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No Documentation Loans – How to a Mortgage Without Proving Your Income

December 24th, 2011



Do you work for yourself, own your own business, or are you a tipped employee? Do you need to refinance or get a mortgage, but you are not sure how you will with the lack of proof for your income? Getting a mortgage can be difficult with no real proof of what you make.

However, you can use what is called no documentation loans to get the mortgage you need. This could be the answer you have been waiting for. Here are the types of situations that fit the profile for a no documentation loan.

Those that are self employed are perfect for this type of mortgage. They typically do not claim all the money they make for various reasons. This can make it very difficult to prove their income. There are programs called stated income programs that are just right for you to use in this situation. They will not verify your income on a program like this.

You should have no problems getting the mortgage you need with a stated income program. You will not have to prove any income and you will be able to write down a number of what you really make. These programs started specifically for the self employed so don’t be afraid to take advantage of them.

Another type of worker that could use a no documentation loan is the independent contractor. This person gets paid cash mostly and it can be very hard to prove income in this situation. This is another time where the stated income program works wonders.

This will allow you to not have to worry about proving where you work or what you make. This is almost like being self employed, but not quite. You can refinance or get into the home you are after with the stated income program if you are an independent contractor and it will be pretty easy for you.

The last type of person is one that it is almost always necessary to use a no documentation loan to get a mortgage for. This is the tipped employee. This includes servers, bartenders, and anybody else that make the largest portion of their money for tips. Because you probably do not claim all your tips it will be difficult for you to get the mortgage you are after.

However, you can use the stated income program to get the mortgage you are after. This will give you the option of just writing down what you make and signing it. They will not be proving your actual income or your employment so you do not have to worry about that.

When you use a program like the no documentation loans or the stated income mortgage you are not doing anything that will hurt you. It will have a bit higher interest rate because it is a little more risky for lenders, but that is about it. You should not be afraid to go this route if you fit the above situations.

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The Mortgage Jungle

December 23rd, 2011



Owning a home is one of the main ingredients of achieving the “American Dream.” You’re probably reading and hearing about the mortgage crisis in America right now. It’s real, but the main thing to remember is that, like all crises, it will pass – eventually.

The mortgage crisis that we’re facing right now is the direct result of predatory lending practices by lending institutions. People were “qualified” for a mortgage for which they weren’t actually qualified. The subprime mortgage rate combined with adjustable rate mortgages and unadulterated greed was like a balloon filled with too much air. It burst! Lots of people got hurt, and the end isn’t yet in sight.

Nevertheless, owning a home is still part of the American dream, and people are still buying homes. If you are one of those that dream of owning your own home, there are some facts about mortgages that you do need to be aware of. Mortgages are not all created equally.

The Fixed Rate Mortgage: A fixed rate mortgage means that the interest rate will not change for the duration of the loan. If the mortgage is for 30 or even 40 years, the rate that you agree to when you buy the home is the rate that you will still be paying when you make the final mortgage payment. The interest of a fixed rate mortgage isn’t tied to market fluctuations – good or bad.

The Adjustable Rate Mortgage: Unlike a fixed rate mortgage, the interest charged on an adjustable rate mortgage is tied directly to market fluctuations. If you get the mortgage when the interest rate is low, when the interest rate rises, your monthly payment will increase. On the other hand, if the interest rate decreases, your mortgage payment will decrease.

There are other types of mortgages available; the balloon mortgage and the jumbo mortgage are two examples. The main thing is that you investigate your options before you sign on the dotted line.

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Mortgage Loans

December 14th, 2011



With the real estate prices sky rocketing, mortgage loans are a boon when it comes to purchasing your dream home. You can opt for a mortgage loan as a first time home buyer, or to move up, or to refinance an old mortgage, or to access the equity blocked in the house. Whatever may be the reason, it is important to have a basic knowledge about mortgage loans and its types.

Mortgage loan refers to a loan that is secured by a mortgage on real property. Since these loans are secured, the value of the property reduces the risk factor involved. Thus mortgage loans may be available at lower interest rates as compared to other types of borrowing.

Mortgage loans are structured as long-term loans and the periodic payments for them are calculated according to time value of money. The payment is generally through Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs) paid over the term of the loan. Over the period, the principal amount borrowed, would be slowly paid off through amortization.

It is very important to choose the right type of mortgage loan, like it is important to choose the right lender. Doing a little bit of homework will help you understand what the loan officer speaks, who most of the time otherwise seems to be speaking in an alien language.

There are two basic types of amortized mortgage loans viz.

1. Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans: In fixed rate mortgages, the interest rate remains fixed for the entire term of loan. Thus they are more predictable than other types of mortgage loans. Fixed rate loans are generally up to 30, 20, 15 and 10 years. The longer the term of loan, larger is the amount of interest paid than the principle, this means larger tax deductions.

Since the interest rate remains fixed, you are saved from paying higher rates as per market fluctuations. At the same time you might loose the opportunity of borrowing at lower rates if market rates fall. If the fall in interest rate is 2 points or more, and you plan to reside in the same house for at least 18 months more, you can opt for mortgage refinancing.

2. Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans: Also called floating rate or variable rate mortgage, these loans are popular because of the lower interest rates at the beginning. Adjustable rates are a little easier to obtain since some risk is transferred from the lender to borrower. Also lower interest rates may qualify the borrower for a larger loan amount.

In Floating rate mortgage loans interest rate is generally fixed for a period of time, after which it periodically adjusts to certain market indices. The most common market indices used are Prime Rate, London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and Treasury Index (T-bill). There is a cap on the margin that restricts the lender from charging interest rates higher than a certain point. This safeguards the interest of the borrower to a certain extent.

