Times are tough, there is no doubt about that. Interest rates are inching up and much of the hub-bub of the refinance boom is over. It’s the difficult loans that remain, amongst them mostly purchases.
It’s time to face facts. The A-paper good credit refinance loans are over. There is little chance that you’ll be able to convince anyone to refinance, unless they are in extreme dire financial straights and have a tremendous amount of debt to pay off (and in that case, they are probably sub-prime borrowers anyway). Because consumers are interest rate sensitive, even though they are combining total debt into a lower payment, you will be hard-pressed to get them to trade their 5.25% mortgage rate for a 7.5% rate. It simply won’t happen.
In order to sell these types of refinance loans (combining and rolling debt into the mortgage), you will have to hit the customer’s hot buttons. Are they concerned about lowering the monthly out-go? Have they recently had a major financial change in their life? Lost their job? Unexpected bills? Whatever the reason, the customer’s immediate concern is the monthly cash flow. They aren’t thinking long term, and what this will do to their financial future. All they care about is getting back on their feet. And this is where YOU can help. But do it if it only makes sense. Don’t sell a loan if you yourself wouldn’t do the same thing.
Know that long term, when you roll debt into a mortgage, you pay much more on that debt than you ever would by paying it off yourself. You end-up carrying the debt over a much longer term, 30 years on a 30 year note, and the accumulated total interest charged is much, much higher. Even tens of thousands of dollars higher!
Yes, there are tax benefits to this and you can deduct the interest from your mortgage off of your taxes. But, what happens cash-flow-wise is that the customer is stuck with an elevated monthly mortgage payment over the LONG TERM. Short term, the combined total monthly cash flow is lower by combining debt, but long term their monthly mortgage payment will be higher than what they originally started with.
In order words if the customer simply got a debt consolidation loan or a HELOC from their bank, at least when the debt is finally paid off, they would still have the same low monthly mortgage they have now. By paying debt though refinancing, long term the customer shoots themselves in the foot by paying a higher interest rate and having a higher monthly mortgage payment (which will never go back down unless they refinance again or pay off the note).
These types of refinance loans made sense when rates were low and customers were cutting both their monthly mortgage rate and monthly payment. It was logical and the financial benefits could be seen in black and white. Nowadays, these debt-consolidation mortgage loans are almost un-sellable. It’s simple economics and no matter how you try to push it, it’s a very hard sell indeed. You would not only be doing the customer a disservice but yourself.
Give up on these types of refinance loans for now. Focus on purchase loans and sub-prime. That’s where the money is and that’s how you’re going to succeed in this market.
About The Author
Rob Lawrence is ranked one of top national trainers in the mortgage industry. He is the currently the CEO of Battlecall.com, coaching, tools and resources to turn mortgage professionals into mortgage warriors. Visit http://www.battlecall.com for his free “Sink Or Swim” weekly newsletter, mortgage training, marketing advice and more! Jumpstart your career in the mortgage business, starting today.
Fixed Rate Mortgages Versus Adjustable Rate Mortgages
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When it comes to mortgage loans, whether they’re in Denver or some other city, the average borrower will have to choose from two main types of loans: fixed rate mortgage loans and adjustable rate mortgage loans.
This choice may turn out to be the most important one that you’ll make during your decision making process as to how you’ll be financing your home. The overall mortgage formula used to determine how much you’ll pay based on your interest rate will be the same for both kinds of loans, but there’s a very good chance that your monthly payments will vary between the two throughout the life of the loan.
Considering the adjustable rate option should only be done if you’re financially secure enough to handle the maximum payment stipulated in your contract, you’ll also need the emotional maturity to handle volatile rates and changing monthly payments.
Adjustable rate mortgage loans are widely blamed to be the source or at least the igniter of this economic hardship that the whole world is going through. Lots of individuals whether they were aware of it or not were taking on loans that they couldn’t afford in the first place, which lead them to default en masse. This happened because an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM, comes with an initial low interest rate, which is lower than the rate for a similar loan would be with a fixed rate mortgage. After that honeymoon period of a couple of years, the rates start to adjust and as we’ve seen they adjusted up, way beyond the rates of a fixed rate loan for the same amount.
