Find Out If You Can Go for Home Mortgage Refinancing

July 29th, 2009

Home mortgage refinancing seems to be a very good solution for all troubled homeowners. They can get a better deal and pay for a less amount monthly for their home mortgage.

If you are looking at home mortgage refinancing, then you should consider whether or not you are eligible. The Obama administration is currently at the second wave of its program that aims to help homeowners refinance their home mortgages.

Typically, your lending company would assess your eligibility by looking at your credit score, income, assets, current debts, value of your house and hoe much you want to borrow. Based on these factors, you can get a home mortgage that has a lower or higher interest rate, depending on how the lending company sees your current financial status.

If you get pre-approved and if you see that home mortgage refinancing is a good step for you, then you can start thinking about the following things that would go as you start your application for a home mortgage refinancing:

  • Application fee. This would cover the initial expenses of processing your application. This may cost from $75 to $300.
  • Loan origination fee. This is charged by the lending company and is used to evaluate and set your mortgage loan. This can cost from 0 to 1.5 percent of your loan principal.
  • Points. One point is equal to a percent of your mortgage loan. There are two types of points you might have to pay for. First is the loan-discounts point, which is a one-time fee used to reduce your loan’s interest rate. The second type is the point that is used to earn money on your loan. This can range from 0 to 3 percent of your loan principal.
  • Appraisal fee. This would pay for the appraisal of your house. This is to give assurance to the lending company that your house is worth at least as much as the amount of loan. Some lending companies include this fee in the application fee, and may cost around $300 to $700.
  • Inspection fee. The lending company may inspect your house to make sure that your property is in good condition.

Home mortgage refinancing may cost a lot than you can perceive. It is important to inquire of all the fees you would have to pay initially. If you think that paying for these fees is worth it, then you can apply for home mortgage refinancing.

Mortgage Refinancing Program Expands

July 28th, 2009

After seeing that the initial mortgage refinancing plan of the administration was quite insufficient, President Barack Obama launched an expansion of the program. The new program would allow borrowers who have home mortgage loans that are valued at 125 percent of the value of their home to refinance into loans that are more affordable. Before, only those with loan-to-value ratios of 105 percent below are allowed to refinance.

To evaluate how you can use this new program for your house and for your home mortgage loan, here are some things that you can look at before you get a mortgage refinancing:

  • The framework of the program remains as it is. Only borrowers whose loans are guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would be qualified.
  • Only those who are current on their home mortgage loans would qualify.
  • The expansion covers more borrowers. The economic recession has cause house values to decrease over time. This has also decreased the loan-to-value ratio of the house. As an effect, a lot of homeowners were labeled as underwater. Now, with the loan-to-value at 125 percent, more homeowners would qualify for mortgage refinancing.
  • There are other program requirements. Aside from the loan-to-value ratio, borrowers also need to be current on their home mortgage loans for them to be able to qualify for the mortgage refinancing program.
  • Mortgage rates have increased. This can be a big hurdle to the whole program. Mortgage rates increased as applications for mortgage refinancing fell in the past months.
  • This program follows the changes that Obama has already launched in the past months. After the $8,000 worth of tax credits were given to first time home buyers, further improvements have been launched in the past months.

Borrowers are expected to respond to this program positively, as the Obama administration also expects more people to be helped and assisted by the program. Through mortgage refinancing, homeowners another chance to keep their houses and protect them from foreclosure. As the economy continues to pose threats to families and homeowners, the government is trying its best to provide its best services to everyone across the country.

Latest Home Mortgage Report Released

July 27th, 2009

Home mortgage modifications increase during the first quarter of this year. However, home mortgage delinquencies and even foreclosures also increased. This was according to a statement released by bank regulators of the country.

The report show that the quality of loan modifications actually improved, as more than 50 percent have already resulted in lower monthly home mortgage payments and even interest rates. However, the report also shows that the economy is still weighing down on borrowers. There are still a lot of unemployment cases, sending mixed signals about the economy.

According to John Dugan, Comptroller of the Currency, he is very much concerned about the increase in delinquency and foreclosures. However, he says that the changes of lending companies to more sustainable and more beneficial programs would show results in the coming months. He adds that future reports should be better and should show improvements, as the Making Home Affordable program of the Obama administration is expected to help borrowers keep up with their home mortgage loans.

In a separate report, the prices of single-family homes in the US are reported to have declined already. However, the pace had changed and had been moderated. This was according to date released by Standard & Poor’s/Case Shiller indexes. In some regions, the stability has already been evident.

The government reports show that lending companies released more than 180,000 home mortgage loan modifications in the first quarter, increasing the number by around 55 percent. The report also shows delinquencies increase by around 9 percent. Home mortgage loans that are delayed by 60 percent or more are considered to be delinquents. Prime loans had the most increases in delinquencies, seeing an increase by more than 20 percent from the previous quarter. Foreclosures also increased by 22 percent in the first quarter.

Home mortgage loans still remains to be a burden for most homeowners. As they lose their jobs, they face serious foreclosure threats. As the housing industry is the area that has been greatly damaged by the recession, it has also received a lot of attention.

The government has launched programs that aim to help homeowners and borrowers. As the months go by, homeowners hope for the best for their houses.

Home Mortgage Industry Still in Crisis

July 24th, 2009

It seems that after all this time of implementing programs designed to rescue home mortgage problems, President Barack Obama, together with all the homeowners across the country, sees not much improvement in the housing industry. The program had the government giving banks funds necessary to help them reach out to troubled homeowners. It seems that [...]

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Mortgage Refinancing Rates Higher on Jumbo Loans

July 23rd, 2009

Why is it that jumbo loans have high interest rates? How would this affect applying for home mortgage refinancing? At this time when a lot of houses are getting low prices and more and more statistics are showing signs of economic recovery, how do you know what to do with your loan? Specifically, how does [...]

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Home Mortgage in 2010

July 21st, 2009

The housing industry has been suffering from the economic recession for a time now. Experts have predicted that the economy would improve soon, but before we all relax, you should first be aware of the things to come next year. You should be able to gauge your financial status for you to be able to [...]

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Insurers May Help in Home Mortgage Refinancing

July 17th, 2009

There are a lot of homeowners who are seeking to refinance. Home mortgage refinancing seems to be the most popular solution now for different homeowners who are facing different problems in their home mortgages. With this, troubled homeowners can actually find solution from private home insurers. Generally, a house owner would turn to nonprofit organizations [...]

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Home Mortgage Refinancing Plan of Obama Seems Uncertain

July 14th, 2009

President Barack Obama assures homeowners with his administration’s home mortgage refinancing program. However, even as he says that the new program translates to a tax cut, it is still dependent on some factors. Although refinancing may equate to a tax cut, this may not always be the case. President Obama released a statement on his [...]

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Reasons to Stay Away from a Home Mortgage Refinance

July 9th, 2009

Home mortgage refinancing has a lot of benefits. However, it can also be the opposite. It can work for some homeowners, while for some, it would not. Before you apply for a home mortgage refinance, consider your situation well and gather all the necessary information. Here are reasons why a home mortgage refinance plan is [...]

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Mortgage Refinancing Truths

July 8th, 2009

It seems that home mortgage refinancing has a lot of secrets that the common homeowner does not know. Good thing that there have been resources for everyone available in the Internet, and also with your home mortgage agent. Before you apply for your home mortgage refinancing, find out everything and assess your situation well. Here [...]

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