Mortgage servicing companies charge a premium because most consumers believe that they will get a better deal because they are staying with their existing company.The truth is that the company you are currently making your mortgage payment to is most likely a collection company who is working on behalf of the actual holder of your mortgage which is usually Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae. In fact, I worked at a mortgage servicing company who I won’t mention here and I was floored when I learned that we were given two rate sheets. One for our existing customers and another rate sheet for new customers who management considered more likely to shop around (a full .25%-.375% higher rate).
Mortgage terms : Closed mortgage – A mortgage that cannot be repaid or prepaid, renegotiated or refinanced prior to maturity, unless stated in the agreed upon terms. Closing costs – Costs that are in addition to the purchase price of a property and which must be paid on the closing date. Examples include legal fees, land transfer taxes, and disbursements. Debt service ratio – The percentage of the borrower’s income used for monthly payments of principal, interest, taxes, heating costs, condo fees (if applicable) and debts. GDS is gross debt service – how much you spend on Principal, Interest, Taxes and Heating. TDS is total debt service – GDS plus all other debt payment obligations. Default – A homeowner is ‘in default’ when he or she breaks the terms of a mortgage agreement, usually by not making required mortgage payments or by not making payments on time. Down payment – The money that you pay up-front for a house. Down payments typically range from 5%-20% of the total value of the home, but can be anything above 5%, if you qualify. Early Discharge Penalty – A penalty you may pay your lending institution for breaking the mortgage contract early. This is usually 3 months interest or the Interest Rate Differential (IRD), whichever is larger. See below for IRD.
Paying attention to your financial situation is extremely important. Here are some advices related to financial issues. Prepaid cards require the cardholder to load money onto the card before the card can be used. Purchases are withdrawn from the card’s balance. The spending limit does not renew until more money is loaded onto the card. Prepaid cards do not have finance charges or minimum payments because the balance is withdrawn from the deposit you’ve made. These cards are not actually credit cards, and they don’t directly help you rebuild your credit score. Prepaid cards are similar to debit cards, but are not tied to a checking account. A lot of people use them as a way to stay within budget.
Payday Loan Interest: Payday lenders charge borrowers extremely high levels of interest that can range up to 500% in annual percentage yield (APR). Most states have usury laws that limit interest charges to less than approximately 35%; however, payday lenders fall under exemptions that allow for their high interest. Since these loans qualify for many state lending loopholes, borrowers should beware. Regulations on these loans are governed by the individual states, with some states even outlawing payday loans of any kind. In California, for example, a payday lender can charge a 14-day APR of 459% for a $100 loan. Finance charges on these loans are also a significant factor for borrowers as the fees can range up to approximately $18 per $100 of loan. More financial calculators at Mortgage loan.
Terms: A guaranteed loan is a loan that a third party guarantees, or assumes the debt obligation for, in the event that the borrower defaults. Guaranteed mortgages, federal student loans and payday loans are all examples of guaranteed loans.
Guarantee : A guarantee is a non-cancellable indemnity bond, backed by an insurer. It offers investors security that an investment will be repaid. A limited guarantee is when the amount the guarantor is responsible for is limited to a set sum or time frame. A non limited guarantee is when the guarantor is obligated to repay all amounts due. More financial info on Mortgage rate calculator.
Cash on Hand, Money in the Bank: Another thing most news reports look at is how companies manage their money – specifically, how much they have in free cash flow, total debt, and what assets they have available in cash equivalents, such as short-term government bonds that they can sell to settle debts. In Hemlock Inc.’s announcement, free cash flow is increasing, meaning that after all expenses have been laid out in order to maintain the business’ continuing operations, the amount of cash it has on hand is growing. On Hemlock’s balance sheet, the company shows cash and cash equivalents of $128 million, which can be converted into cash if required, especially in the event that their total debt increases and/or income takes a hit.
Interest Rate Differential – A way lenders calculate the penalty for discharging a mortgage before the end of a closed mortgage contract. The difference between the interest that the financial institution will make if you continued your mortgage to the end of the contract and what they will make by loaning it to someone else at the current interest rate. More on Mortgage affordability calculator. High ratio mortgage – A mortgage where the borrower is contributing less than 20% of the value of the property as the down payment. The borrower may have to pay a mortgage default insurance premium such as CMHC insurance, usually tacked onto the mortgage amount.