I actually wrote this almost 2 years to the day at Rain City Guide.  A recent track-back brought this past article back to my attention.  Since I'm taking a short break from blogging and mortgage this week, I thought I'd share this oldy-but-goodie with you. 

Unless you have a long term fixed rate mortgage, you should develop an exit strategy.   An exit strategy is a well thought plan on how you’re [photopress:airplaneexit.jpg,thumb,alignright]going to leave your current mortgage.  Every time you board an airplane, the Stewardess reviews the “exit strategy”.   They’re not planning on an actual emergency landing, they are simply preparing you for a worse case scenario and informing you where the exits are and what you need to do in that event.  

You should have a plan if your current mortgage is:

• Any type of adjustable rate mortgage (ARMs)
• Option ARMs (negative amortization a.k.a. deferred interest)
• Any balloon mortgages (recently common with subprime mortgages such as 2/28 or 3/36)

Having a plan (being prepared) does not mean waiting until you receive a notice from your mortgage company that your mortgage payment is hiking because your fixed period on your ARM is over.   You need an exit strategy because once fixed period is over and your mortgage adjusts, odds are that your new mortgage payment will not be desirable or affordable.  

You need to start developing your plan well in advance.    Here’s what I recommend:

1. Find the Note for your mortgage (deed of trust) and determine what your new rate may be using the worse case scenario.   If you have an ARM, you can figure this out by adding the first cap to your interest rate.   For example, if you currently have a 5/1 ARM with a note rate of 5% and the first adjustment rate cap is 5% (5/2/5 is a common cap structure), your new rate could be 10%.   If the first adjustment cap is 2% (2/2/6 is another possibility); your new rate could be 7%.   If your ARM has an interest only feature and will also be converting to amortized payments (some have longer interest only terms beyond the fixed rate period), you’re in for a double whammo if you’re keeping the mortgage.
2. Determine what your worse case payment may be.  Your new payment will be amortized over the remaining term of the mortgage.   Use an amortization schedule to see what your mortgage balance will be at 60 months (using the 5/1 ARM scenario) and figure your payment based on the maximum possible rate amortized for 300 months.   This new payment does not include taxes and insurance.  In fact, anyone with an adjustable rate mortgage, regardless how long the remaining fixed term is, should contact their LO to determine what their “worse case payment” may be when their mortgage’s fixed period is over.
3. While you have your Note out, review it to see if you have a prepayment penalty and when the term is over.   It’s possible that you may or may not want to wait for this to expire depending on your personal circumstances.   Even if you have a prepayment penalty, don’t stop preparing your exit strategy.
4. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com and review your credit report.  You don’t need to sign up for all the credit bureaus extra stuff.   In fact, I recommend that  you just use one of the bureaus to pull your information for review and select another bureau in 4 months and the last bureau in 8 months so that you are constantly reviewing your credit information.  
5. If you’re satisfied with the Loan Originator you worked with, contact them and ask them to review this information with you.   Most Mortgage Professionals will provide Annual Reviews for their clients which includes assessing their current mortgage, examining their credit report and reviewing goals (including if you’re planning on retaining your current home and/or mortgage).

Of course selling your home is another way to exit your mortgage.   In this case, I recommend that you price your home correctly.   I’m noticing more “new price” signs on listings in my neighborhood of West Seattle (I guess “new price” sounds more fresh than the old “price reduced” signs).   If you wait too long to work on your exit strategy, you may have to sell if you’re not able to refinance due to not being in the posititon to qualify for a new mortgage (this is why I strongly recommend meeting with your Mortgage Professional ASAP).

You cannot start too soon in preparing your exit plan.   The more time you allow yourself (at least 12-24 months in advance of a rate change), the more improvements you can make to your credit scores, assets, employment and home equity.   Avoid a rough landing and meet with your Mortgage Professional to work on your strategy to be in the best possible position when it’s time for you to exit your mortgage.

I've been asked this a couple times this week…I'm wondering if it's possibly caused by Aubrey Cohen's recent article in the PI about mortgage brokers, subprime mortgages and outrageous yield spread premiumsor if consumers are more savvy and aware of YSP.

Loan originators who work for mortgage brokers may receive a yield spread premium from the lender they are brokering the loan to.  This YSP is required to be disclosed on the Good Faith Estimate and the Loan Application Disclosure Form (if you're providing a mortgage for property in Washington State) and as well as the HUD-1 Settlement Statement.  YSP has not only been used for loan originator compensation, it has also helped pay for closing costs or provide mortgages with "no points". 