The crucial factor when considering an adjustable rate loan is the amount of time that you’ll be spending in the home. This is due to the fact that during the first couple of years thanks to the very low interest rate you’ll be able to save money that you’d otherwise have to pay if you had a fixed rate loan, however when the loan adjusts you may lose all the savings that you’ve accrued over the first couple of years. This means that if you don’t plan on staying in the home for more than four or five years, you may come out ahead with an adjustable rate loan because of the lower interest rate during that time,
The inherent problem with adjustable rate loans, whether they’re in Denver or not, is the fact that no one can predict the future of interest rates or of the real estate market in general. Logic would have us believe that if the rates are increasing then you’d be better off with a fixed rate mortgage, but logic and statistics can never predict future events in the real estate market, they can only study them after the fact. Case and point, nobody was expecting the credit crunch in America to be of such large proportions as it was and affecting the entire global economy in ways that no one could have imagined before 2008.
Talking about fixed rate mortgage loans now for a bit, it’s interesting to know that a lender considers that he is taking an extra risk when committing to your constant interest rate for ten, twenty or thirty years because just like the rest of the world, the lenders don’t know where the market is going either. If the overall rates increase your lender will have to continue to ask for what he is contractually obligated thus robbing him of profit, this is why lenders will charge you a premium on your fixed rate loan for their risk, however if you’re planning to live in the house for more than five to seven years then you’ll be better served by a fixed rate loan.
About The Author
Please visit Bill Marinelli's website for more information at http://www.paramounthomeloans.com.
This choice may turn out to be the most important one that you’ll make during your decision making process as to how you’ll be financing your home. The overall mortgage formula used to determine how much you’ll pay based on your interest rate will be the same for both kinds of loans, but there’s a very good chance that your monthly payments will vary between the two throughout the life of the loan.
Considering the adjustable rate option should only be done if you’re financially secure enough to handle the maximum payment stipulated in your contract, you’ll also need the emotional maturity to handle volatile rates and changing monthly payments.
Adjustable rate mortgage loans are widely blamed to be the source or at least the igniter of this economic hardship that the whole world is going through. Lots of individuals whether they were aware of it or not were taking on loans that they couldn’t afford in the first place, which lead them to default en masse. This happened because an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM, comes with an initial low interest rate, which is lower than the rate for a similar loan would be with a fixed rate mortgage. After that honeymoon period of a couple of years, the rates start to adjust and as we’ve seen they adjusted up, way beyond the rates of a fixed rate loan for the same amount.
The crucial factor when considering an adjustable rate loan is the amount of time that you’ll be spending in the home. This is due to the fact that during the first couple of years thanks to the very low interest rate you’ll be able to save money that you’d otherwise have to pay if you had a fixed rate loan, however when the loan adjusts you may lose all the savings that you’ve accrued over the first couple of years. This means that if you don’t plan on staying in the home for more than four or five years, you may come out ahead with an adjustable rate loan because of the lower interest rate during that time,
The inherent problem with adjustable rate loans, whether they’re in Denver or not, is the fact that no one can predict the future of interest rates or of the real estate market in general. Logic would have us believe that if the rates are increasing then you’d be better off with a fixed rate mortgage, but logic and statistics can never predict future events in the real estate market, they can only study them after the fact. Case and point, nobody was expecting the credit crunch in America to be of such large proportions as it was and affecting the entire global economy in ways that no one could have imagined before 2008.
Talking about fixed rate mortgage loans now for a bit, it’s interesting to know that a lender considers that he is taking an extra risk when committing to your constant interest rate for ten, twenty or thirty years because just like the rest of the world, the lenders don’t know where the market is going either. If the overall rates increase your lender will have to continue to ask for what he is contractually obligated thus robbing him of profit, this is why lenders will charge you a premium on your fixed rate loan for their risk, however if you’re planning to live in the house for more than five to seven years then you’ll be better served by a fixed rate loan.
About The Author
Please visit Bill Marinelli's website for more information at http://www.paramounthomeloans.com.
Lending Company Puts Forth A New Philosophy
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An interesting concept is being put forward by a company called Global Equity Lending which, according to them,is rooted in the fact that building a secure financial future is more difficult than ever.The rules are changing and perhaps the old practices need to be revamped.GEL calls its new philosophy, "Harnessing The Power of Your Mortgage"
In 2004,credit card debt accounted for over half of the $2.1 trillion of consumer debt in the U.S., quadrupling over the last decade.Today,the average American household has $9,000 of credit card debt at 16% interest.To pay that average off,at that interest rate would take ten years,totaling over $8,000 in interest when all is said and done.The financial impact of this,which is virtually unrealized is devastating.GEL claims to have a better way.Their thinking is that since you must borrow money over the coarse of life,why not borrow it as inexpensively as possible.Credit cards,auto loans,and personal loans are all high interest and non deductable.So why not harness the power of your mortgage?
