How to Avoid Paying Mortgage Insurance

Home
>
Mortgage Refinance
>
How to Avoid Paying Mortgage Insurance

How to Avoid Paying Mortgage Insurance

In today's world, a borrower should not be paying mortgage insurance (PMI) on their home mortgage with a few exceptions such as an FHA loan. Mortgage Insurance is a thing of the past.

Let's first explain what mortgage insurance is. A lender requires a borrower to pay mortgage insurance if the loan amount is greater than 80% of the value of the home on a single loan. The reason this is the case is the loan is not sellable in the secondary financial markets as it does not meet certain guidelines. As a result, the lender makes you pay for their insurance in the event you default on the loan. The insurance will cover the lender for the balance of the loan plus expenses. The problem for borrowers is that mortgage insurance is expensive?..sometimes $100 or more per month.

Fortunately in today's mortgage world, we have legal common ways to avoid paying mortgage insurance in most cases. Let's say you are a first time home buyer and only have 5% to put down on a condo or house. A mortgage professional should do two loans for you. A First Mortgage Loan in the amount of 80% of the value of your home and then a Second Mortgage for the remaining 15% of the loan balance. This would be called an 80/15/5 (80% 1st Loan, 15% 2nd Loan, 5% Down)

The question you ask is why? Well, by doing two loans your payment every month will be cheaper so take a look at this example to see why.

For example, let's say you had 10% to put down, we would do a 1st loan at 80% and then a 2nd loan at 10%. The 2nd loan will always carry a higher interest rate, but when you break the numbers down, it's cheaper from a payment point of view to have the two loans.

Here is a $180,000 loan at 6% fixed rate for 30 years.

Option 1 with PMI
Single Loan 90%
P&I $1,079
PMI $ 85
Payment $1,164

Option 2 with 2nd note and no PMI
Two Loans 80% / 10%
P&I 1st Loan $971
P&I 2nd Loan $126
Payment $1,097

In this example, the borrower will save $67 per month by not paying Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

Depending on the type of loan, the Second Mortgage often times can have an interest only option where your payment would even be less on a monthly basis. The downside to this solution is your not paying down the principle on your 2nd mortgage, however if you're a first time home buyer with limited cash flow, this would be a viable solution for you. A mortgage professional should lay out the various options for you in writing so you can make an educated decision as to the best solution for you.

If your currently in a loan with mortgage insurance, then you need to speak with a mortgage professional immediately so your not wasting money on a monthly basis. Your mortgage professional should provide an analysis to determine if doing the transaction is feasible for you with consideration of some closing costs.

(Per the FHA, all FHA loans require mortgage insurnace if the loan is 80% or greater. the mortage insurance will remain in effect for a period of 5 years. If after the 5 years and your loan balance has fallen below 78% of the value of your home, you will be eligable to stop paying mortgage insurance.

Douglas Boncosky is a Mortgage Professional and Author. Doug has published a number of articles, guides and books including the 50 page book, "First Time Buyers Guide to a Stress Free Home Buying Process" Doug is Personal Mortgage Advisor for Smart Mortgage Access, a Schuamburg, IL based mortgage broker. Doug is also Founder & Executive Director of The Advisors Club, a organization exclusively for Chicago area Real Estate Professionals. For more information, please contact Doug at http://www.dougboncosky.com

In The News:

Washington Times
How can I avoid a mortgage refinancing rip-off?
IndiaPost.com, CA - 1 hour ago
For mortgage refinancing, that means knowing the terms of your existing mortgage and the latest mortgage rates, as well as reviewing your credit report and ...
Lenders Backlogged By Refinancing Rush Washington Post
The Truth About Mortgage Refinancing Revealed By Connecticut ... SBWire (press release)
Refinancing suddenly booms Honolulu Advertiser
MSNBC - Forbesall 26 news articles

Money High Street
Average Mortgage Rate Hits 5%, Lowest in Decades
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
Of course, buying a home is a more lengthy process than simply calling up a mortgage broker to refinance, and activity typically slows during the holiday ...
Long-Term Mortgage Rate Falls Again Wall Street Journal
Banks' mortgage rates fall below 5% Boston Globe
Homeowners with good credit scores are poised to capitalize on ... Baltimore Sun
Scripps News - AHNall 103 news articles

WJBF-TV
US Banks Offer Mortgages Below 5% After Fed Action
Bloomberg - 21 hours ago
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications to purchase a home or refinance a loan dropped to 1143.8 for the week ending Jan. ...
Mortgage rates fall to record low again Forbes
Freddie Mac: Benchmark mortgage rate continues to new low MarketWatch
Bold government action can solve housing crisis North Texas e-News
American Banker - Connecticut Postall 600 news articles

Cardoza proposal could aid housing crisis
Stockton Record, CA - 4 hours ago
Under the Cardoza plan, the payment on that mortgage refinanced to 4 percent fixed rate would drop to $1194 a month. Contact reporter Bruce Spence at (209) ...

REFILE-UPDATE 1-US mortgage demand dipped before Fed move-MBA
Reuters - Jan 7, 2009
The jump in applications during December may have been driven by homeowners already "on the fence" and prepared to refinance on a drop in mortgage rates, ...
Mortgage applications down in latest survey Forbes
Week-to-week mortgage applications down 8.2% MarketWatch
Fewer apply for home loans; credit line delinquencies increase Los Angeles Times
KVOA.com - Kansas City Starall 63 news articles

Boston Globe
Fed’s Rosengren Calls for ‘Concerted’ Fiscal, Monetary Policies
Bloomberg - 7 hours ago
... to purchase or refinance homes,” Rosengren said. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped for a 10th week to 5.01 percent yesterday, ...
Rosengren sees path to recovery Boston Globe
Fed's Rosengren says recession more severe than thought Reuters
all 54 news articles

Los Angeles Times
Congressional Press Release on Mortgage Deal
Wall Street Journal - 11 hours ago
"Despite efforts by Congress to address this issue, not enough lenders have come to the table to help borrowers with bad mortgages refinance into new, ...
Video: Business Update:Foreclosure aid? ReutersVideo
Citigroup reaches agreement with key senators on mortgage ... Minneapolis Star Tribune
Citigroup agrees to allow judges to help modify some mortgages IdahoStatesman.com
all 567 news articles

TopNews
Question & Answer on mortgage refinancing
Boston Herald, United States - Jan 1, 2009
If I refinance the mortgage on my current house, will I hurt my chances for getting a loan for a new place later on? A: No. Refinancing a loan shouldn’t ...
MORTGAGES: 30-year Mortgage Rate Falls For Ninth Straight Week To ... CNNMoney.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 37-Year Low Poynter.org
Mortgage Rates Down Again After Rising Above 5.00 Percent Last Week PR-CANADA.net (press release)
Wall Street Journal - Ventura County Starall 457 news articles

Refinancing shoots through the roof
Plano Star Courier, TX - 17 hours ago
“Quite a few people have remortgaged,” said Craig Jarrell, loan officer with Pulaski Mortgage. “Most people who refinance are new homeowners as recent as ...

Mortgage refinancing skyrockets
Cincinnati.com, OH - Jan 3, 2009
... 2009 With US mortgage rates the lowest in 30 years, local lenders say they've seen a strong surge in loan applications as homeowners seek to refinance ...
Waco banks seeing a boom in mortgage refinance applications Waco Tribune Herald
Borrowers seeking to refinance may face challenges WTOP
As mortgage rates slide, refinancing applications take off Dallas Morning News
all 15 news articles

mortgage refinance - Google News

Your Ad Here

How to Avoid Paying Mortgage Insurance

Mortgage Refinance Mortgage Refinance