Loan originators who work for banks, credit unions or correspondent lenders are not paid YSP (unless they are brokering the loan).  However they may still be receiving compensation on "the back side" of the transaction.  It's just not required to be disclosed.  Part of the reason for this, with correspondent lenders, is the inherent difference between them and mortgage brokers.  Correspondent lenders underwrite, prepare loan documents and fund the transaction from their credit lines.  The mortgage is sold to the lender after closing.  A mortgage broker merely originates the transaction and may do some processing/coordinating with the lender.  They do not underwrite or fund the transaction.  A correspondent lender assumes greater responsibility for the transaction and may be compensated after the loan is closed.  Often times, correspondent lenders may receive favored pricing over a traditional mortgage broker as they assume more risk and are performing more of the work (underwriting, drawing docs and funding) than the broker. 

With the media focused on YSP, many consumers have become misdirected on how to select the person who will be advising them on one of the largest transactions they may face in their lifetime.  Focusing on how much they believe a loan originator is compensated will not provide them with the lowest rate, best service or most qualifed Mortgage Professional.  For example, if:

• Lender A is a mortgage broker who quotes 6.00% priced with zero points and a YSP of 1% of the loan amount.
• Lender B is a bank who quotes 6.00% priced with zero points (nothing is reported on the back end).
• Lender C is a correspondent lender who quotes 5.875% with zero points (nothing is reported on the back end).

All loan originators are being compensated in the scenario above…I would bet pretty close to the same.   If the going rate is 5.875-6.000% (as based on this example) why would anyone care how much someone is compensated?  I could totally understand if they received a rate of 6.500% (assuming all loans are locked at the same time/date as rates are currently changing on average three times a day and a 0.25% swing is not uncommon).   When you're shopping for a big ticket item, such as a TV, do you care what the salesperson is making or do you care how much YOU are paying?

If you're a long time Mortgage Porter subscriber, you know that I believe that selecting your mortgage by rate is not the best route to go.  Especially considering that you're making this decision based on a rate that is moot unless you are ready to lock at that moment.  Rates are a moving target.  For this reason, the YSP the mortgage brokers are forced to quote are only a best guestimate because they do not know what they will be paid until the loan is locked.

I don't have a problem letting clients who want to know what the compensation may be "on the backend"…just ask.  I question why a consumer would care if the rate is the going market or better.

Related post:

How Am I Paid?

Picking Your Next Mortgage by Rate Shopping?  You Might as well be playing Liars Poker.

Now is the time to work with a Correspondent Lender

With the passage of HR 3221, we knew that the calculation used to determine what the "economic stimulus loan limits" (aka "temporary jumbo limits") would be reduced from 125% to 115% of the median home price.  What we didn’t know, until this morning was what figure would be used for the median price.  The new conforming loan limits for 2009 are actually lower than what I roughly anticipated in an earlier post.

If you are considering a mortgage with a loan amount of $506,001 – $567,500 or if you’re in a county that will no longer qualify; you don’t have a lot of time to take advantage of conforming-jumbo rates.   Lenders may begin implementing the new loan limits before the end of the year so that once loans are delivered to Fannie or Freddie (this takes place after your loan is closed), the loan limit will fit the new guidelines.

2009 Conforming Limits are unchanged:

1-Unit  $417,000

2-Unit  $533,850

3-Unit $645,300

4-Unit  $801,950

2009 Conforming Jumbo Limits. 

King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties effective January 1, 2009

1-Unit $506,000 (reduced from $567,500)

2-Unit $647,750 

3-Unit $783,000 

4-Unit $973,100 

San Juan County

1-Unit $483,000 (reduced from $593,750)

2-Unit $618,300 

3-Unit $747,400

4-Unit $928,850

Only Washington State counties listed above benefit from conforming jumbo limits in 2009.

I just received the official statement from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)regarding the status of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.   It has been announced that they are now in "conservatorship".   FHFA has defined conservatorship on their handy Conservatorship Q&A page as:

"A conservatorship is a legal process in which a person or entity is appointed to establish control and oversight of a Company to put it in a sound a solvent condition.  In a conservatorship, the powers of the Company’s directors, officers, and shareholders are transferred to the designated Conservator….

In this instance, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has been appointed by its Director to be the Conservator of the Company [Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac]…to keep the Company in a safe and solvent financial condition."

From this morning’s press release:

"The goal of these actions is to help restore confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, enhance their capacity to fulfill their mission, and mitigate the systematic risk that has contributed directly to the instability in the current market.  The lack of confidence has resulted in the continuing widening of their MBS [mortgage backed securities], which means that virtually none of the large drop in interest rates over the past year has been passed on to the mortgage markets.  On top of that, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, in order to try to build capital, have continued to raise prices and tighten credit standards."

This could eventually translate to lower mortgage interest rates for you and me.  Monday and the days following will be fascinating as we continue during these historic times in the mortgage industry.

I think it’s a little too early in the game for Fannie and Freddie’s Eulogy.   The Government is all over making sure this patient is stable and recovering.   Fannie and Freddie are "not dead yet"!