According to GEL,Americans operate under a mindset,when it comes to personal finance,that has been burned into our country's psyche from the days of the great depression.That philosophy is as such:First get the lowest rate mortgage,then,set up a bi-weekly payment plan,and,whenever possible send in additional payments.This way you pay off your mortgage as soon as possible. Sound good to me,right?Well,much to my suprise,this company claims that is exactly what we should NOT be doing!On the contrary,their idea is one which is echoed by New York Times Best Selling author of "The New Rules Of Money",Rick Edelman,who says,"You should get a big,30 year mortgage and never pay it off."Edelman and GEL put rules forth which read like this:
1.Never send extra money to your mortgage
2.Stay away from bi-weekly plans.
3.Make the smallest payment with the biggest tax break.
4.Putting extra money toward your mortgage is like putting it under the matress.
To back up his claim,Edelman offers five distinct reasons why you should carry a long loan:
1.Mortgages don't lower your homes value.Your home will grow in value whether or not you have a mortgage.
2.Your mortgage is the cheapest money you'll ever buy.Why pay credit card at 18%,when you can borrow at rates under 7%.
3.Your mortgage is the best way to lower your taxes.There aren't many tax breaks left. Mortage loans,unlike credit cards and car loans are fully tax deductable.
4.You should get cash out of you house while you still can.You may find it difficult to get a loan if something like a loss of job comes up.
5.Mortgages become cheaper over time.Most times your payment will stay the same over the years while your income rises,making it easier to pay over time.
To further illustrate their beliefs,GEL presentations include a case study called,"The Tale of Two Brothers", where they do a financial comparison of two fictional brothers.In the story,Brother A,as he is called follows the "old" way of thinking,while his brother(yes,you guessed it,brother B)uses GEL and Edelman's theory.The results of the study find Brother B with almost a one million dollar advantage over Brother A.The full hypothetical can be viewed on http://yourbighouse.com, but the jist is that the second brother used the money he saved carrying an interest only loan,or GEL's famous "power option"loan to invest in other places.That,combined with the mortgage tax breaks lead to the million dollar separation after 30 years.
So,if you believe in this new way of thinking,and are ready to follow the model(in other words, REALLY, put that extra money to work for you),then I believe an interest only loan or GEL's power option loan is the way to go,but be careful.
For more info on this new philosophy,go to http://YourBigHouse.com
About The Author
Ronald Burgans
Senior Executive
Taxback Recovery
http://RecoverMyTax.com
http://RecoverProfits.com
info@recovermytax.com
In 2004,credit card debt accounted for over half of the $2.1 trillion of consumer debt in the U.S., quadrupling over the last decade.Today,the average American household has $9,000 of credit card debt at 16% interest.To pay that average off,at that interest rate would take ten years,totaling over $8,000 in interest when all is said and done.The financial impact of this,which is virtually unrealized is devastating.GEL claims to have a better way.Their thinking is that since you must borrow money over the coarse of life,why not borrow it as inexpensively as possible.Credit cards,auto loans,and personal loans are all high interest and non deductable.So why not harness the power of your mortgage?
According to GEL,Americans operate under a mindset,when it comes to personal finance,that has been burned into our country's psyche from the days of the great depression.That philosophy is as such:First get the lowest rate mortgage,then,set up a bi-weekly payment plan,and,whenever possible send in additional payments.This way you pay off your mortgage as soon as possible. Sound good to me,right?Well,much to my suprise,this company claims that is exactly what we should NOT be doing!On the contrary,their idea is one which is echoed by New York Times Best Selling author of "The New Rules Of Money",Rick Edelman,who says,"You should get a big,30 year mortgage and never pay it off."Edelman and GEL put rules forth which read like this:
1.Never send extra money to your mortgage
2.Stay away from bi-weekly plans.
3.Make the smallest payment with the biggest tax break.
4.Putting extra money toward your mortgage is like putting it under the matress.
To back up his claim,Edelman offers five distinct reasons why you should carry a long loan:
1.Mortgages don't lower your homes value.Your home will grow in value whether or not you have a mortgage.
2.Your mortgage is the cheapest money you'll ever buy.Why pay credit card at 18%,when you can borrow at rates under 7%.
3.Your mortgage is the best way to lower your taxes.There aren't many tax breaks left. Mortage loans,unlike credit cards and car loans are fully tax deductable.
4.You should get cash out of you house while you still can.You may find it difficult to get a loan if something like a loss of job comes up.
5.Mortgages become cheaper over time.Most times your payment will stay the same over the years while your income rises,making it easier to pay over time.
To further illustrate their beliefs,GEL presentations include a case study called,"The Tale of Two Brothers", where they do a financial comparison of two fictional brothers.In the story,Brother A,as he is called follows the "old" way of thinking,while his brother(yes,you guessed it,brother B)uses GEL and Edelman's theory.The results of the study find Brother B with almost a one million dollar advantage over Brother A.The full hypothetical can be viewed on http://yourbighouse.com, but the jist is that the second brother used the money he saved carrying an interest only loan,or GEL's famous "power option"loan to invest in other places.That,combined with the mortgage tax breaks lead to the million dollar separation after 30 years.
So,if you believe in this new way of thinking,and are ready to follow the model(in other words, REALLY, put that extra money to work for you),then I believe an interest only loan or GEL's power option loan is the way to go,but be careful.
For more info on this new philosophy,go to http://YourBigHouse.com
About The Author
Ronald Burgans
Senior Executive
Taxback Recovery
http://RecoverMyTax.com
http://RecoverProfits.com
info@recovermytax.com
Bad Credit? You Can Still Get a Mortgage to Buy a House
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Unfortunately bad credit can haunt you for the rest of your life. If there are bankruptcies or foreclosures on your credit report, you know how hard it is to get any line of credit. Lenders and creditors simply look to as a too big of risk to loan money to.
But we know that even though mistakes were made in the past, your financial situation and behavior can be reformed. Some lenders understand this as well, and the sub prime lending market has grown and become very competitive. The lending market can be broken up into two main segments, the prime, those with average to good credit who are not huge financial risks. Then there is the sub prime market, with those who have poor to very bad or no credit.
Lenders can give ratings to a certain sub prime client giving them a rating from A-D: A being the best rating and D being the worst. When you fall into the C or D category, you are considered very high risk and more likely to default on a loan than that of a person with an A or B rating.
Sub prime lenders generally give loans to even the highest of risk cases. They look at the same information that a prime lender would look at to evaluate the type mortgage you can have. They look at credit history, income, expenses and long term debt. If you do have foreclosures, bankruptcies, delinquent payments, and outstanding debt, they will take all of this into consideration. If you can show steady employment, a good income, an effort to pay back the money you owe and are doing it in a timely fashion, you are more likely to get a better rate than that of someone who is not taking any steps to fix their credit.
Sub prime lenders can loan the money you need by protecting themselves. They do this through higher rates and fees that prime lenders would not charge. Be careful, because some sub prime lenders will take advantage of your poor credit history and charge a ridiculous amount in fees and charge you a too high of interest rate even for a poor credit case.
Fortunately for the consumer, this sub prime market is extremely competitive and you do not have to accept the first lender who offers to loan you money. You actually have the luxury to shop around and compare rates, even for the worst of credit cases! So check online for tools that can aid you in finding and comparing sub prime lenders. The internet is a good place to start your research. You can also ask for referrals from family, friends and even local bank.
Don't allow credit mistakes in the past to dictate how you live your life today. Buying a home is still an option regardless of your credit history. And, as long as the sub prime market continues to be competitive, you, the consumer is at a huge advantage.
It is always a good idea to take steps to repair your credit, and buying a home can aid in this. If you make you mortgage payments on time every month, then you can watch your credit grow! Sub prime lenders specialize in this area, so allow them you help you make your credit score even better! Be sure the sub prime lender you use is trustworthy and qualified. There are sharks in the industry, so be sure to ask for referrals and look at licenses.
So go buy your home and repair your credit at the same time! Take advantage of the opportunities you have at your fingertips.
About The Author
John R Blakefield is a mortgage and real estate specialist. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on home mortgages or investment loans, refinancing, debt solutions, visit this site: http://www.scourtheweb.com/mortgage/.
But we know that even though mistakes were made in the past, your financial situation and behavior can be reformed. Some lenders understand this as well, and the sub prime lending market has grown and become very competitive. The lending market can be broken up into two main segments, the prime, those with average to good credit who are not huge financial risks. Then there is the sub prime market, with those who have poor to very bad or no credit.
Lenders can give ratings to a certain sub prime client giving them a rating from A-D: A being the best rating and D being the worst. When you fall into the C or D category, you are considered very high risk and more likely to default on a loan than that of a person with an A or B rating.
Sub prime lenders generally give loans to even the highest of risk cases. They look at the same information that a prime lender would look at to evaluate the type mortgage you can have. They look at credit history, income, expenses and long term debt. If you do have foreclosures, bankruptcies, delinquent payments, and outstanding debt, they will take all of this into consideration. If you can show steady employment, a good income, an effort to pay back the money you owe and are doing it in a timely fashion, you are more likely to get a better rate than that of someone who is not taking any steps to fix their credit.
