Buying a new home is a big step and for some is the largest investment they have ever made. Most people can not afford to buy a home outright, so they get a loan instead. This loan is called a mortgage and there are two main kinds.
With a fixed rate mortgage you are guaranteed by the lender to maintain the same interest rate during the entire length of your loan. The major advantage to this type of loan is that if the federal interest rates go up, you are locked in at a lower rate that can not be changed by the bank. There is a flip side to this though, because if the federal interest rate goes down, your interest rate will not.
Most people that finance their home with a fixed rate mortgage, do so over the course of 30 years. The advantage to this is that you get a larger tax advantage and because it is spread out over 30 years a lower monthly payment.
Others opt for a shorter mortgage of 15 or 20 years. Generally the shorter the loan, the lower the interest rate. This means you pay less interest, but because you are paying over a shorter time the monthly payments will be higher.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM)
An adjustable rate mortgage, as the name implies, is a mortgage that does not have a fixed interest rate. The interest rate is set to be re-evaluated at a predetermined period. The interest rate can go up or down and a cap is placed on the percent it can change each time.
The frequency that the interest rate adjusts is set by the bank, as is the amount the interest rate can change each time. For example say you are offered a 4.9% 3/1 ARM. This means that the first 3 years, the interest rate will stay at 4.9%. After that your interest rate will adjust every 1 year. The percent that the interest rate can go up or down is set at the time of the loan, but it is often 1%. So in 4 years when the interest rate change, you would probably be paying 5.9%. The next year it would be re-evaluated and would either raise or lower 1%.
The advantage to this type of loan is that your initial interest rate will be generally less expensive than a fixed rate mortgage. If you keep the loan without refinancing though, you will likely end up with a much higher interest rate because except in times of recession, your interest rate will not typically go down. An adjustable rate mortgage is perfect if you intend to refinance or sell your home within a few years before the interest rate changes.
This week Senator Barack Obama outlined his plan to save the US housing market while speaking to a group of Union members in New York. His plan centers on the modernization of the financial regulatory system as well as a second stimulus package. According to Senator Obama, the regulatory agencies in Washington have let the special interest set the agenda for reform.
The Obama plan is a three prong approach.
1. Modernize the Financial Regulatory System
This includes giving the Fed supervisory authority over any institution where the Fed is a lender of last resort; i.e. Bear Sterns. Obama also wishes to increase disclosure requirements for investment institutions and streamline the entire process of regulation. Currently, many institutions are regulated by multiple agencies with overlapping areas of authority. This makes it difficult to identify who is responsible for enforcing compliance.
2. Help Homeowners Facing Foreclosure
Obama proposes the start of a new Housing Security Program to give lenders an incentive to refinance existing mortgages into fixed 30 year mortgages backed by the federal government. He also proposes closing the Chapter 13 bankruptcy loophole for mortgage companies and defining mortgage fraud and predatory lending at the federal level.
3. $30 billion Economic Stimulus Package Specific to the Mortgage Crisis
The stimulus package would set aside $10 billion in foreclosure prevention for home owners in danger of losing their home. Another $10 billion would go to state and local governments that are facing revenue shortfalls due to the housing market. The rest of the package would be used to extend the length of unemployment benefits for full time workers and offer compensation to many part time workers not currently included in the system.
March 29 (Bloomberg) — President Bush announced plans yesterday to increase government assistance to distressed homeowners in an effort to curb the current crisis in the mortgage industry. This is no doubt in response to pressure from leading Democrats who have been vocal in their criticism toward the administrations “wait and see” approach.
Although no firm details have been announced, the primary target of the Bush plan will be to tackle the problem of “underwater” loans or loans that are larger than the actual value of the property. This will mean that cooperation with lenders will be essential as any strategy will require the lenders to forgive part of the loan and refinance the remaining principle with backing from the government. The plan will likely require that homeowners remain in their homes, are able to afford the new payments, and that their lender is willing to sign off on the changes.
Thornburg mortgage is just the latest wall street lender on the brink of collapse as mortgage backed securities continue to lose all value. As of Wednesday morning, Thornburg stock had dropped 49% to only $1.50 a share after the company announced that it needed to raise at least $948 million dollars to stay afloat. The plan entails using convertible bonds that will give investors a 27% share in the company, further diluting the already worthless shares for the current share holders. The deal has yet to materialize as investors may be wary after the recent Bear Sterns debacle. Originally scheduled for a Thursday release, the convertible bonds have been pushed back till Monday as Thornburg works to attract potential investors.
Experts say that Thornburg mortgages are not defaulting in large numbers but the current credit crisis has lessened their value as an asset and in turn, Thornburg’s overall equity.
The term ARM is in the news a lot recently, yet many people don’t understand what ARMs really are. Here, we offer an explanation of how ARMs work and the different ARM options.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, Americans refinance their home mortgage loans every four years. But how do Americans know it is time to refinance? How do they know which refinance loan to choose?