in your present home?
These are a few key refinancing questions you should expect from your lender when applying for a new refinance loan. Remember, if you don’t qualify for a traditional refinance, ask your loan officer about the possibility of a mortgage loan modification?
Is it a Good Time to Refinance?
With the Federal Reserve continuing to drop interest rates, many homeowners are beginning to wonder whether it is wise to refinance their mortgage again. However, what is the best scenario in which to do this? Can a mortgage loan still be an avenue for wealth-building? Matthew Sapaula comments on Fox News and offers some mortgage refinancing tips and insight on how your mortgage management is a key to building lasting wealth.
The Mortgage Meltdown Continues to Fuel Foreclosure Crisis
Posted by: | CommentsForeclosures jumped 81% from the previous record year and neraly a million homeowners negotitated a loan modification that lowered their mortgage payments. Yet after 6 months, almost 50% of these homeowners re-defaulted on their mortgage modification. Does anyone out there not think this a real crisis. What started with subprime mortgages going bad has spread into a global crisis that threatens a lot more than just home equity. We have mortgaged our great grand kids economies with devastating financial impacts that will impact many generations to come.
CBS’s Scott Pelley reports on the mortgage crisis that has yet to find a resolution and has spun into a serious foreclosure crisis that is far from over, with a second wave of expected home loan defaults on the way that could deepen the bottom of the U.S. economic recession.
Mortgage Financing with a FHA Home Loan
Posted by: | CommentsFHA home financing continues to be the most popular first time homebuyer loan, but now FHA has become the loan of choice for experienced borrowers buying new homes as well as homeowners seeking FHA home refinancing. Most new home buyers like the fact that FHA down-payment requires only 3.5% of the sales price.
FHA continues to approve seller concessions up to 6% of your home purchase price. First-time home buyers can get a tax credit up to $7500! “First-time home buyer loans” actually refer to any borrower who hasn’t owned a house in the last three years. Need a more affordable mortgage payment? FHA refinance loans may be the only opportunity for borrowers with bad credit scores to finance or refinance into a low rate mortgage loan. Ask a loan officer about FHA mortgage rates and FHA streamline loans if you currently have a FHA mortgage on your primary residence property and have not been late on that mortgage in the last 12 months. FHA offers responsible fixed rate mortgages with no pre-payment penalties and limited lender fees.
Last year, Congress increased 2008 FHA home loan limits to $729,750. This year, HUD called for 2009 FHA loan limits to be reduced to $625,000 in high cost areas nationally. Even though HUD reduced the loan limits slightly in 2009, most real estate evaluators believe that the revised mortgage limits will still help millions of homeowners refinance their home with record low interest rates below 5% on thirty year home mortgages. FHA mortgage loans ensure borrowers they have an affordable loan that is insured by the U.S. government.
Nationwide Mortgage – Mortgage Loan News Reported by NBC News
NBC Nightly News discusses the effect of credit crisis on mortgage rates for FHA home loan and conventional mortgages that help borrowers finance a new home.
A Sr. HUD official recently defended the performance of the FHA at a congressional hearing looking into questions raised in a magazine article about mortgage originators. A November published Business Week article said that the Federal Housing Administration allowed the market for FHA-insured mortgages to be infiltrated by abusive mortgage brokers and loan originators from the subprime mortgage market. The deputy assistant secretary of HUD Phillip Murray said that these types of articles “misrepresent a well-respected federal program that has provided untold benefits to millions of Americans.” Murray criticized the shallow stories that parallel and compare FHA-insured mortgage practices to those seen in the subprime market. “FHA mortgages are not high-cost loans nor high-risk for homeowners,” he said.
Most people understand that FHA home loans have regained their popularity, with first time homebuyers and subprime borrowers, but most Americans do not realize that FHA is offering prime rate loans up to 97.75% of your home value or sales price with fixed rates below 5%. HUD still offers FHA loans with cash out refinancing to 95% but HUD now requires two URAR appraisals from FHA-approved appraisers. Take advantage solid government home financing loans that promote homeownership and responsible fixed rate refinancing. FHA guidelines could change at any time and this economy; waiting could cost you thousands of dollars.
