| |
| |
|
Mortgage & Refinancing Information |
|
|
|
Home Loans -- Federal Regulators Warn Lenders to Be More Careful
Federal banking regulators have recently expressed some concern over the housing market as home prices in the United States have risen to record levels. While homes are more unaffordable than ever for many people, the lending market remains strong, mostly because of the introduction of new, ever-more-flexible types of loans. While these newer loan types, such as the interest-only loan, make buying a home easier for some borrowers, they also propose a greater risk to the lender. The lending market has been quite aggressive during the last five years, as investors and homebuyers have purchased real estate in record numbers. Buyers who are skittish about investing in stocks have put their money into real estate instead, and prices have climbed to record levels. Lenders have been all too happy to accommodate the long line of customers in their offices with an ever-increasing array of products. With hundreds of loan types available, nearly everyone can qualify for some type of mortgage today. The problem, as regulators point out, is that some of the more popular types of loans are inherently risky. Two such examples are the interest-only loan, and home equity loans that exceed 100% of a home's value. The problem with such loans is that they are both issued under the assumption that home prices will continue to rise. Prices may continue to rise, but if they don't or worse, if they fall, lenders could find themselves in the ugly position of holding liens on property that is worth considerably less than the amount of the loan. As of yet, there's no sign of a crash in real estate prices, but foreclosures are up in both Texas and Florida, and this could be an indictor of more difficult times ahead for the lending industry. The banking regulators didn't issue any orders regarding how high-risk loans should be handled, but they did caution lenders to check the credit scores of borrowers carefully and to eschew or cut back on so-called "no-doc" loans, which do not require full documentation of a borrowers assets or income. This should be of relatively little concern for the average borrower, who would probably think that such guidelines represent ordinary common sense. Unfortunately, common sense sometimes gets ignored during boom times in business, only to be remembered when buyers start to default on their loans. By that time, it's too late to do anything, and the stockholders are left with the debt. ©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.
MORE RESOURCES:
Mortgage-Refinance - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Gearing Up for Bad Credit Mortgages Mortgage would have never happened, had mortgages been a no profit venture for the mortgagees or the mortgage providers. The lender receives much more than he had actually lent. Helpful Mortgage Advice Mortgage advice overwhelming you? Many people get advice from everyone on the planet when they talk about purchasing a home. People tell them their version of advice on most important factors and expect the potential home buyer to do as they have instructed. Mortgage-Refinance Treachery: Avoid Mortgage Bankers and Brokers Biggest Trick -- The Sales Pitch What the average homeowner or home buyer fails to realize is that bankers, loan officers, mortgage brokers, or whatever your lenders call themselves, are salesmen. Certainly, if you purchased your home from a realtor and used her lender, you most likely got a feeling of trust in that person, because the realtor referred him. Option ARM Mortgage Loan - Is This Really for You? What happened to the days of a 15 or 30 year fixed rate mortgage loan? Ultimately this is the safest and most popular mortgage loan product in our industry, but new mortgage products are hitting the market, and we in the mortgage business are using them to our advantage; ever heard the radio advertisement saying, "buy a $200K home for $643.28 per month; call XYZ Mortgage Company to apply"? The product used in this ad is called an Option ARM, and I feel it's my duty as a mortgage professional to tell you what this product is in case you happen to meet up with that loan officer whose only concern is to make a fee, and not have your best interest in mind. How to Find the Lowest Rate Possible! The quest is on! You're in the market for a new home loan, a refinance, or a consolidation and you absolutely insist on finding the lowest rate possible! So what better place to do your research, then here on the internet, late at night, with your coffee in hand, and your family fast to sleep!We'd like to help you on your quest, so here are 3 free tips that we think will speed up your journey, and move you to success:1. Benchmarks 2. Mortgages - Which Loan is Right For You When buying a home, you need to take a home mortgage loan, either because as a debtor, you end up paying less tax, or because in a market where property prices rise faster