If you want to borrow money for your business purposes; you can opt for commercial mortgage loan. Commercial mortgage is similar to a residential mortgage, except that the collateral security given will be a commercial building or other business property and not a residential property.

All types of mortgage loans are generally non-recourse. This means that in case of default in payment, the lender can only seize the collateral security to recover the loan amount. Even if the collateral is insufficient to reimburse the loan in full, the lender has no further claim against the borrower.

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How Does an E Trade Mortgage Stack Up With the Rest of the Market?

December 8th, 2011



E trade mortgage, an online financial lending company, offers an innovative mortgage loan product. In 2003, E trade started offering portable fixed rate mortgage products. What are portable fixed rate mortgages? These are home loans that you can bring with you as you change home location.

The portable e trade mortgage is perfect for borrowers who want to lock in the loan at the current market interest rates. With this type of mortgage, the homeowner can sell their home and purchase another even before the end of their loan term.

In other lenders’ conventional fixed rate mortgage program, when a homeowner sells their home, they have to get a new loan in order to purchase a new residential property. One disadvantage of this is that the new loan may have higher interest rate than the previous loan.

With the portable e trade mortgage, however, the interest rate remains at the rate of the original loan even as the homeowner transfers to another residence. In other words, the portable e trade mortgage travels with you. This type of mortgage is a staple in some countries like Australia and Ireland.

E Trade’s portable mortgage, however, has higher interest rates than the average fixed rate mortgage. Also, the homeowner can change home only once.

Brokers earn from every home loan deal that they help seal. Some economists believe that the portable e trade mortgage won’t be supported by mortgage brokers across the county. However, E Trade believes this would have little or no effect on their company since E Trade is engaged in direct selling online and through mails and telephone.

With E Trade’s portable mortgage, the borrower doesn’t have to go through another lengthy application processing that involves credit checks and financial information verification. With the portable e trade mortgage, the homeowner can conveniently change addresses and change to a new mortgage that remains at the interest rate of their first.

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Obama Mortgage Relief With the Home Affordable Refinance Program

December 5th, 2011



In 2009, the mortgage bailouts continued with a new home refinancing program designed to aid struggling homeowners who have not been able to qualify for traditional refinance loans due to declining property values. Unfortunately, the recent housing crisis eroded the home equity for millions of homeowners. The Home Affordable Refinance Programs rolled out new government refinancing options that became available to a large sector of borrowers. HARP is part of the Obama mortgage plan that helps Americans reduce their loan payments or alter their current mortgage to be able to stay in their home and avoid foreclosure.

This latest government refinance initiative offers unique advantages over conventional home refinancing because it requires no equity. In fact the home values have depreciated so significantly that the latest Obama mortgage plan enables borrowers to refinance their mortgage up to 125% of the property’s present value. The 125 loan plan aims to refinance borrowers into lower mortgage payments.

HARP Loan Qualifications: The Home Affordable Refinance Program allows a homeowner to refinance their current mortgage as long as the home is used for primary residency. The homeowner must be current (less than 30 days late in the last 12 months) with their existing mortgage and the mortgage must be insured by one of the mortgage companies that are backed by the government (Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac). The home must have been purchased before or on January 1, 2009 to qualify. The home’s value must also have dropped causing the homeowner to not be able to refinance using conventional loans.

HARP loan limits have been set at $417,000 for the time being. There is a vast group of Americans that owe more on their mortgage than their house value is worth after real estate values dropped. Another group of Americans are not “upside down” in their mortgage, but they cannot refinance conventionally because refinancing 80% (% most lenders use) of the home’s current value does not allow them to even pay off the existing mortgage.

The Home Affordable Refinance Program may finally be the solution that many Americans have been looking for. Past government refinance plans like Hope for Homeowners and FHASecure were unable to help the average borrower refinance because they could not qualify due to lending program glitches. FHA refinance may still be a good fit for borrowers who have credit scores below a 620, but the borrower must be able to display compensating factors. Like conventional and FHA mortgage loans, pay stubs are required, and borrowers must be able to document that they have the ability to afford the new loan payments.

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Third Mortgage Loans – The Basics of 3rd Mortgage Loans

December 4th, 2011



Even when you already have a first and second mortgage on your home, you may want to secure a third mortgage. You may use the cash for some value-adding feature to your home, like a swimming pool or a new kitchen may be the reason. However, securing a third mortgage is not very easy.

A third mortgage loan stands subordinate to the first and second mortgage liens that exist. For this reason, it is very difficult to find lenders offering third mortgage home loans. The risk is much greater for the lender in case of a foreclosure. If the loan does get approved, which is difficult, it would be at a much higher rate of interest as compared to the earlier mortgages.

A third mortgage is a hard equity loan. The approval usually depends on the LTV or Loan to Value and SSR or Superior mortgage to Subordinate mortgage ratio.
LTV is expressed as a percentage of the present appraised value of the house, as against the total outstanding mortgage debt(s). Lenders expect the LTV for hard equity loans in the case of first mortgages to be sixty five percent and between fifty to sixty five percent, in the case of second mortgages. For third mortgages, it is anything between fifty to sixty percent.

The SSR is calculated by dividing the amount of the superior mortgage loan amount by the amount of the subordinate mortgage and expressed as a ratio between the two. For example, if the superior mortgage were for $100000 and the subordinate mortgage for $25000, the SSR would be 4:1. For hard equity lending, the SSR is usually in the range of 1:1 – 7:1. With a low LTV and SSR, a third mortgage loan may possible.

In a foreclosure proceeding, the first mortgagee is given preference over the subordinate/subsequent mortgagees as a general rule. This means that the entire debt of the first mortgagee is first satisfied, after which any remaining amount is applied towards the debt satisfaction of the second mortgagee. If anything is left after that, only then is the third mortgage paid off.

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