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Refinance Rates Article
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Mortgage Refinancing is becoming more and more common today with the rising costs of buying or maintaining a home as well as the fluctuating interest rates. When we take out a mortgage to purchase a home, most of us feel it will be a one-time mortgage that we'll be paying on for a specific number of years until it's paid off. Mortgage refinancing is usually not something we're thinking of at this time. However, many individuals and couples choose mortgage refinancing as an option for lower interest rates or to get additional cash out of the equity of our home.
from:Banks and lending institutions probably do as many loans for mortgage refinancing as they do for new mortgage loans today. Our homes are probably the only asset we own that doesn't depreciate and lose value through the years. When we take out our original mortgage, we are borrowing on the value of the home. Most banks, however, will only borrow up to 80% of the value of the home. This is to protect them in the case of a foreclosure. If for some reason, you couldn't make the payments and they have to repossess the home, they are guaranteed getting their money back. Homes that are repossessed by banks are generally put up for auction. Unfortunately, they aren't always sold for their full value and the banks don't always get back all their money. With economy as shaky as it is today, unfortunately many couples are losing their homes to foreclosure.
Foreclosure is not good for the lender or the borrower because it costs both of them a lot of money in legal fees and court costs. For this reason, lending institutions will usually work with you as much as possible to help you save your home. Mortgage refinancing is usually the first recommendation they'll make to you as an effort to help you get ahead. Most people don't reach this point until they've had the mortgage for a few years so their loan balance has decreased while their home value has increased. Mortgage refinancing gives them a chance to get in a better financial situation.
Most people that reach this point are heavily in debt with other bills besides their mortgage. Mortgage refinancing gives them the opportunity to pay off their current mortgage, get extra cash to pay off additional debts and, often, lower their monthly payments. With the other debts paid off, these are monthly payments they'll no longer have to make, allowing them to only have their mortgage payment to make. When they do mortgage refinancing, they usually will extend the life of their loan as well. When their financial situation is better and their credit rating has improved, they have the option of mortgage refinancing again to lower the term of their mortgage.
Refinance Rates News
Record Low Mortgage Rates and Refinance Activity
Below is a graph comparing mortgage rates from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) and the refinance index from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
Read more...First Person: Is It Time to Refinance My Mortgage?
Your home is your biggest investment. Many people seem to think that once you purchase the house all you need to do is pay the mortgage and that's it. Of course that's possible but the shrewd financial manager keeps up on the market trends and interest rates. You never know when you can refinance and pay even less for your home than you originally thought.
Read more...Realtors(R) Offer Support for Bill to Help Responsible Homeowners Refinance
WASHINGTON, DC-- - A proposed bill to streamline and align the refinance processes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may soon make it easier for homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments but who ...
Read more...MBA: Mortgage Refinance activity increases, Mortgage Rates at Record Low
The Refinance Index increased 5.6 percent from the previous week. This is the third consecutive weekly increase in the Refinance Index which is at its highest level since February 10, 2012. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 3.0 percent from one week earlier to its lowest level since April 20, 2012 .
Read more...Refinancing Up as Rates Keep Falling
Mortgage refinance demand has risen for a third consecutive week, driven by sagging rates that fell to the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of new record lows. Applications to
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