than salary levels, the money you have saved falls short of the amount required. When searching for a home mortgage loan, you can select from a wide variety. Is It Time To Buy A House? At some point as you're writing out your rent check, you get to the point where you look at the amount and think to yourself - at this rate, I could BUY a house. If you're fed up with paying rent every month that's high enough to finance a mortgage, it may be time to take a serious look at what it would take for you to get a mortgage loan and buy a home of your own. Do You REALLY Need a Home Equity Loan? Your equity is the amount your home is worth, on the market, minus the amount you owe to your mortgage broker. For example, if your property is worth $200,000 and the balance you owe your mortgage broker is $100,000, then your home equity - the part of your property that you own free and clear - is $100,000. Mortgage Calculator - How to Calculate Your Monthly Mortgage Payment Just starting to shop for a new home? Do you want to know how to figure what your monthly payment would be based on a certain priced home? No problem, there are plenty of mortgage calculators on the web you can use free of charge (click here for an example of one). All you need to know is the mortgage amount, sale price less the down payment, interest rate (also easy to access on the web), and the number of years you wish to finance your new home, usually 30 years (360 months) is the maximum term. Using a Calculator to Assess Your Loan Buying a house is a very important step in your life. Every family dreams of having their own home and whether you are looking into your first, or are moving or upgrading your home, you know your mortgage is important. 5 Tips for Savvy Use of Your Home Equity Line of Credit Tapping your home's equity to pay college expenses, consolidate credit card debt or even to buy a new car or boat is common place. Many economists attribute the additional buying power afforded consumers through home equity debt as a primary reason the nation's economy has been able to emerge from the recent recession. Need Mortgage? Alternative Finance Often Masks Predators, Who Want to Steal Your House So, your bank had just turned you down for a mortgage application. The same thing also happened, when you went to other banks in your area. Mortgage Lead and Mortgage Leads A mortgage lead is an exciting thing because you are filled with the thought of buying a house. Mortgage leads are listings of information dealing with how much a house will be. Follow A Few Simple Steps To Make Shopping For Your New Home Loan A Little Easier It is likely to be one of the largest purchases of your life, and it can be extremely nerve racking and overwhelming. Buying a new home! Whether you are buying your first home, or moving to a new home; purchasing a home and shopping for home loans is a major decision that requires a lot of time and energy. Selling Your Business Note Before I go further, let me ask a question- if you won the lottery tomorrow, would you take the payout in a lump sum or in monthly payments?Most people would take a lump sum because even though it might be less than the total prize, they would have control over a large sum of money now and could let the time value of money go to work and increase their winnings.So why then would you opt to get paid on your business sale over several years rather than take a lump sum payout?The answer is probably because you didn't know that you could get cash for your business note. What is a Flexible Mortgage? 'Flexible mortgage' is a term that's used a lot, but what exactly does it mean? A flexible mortgage allows the borrower to make extra repayments when they have the extra money and even reduce or skip payments should the need arise.A flexible mortgage allows you to make extra payments to reduce the amount outstanding on your mortgage thereby reducing the interest you're paying or pay off your mortgage earlier than planned. Adjustable Rate Mortgages - Understand the Benefits Compared to a Fixed Rate Mortgage Adjustable rate mortgages can be very tempting to home buyers, yet they carry a great deal of uncertainty. Fixed rate mortgages offer rate and payment security, but they are more expensive. Refinance Mortgage Rate and Mortgage Rates Refinance mortgage rate is the best rate available to qualified homeowners for refinancing their current home mortgage. Refinance mortgage rates vary from product to product and customer to customer. Selecting the Right Mortgage for You A mortgage is a loan you take out to buy a home. This loan covers the "principal" (purchase price of the house minus your down payment) plus the "interest," which is the fee a lender charges you to borrow the money. Council Right To Buy Mortgage - Transform Your Accommodation Into Home Homeowner - does this term catch your attention every time you hear it? It is a powerful term. It is hard being a tenant for long.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |