The Family Opportunity Mortgage Refinance

August 14, 2012 by 17 Comments

Cheerful woman with family standing in back yard

I’ve written about the Family Opportunity Mortgage for purchases where certain circumstances allow one to obtain a mortgage for a family member who is either a student in college, a disabled adult child or an elderly parent. The Family Opportunity Mortgages allows financing to be treated as a primary residence instead of an investment property as long as the scenario meets certain guidelines.  The Family Opportunity Mortgage is a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac program that is also available for refi’s! [Read more…]

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Tis the Season for Vacations

August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Many families are squeezing in a vacation during the remaining days of summer. I can’t blame them, I’m just back from one myself! If you are in the mortgage process, it’s critical that your let your mortgage originator know of any vacation (or business travel) plans. 

If you’re going to be in a spot where you can receive important documents and respond to emails, it may not be a huge issue. If you’re going off the grid, it may impact your rate lock commitment if your loan is currently locked. Your mortgage originator will need to price out a long enough lock period for your loan (if you’re locking) or you may opt to float and not lock in the current rates available.  And of course, if you run out of time with your lock, the rate lock commitment may be extended. 

Another factor is signing your final loan documents. Escrow companies can email (I do not recommend sending final docs via email) or send your loan documents via something like FedEx or UPS. This can be a bit risky as well as if a signature is missed or something is not notarized properly, your transaction may be delayed.

The more notice you can provide your mortgage originator about vacation or business travel, the more time they will have to prepare your options for the mortgage process.

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How Long Will PMI Stay on my HARP 2.0 Mortgage?

July 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is a question that I’m often asked by Washington  home owners who are considering refinancing their current conventional mortgage using the HARP 2.0 program. The answers I’ve received from private mortgage insurance companies vary from “it’s up to the mortgage servicer” to “when the new loans principal reaches 78% loan to value”.  

If your current loan to value is triple-digit because of being underwater, the thought of paying private mortgage insurance for years may not sound appealing. Here are some points I encourage my clients to consider:

  • determine when your existing private mortgage insurance is set to terminate. If it’s before December 2013 (assuming the HARP program is not terminated early, which Fannie and Freddie have reserved the right to do) you could consider delaying your HARP refi so that you won’t have PMI on the new loan.
  • compare your existing principal and interest payment (excluding the private mortgage insurance) to the proposed HARP payment including principal, interest plus mortgage insurance.  Many of my clients are saving hundreds of dollars each month – even with keeping their mortgage insurance.
  •  consider how long you plan on keeping your home and what your alternatives may be. If you are underwater and are planning on staying in your home or eventually converting it to a rental property, reducing your payment now may be beneficial. If you are planning on doing a short sale, then refinancing at this time would probably not pencil out.

With HARP 2.0 refinances, when you have private mortgage insurance, most pmi companies are transferring the pmi certificates over to the new lender without any issues. The pmi rates stay the same so if you’re currently paying private mortgage insurance monthly, you can estimate that the new pmi payment will be roughly the same with your new mortgage payment.   

If you have lender paid mortgage insurance, often times it was paid for upfront and there will be no private mortgage insurance for the home owner to pay. Sometimes the lender paid mortgage insurance (LPMI) was being paid monthly by the lender and in those cases, the pmi company may convert the policy to “paid monthly” so the borrower can assume it.

If you’re interested in a mortgage rate quote for a HARP 2.0 refinance for your home located anywhere in Washington state, contact me.

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Freddie Mac HARP 2.0 Loans Getting Tougher

July 12, 2012 by 15 Comments

One of the lenders that we work with for Freddie Mac HARP 2.0 refi’s has announced today that they are not accepting applications for loans locked after July 20, 2012.

The bank states they’re doing this to get a handle on their pipeline. If you’re in the process of refinancing via HARP 2.0 and you have a loan to value that exceeds 105%, you may already know that the process seems to be taking a couple months.

If you qualify for a HARP 2.0 refinance: if you have lost equity in your home and your current mortgage is securtized by Freddie Mac prior to June 1, 2009 – please do not delay starting your HARP 2.0 refinance… your options may be dwindling.

If your home is located in Washington state, I’m happy to help you with your refinance.

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Has your Bank turned down your refi?

July 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

IStock_000014142621XSmallIn a time when one might assume that their bank would work with them to refinance their home, many Washington homeowners are finding quite the opposite. I’m hearing from local homeowners who have made their mortgage payments on time and who qualify for refinance (income, employment and assets) yet their bank is either unwilling to provide the refinance or is taking several months to close it.

For example, several large banks will only do FHA streamline refinances on mortgages they currently service.  You can have your checking and savings accounts any of these banks, but if they don’t currently service your mortgage, it’s my understanding they will not assist you with your FHA streamlined refinance.  NOTE: We can help you refinancing your FHA streamlined mortgage from any bank as long as your home is located in Washington.  

Banks are also being very selective when it comes to HARP 2.0 (home affordable) refinances. Some are electing not to help mortgages they currently service because of lpmi (lender paid mortgage insurance) or pmi when many of these loans are eligible to refinance. 

Bottom line, if your bank or mortgage servicer has turned down your refinance (or if they’re stalling the process) and your credit, income and assets are good: get a second opinion.  

If your home is located anywhere in Washington state, I’m happy to review your scenario. I’ve been originating and closing refinance and purchase mortgages at Mortgage Master Service Corporation since April 2000. 

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FHA Streamlined Refi Revamped and Revisited

June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There is a lot of interest in the FHA streamlined refinance since HUD has greatly reduced the mortgage insurance premiums for some home owners who originated their existing FHA mortgage May 2009 and earlier. FHA streamlined refinances are designed to reduce mortgage payments and borrowers are not allowed to take “cash out” or pay off existing helocs or second mortgages. In order to qualify for an FHA streamlined refiance, the borrower must have made at least six payments on the FHA loan and needs to be current with the mortgage.  Here are a few tips on FHA streamlined refinances I thought I’d share with you.

No appraisal required. If you opt to not have an appraisal, then your new loan amount may not exceed your current loan amount. This means that your closing cost and prepaids/reserves cannot be financed (upfront mortgage insurance is still allowed to be rolled into the loan). Closing cost and prepaids/reserves may be paid for with interest rate rebate credit or cash at closing.  If you opt to have an appraisal, then your loan amount may be increased.

Credit qualifying vs non credit qualifying.  FHA streamline refi’s may not require verification of your income or assets (non-credit qualifying). Did you know that you may qualify for improved pricing if you opt for a credit qualifying FHA streamlined refi? Pricing varies throughout the day and when I’m locking an FHA streamlined refi for a Washington area homeowner, if pricing is the same, I’ll opt for non-credit qualifying. However if pricing is improved for a credit qualifying streamlined refinance, I’ll advise my client of the pricing differences and let them decide which route they prefer.

Underwriting overlays. Although HUDs guidelines might state something different, the banks and lenders we work with allow us to help home owners who have a low-mid credit score of 640 or higher. If your credit score is below 640, you may want to consider working directly with your bank.

Net tangible benefit. HUD requires that the loan “makes sense” and that is defined as a reduction in your mortgage payment (principal, interest and mortgage insurance) of at least 5%. It may also mean refinancing your FHA ARM into an FHA fixed rate product. Unfortunately, if you’re refinancing an FHA 30 year to a FHA 15 year fixed rate product, and your payment does not go down by 5%, you will not meet the current “net tangible benefit” requirement – even if you’re doing a “credit qualifying” FHA streamlined refinance and fully disclosing your income. This is something HUD needs to correct, in my opinion.

Reduced mortgage insurance premiums. HUD has announced reduced mortgage insurance premiums (both annual and upfront) for FHA loans that were endorsed (insured) by HUD prior to June 1, 2009.  FHA loans are endorsed by HUD after closing – sometimes several weeks after closing so it’s possible your FHA mortgage closed in May of 2009 and not endorsed until after the cut-off date.

Credit of your existing upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP). If your existing FHA insured mortgage was originated over the past three years, it may not quaify for qualify for the reduced mortgage insurance, however, you probably will receive a refund of a portion of the original UFMIP. The refund is credited towards the closing cost of your new FHA loan and ranges from 80% to 10% of the original UFMIP by the 36th month.

FHA streamlined refinances are available for non-owner occupied homes too! If you have a home that has been converted to a rental property and the underlying mortgage is FHA, it’s eligible for an FHA streamlined refinance as long as the owner occupied it for a least 12 months.  With a non-onwer occupied FHA streamlined refinance, it must be done without an appriasal so no closing cost may be financed (except the upfront MIP).

If you are interested in refinancing your existing FHA insured mortgage on a home located anywhere in Washington, I’m happy to help you. I’ve been originating FHA home loans at Mortgage Master Service Corporation since April 2000, where we have in house FHA underwriters at our main office in King County.  Click here for your FHA rate quote.

Filed Under: FHA, Investment Property, Refinance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

HARP 2.0 Questions to ask your Mortgage Originator

June 9, 2012 by 9 Comments

HARP 2.0 (Home Affordable Refi Program) was revamped late last year to remove loan to value restrictions allowing more underwater home owners to refinance. So you may be wondering, why should you need to ask your mortgage originator if they have any loan to value restrictions with the HARP 2 program. In two words: UNDERWRITING OVERLAYS.

HARP 2.0 overlays are underwriting guidelines that are in addition to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac’s program guidelines. Underwriting overlays are mandated by the bank and/or lender.  For example, as a correspondent lender, I work with several big banks, wholesale lenders and I can broker loans too. Currently most of the banks I work with have underwriting overlays that limit my maximum loan to value with HARP loans anywhere from 95 to 105% depending on the bank and scenario. Thankfully I also work with lenders who offer unlimited loan to values with no underwriting overlays for HARP 2.0, as the program was intended to be. 

Before you submit a loan application for HARP 2.0, ask the mortgage originator what is the max loan to value they can lend on.  If they are limited to 105% and your loan to value exceeds 105%, find another mortgage originator. HARP guidelines have an 105% ltv limit on adjustable rate mortgages and loans with a term greater than 30 years.

If you have PMI or LPMI, ask your mortgage originator if they are accepting transferred pmi BEFORE you start your application. Many lenders are not accepting HARP loans with existing pmi or lpmi (lender paid mortgage insurance). If you’ve been told this by your bank, seek another lender.

There are some scenarios where because of certain “credit enhancements” a loan may not be available for a HARP 2.0 – it’s more the exception than the norm.  And I’m hoping when (if) HARP 3.0 becomes available, those loans are allowed to take advantage of this program.

If your LO has told you that an appraisal is required, get a second opinion. Appraisal waivers are not automatically provided on all HARP 2.0 loans. It is not determined until your loan is ran through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac’s automated underwriting systems (DU or LP) whether or not an appraisal is required. Sometimes the smallest detail may impact whether or not an appraisal waiver is granted, such as how your address is entered into the AUS. You many not need to spend money on the appraisal and it’s possible that you may receive an appraisal waiver at a later date as the valuations that Fannie and Freddie use change.

Because of the increased refi volumes created by expanded guidelines with HARP 2.0 and the reduced mortgage insurance now available for some FHA streamlined refi’s, banks and lenders are “cherry picking” what refinances they want. One way of doing this is by creating underwriting overlays. Due to these increased volumes, large banks and credit unions have hired on loan originators (or “mortgage tellers”) who may lack experience in the mortgage industry. (Remember, LO’s who work for banks or credit unions are not required to be licensed per the SAFE Act). They’re simply hired to fill out an application and are not savvy to actual guidelines.

I’ve been helping home owners who have been told by a mortgage originator that because they have pmi or their loan to value is 108%, that they don’t qualify for HARP 2.0 when actually, they do.  I’m not sure if LO’s don’t read Fannie/Freddie guidelines or if because they cannot offer it, they prefer to portray certain features are not available when what they should do is convey that they do not have access to those features (such as ltv’s over 105%), however another lender may.

If you’re considering refinancing or buying a home located anywhere in Washington, I’m happy to help you.  Click here if you would like me to provide you with a mortgage rate quote.

EDITORS NOTE: Since this was published, most of the banks we work with as a correspondent have pulled back their LTV guidelines to 105%. Wholesale lenders where we can broker have also made changes to guidelines or policies or have stopped accepting applications due to extreme volumes. Hopefully Congress will pass HARP 3.0 to help the Home Affordable Refi become more available. 

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HARP 2.0 and Private Mortgage Insurance

May 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Home Affordable Refi Program (HARP 2.0) is a refinance program to help home owners who have lost home equity take advantage of today’s historic low interest rates.  In order to qualify for this program, the existing mortgage must have been securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to June 1, 2009.  Learn more about the HARP 2.0 program here.

Loans with private mortgage or lender paid mortgage insurance (LPMI) who meet the securitization requirement are also eligible for HARP 2.0. The terms of the private mortgage insurance, as far as the rate, remains the same as what the home owner has on their existing loan. The existing coverage is transferred to the new HARP 2.0 mortgage if the coverage is still in effect.

Borrower Paid Mortgage Insurance (bpmi) is the most traditional form of mortgage insurance. Homeowners will see this in their monthly mortgage payment. If you currently have private mortgage insurance included in your monthly mortgage payment, you will have it in your new HARP 2.0 mortgage payment too. 

Lender Paid Mortgage Insurance (lpmi) is not “seen” in your mortgage payment. LPMI is essentially financed into your loan. Homeowners who have LPMI probably traded the monthly pmi payment for a slightly higher interest rate when they obtained their last mortgage with a loan to value greater than 80%. Often times, LPMI scenarios offered lower payments than bpmi or combo loans at the time they were originated.

Some mortgages with LPMI were “single premium” meaning the coverage was paid for in one lump “single premium”.  Single premium LPMI may be transferred to a new HARP 2.0 mortgage. 

It’s also possible that the existing LPMI may be paid monthly by the lender. In this case, the private mortgage insurance company may be able to convert the “LPMI” from “lender paid” to “borrower paid”.  The borrower is trading their higher rate mortgage with LPMI for a much lower rate with monthly pmi in their mortgage payment. The monthly savings has been significant.

It’s my understanding that once PMI is transferred to a new HARP 2.0 mortgage, private mortgage insurance companies consider this a new loan. This means that when the pmi may drop off is reset. Typically pmi drops off your mortgage when your loan to value reaches 78% of the mortgages loan to value based on the appraised value.  If your home is significantly underwater, the private mortgage insurance will likely remain until you can refinance.  PLEASE DO NOT LET THIS STOP YOU FROM GETTING A HARP 2.0 QUOTE. Mortgage rate quotes are free and it’s doesn’t hurt to find out what your options are.  Click here for your HARP 2.0 quote for your home located anywhere in Washington state.

Here are two scenarios from quotes I provided yesterday, May 10, 2012, for HARP 2.0 mortgages with existing lender paid mortgage insurance (both borrowers have excellent credit):

Owner occupied home in Federal Way with a loan amount of $283,000 and an estimated value of $186,000 with LPMI single premium. With 30 year fixed mortgage and a rate of 4.375% (apr 4.515) they are reducing their monthly mortgage payment by $459 per month!

Owner occupied home in Renton with a loan amount of $311,000 and an estimated value of $215,000 with LPMI that was being paid monthly by the lender. 30 year fixed mortgage and a rate of 4.500% (apr 4.569%) they are reducing their monthly mortgage payment by $422 even with the lpmi converted to borrower paid.

NOTE: The difference in rate above due to having a mortgage priced with discount or rebate. How you have your mortgage priced (with discount or rebate credit) is up to you!

If you would like me to provide you a quote for your HARP 2.0 refinance on your home located anywhere in Washington, please click here.

I am required to have the language below if I am soliciting your Home Affordable Refi for your home in Washington…and yes, I would love to help you with your HARP (or any) refinance:

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have adopted changes to the Home Affordable Refinance program (HARP) and you may be eligible to take advantages of these changes.  

If your mortgage is owned or guaranteed by either Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, you may be eligible to refinance your mortgage under the enhanced and expanded provisions of HARP.

You can determine whether your mortgage is owned by either Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae by checking the following websites:

www.freddiemac.com/mymortgage or

http://www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup/


Filed Under: HARP - Home Affordable Refi, Mortgage Insurance Tagged With: , ,
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