Sub prime lenders can loan the money you need by protecting themselves. They do this through higher rates and fees that prime lenders would not charge. Be careful, because some sub prime lenders will take advantage of your poor credit history and charge a ridiculous amount in fees and charge you a too high of interest rate even for a poor credit case.
Fortunately for the consumer, this sub prime market is extremely competitive and you do not have to accept the first lender who offers to loan you money. You actually have the luxury to shop around and compare rates, even for the worst of credit cases! So check online for tools that can aid you in finding and comparing sub prime lenders. The internet is a good place to start your research. You can also ask for referrals from family, friends and even local bank.
Don't allow credit mistakes in the past to dictate how you live your life today. Buying a home is still an option regardless of your credit history. And, as long as the sub prime market continues to be competitive, you, the consumer is at a huge advantage.
It is always a good idea to take steps to repair your credit, and buying a home can aid in this. If you make you mortgage payments on time every month, then you can watch your credit grow! Sub prime lenders specialize in this area, so allow them you help you make your credit score even better! Be sure the sub prime lender you use is trustworthy and qualified. There are sharks in the industry, so be sure to ask for referrals and look at licenses.
So go buy your home and repair your credit at the same time! Take advantage of the opportunities you have at your fingertips.
About The Author
John R Blakefield is a mortgage and real estate specialist. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on home mortgages or investment loans, refinancing, debt solutions, visit this site: http://www.scourtheweb.com/mortgage/.
The Right Time for Mortgage Refinancing
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If interest rates have dropped by a percentage point or more since you got your first mortgage, refinancing could save you big bucks. And if you have enough equity so that your new mortgage is for less than 80% of your home’s value, you’ll be able to stop paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), which will save you even more.
Mortgage refinancing could also result in lower monthly payments, depending on factors such as: if any ‘points’ are paid to lower the interest rate on the new mortgage; how much cash is taken out at the time of refinancing; the duration of the new mortgage and whether the new mortgage is a fixed-rate, adjustable-rate or variable-rate loan.
“A vast majority of people close their loans, make their payments and don't worry about it again,” says Bob Cannon of BancMortgage Financial Corp. “They don't refinance when they should be looking at it.”
Even if you have bad credit and have to pay somewhat higher interest rates, mortgage refinancing will still cost less than other forms of borrowing because the loan is secured by your home. And if you use the money wisely, you can get out of credit trouble and raise your FICO score. This will qualify you for better rates in the future.
Your FICO score is computed and tracked by the three major credit bureaus: Trans Union, Equifax and Experian. Your score is updated quarterly and is negatively affected by such things as: late or missed loan payments, filing for bankruptcy, having too much debt compared to your income, and credit card balances being too close to their limits.
Fixing Bad Credit
If you are a homeowner, mortgage refinancing can go a long way toward improving your financial situation. Here are a few other positive steps you can take to speed up the process:
Credit card discipline - Reduce the number of cards in your wallet or purse to one. Take it out only when necessary and pay it off each month.
Credit union membership - If you aren’t already a member, join a credit union. They’re a good source of loans for purchases like a car or a home.
Automatic savings - Have your bank automatically deposit a set amount from your paycheck into your savings account or retirement plan.
Avoid credit repair scams - There’s nothing a credit repair company can do that you can’t do yourself with a little research and effort.
Many of the homes on your block have probably been refinanced in the last few years. Now it’s your turn. For more information on bad credit mortgage refinancing and a quote based on today’s best rates, visit www.badcreditmortgagerefinancingnow.com/.
About The Author
Mike Hamel is the author of several books and the Senior Writer for AIM Techs, www.salesandmarketingllc.com, an Internet marketing company that specializes in improving visitor-to-sale conversions using proprietary software and advanced SEM techniques.
Mikehamel@salesandmarketingllc.com
Mortgage refinancing could also result in lower monthly payments, depending on factors such as: if any ‘points’ are paid to lower the interest rate on the new mortgage; how much cash is taken out at the time of refinancing; the duration of the new mortgage and whether the new mortgage is a fixed-rate, adjustable-rate or variable-rate loan.
“A vast majority of people close their loans, make their payments and don't worry about it again,” says Bob Cannon of BancMortgage Financial Corp. “They don't refinance when they should be looking at it.”
Even if you have bad credit and have to pay somewhat higher interest rates, mortgage refinancing will still cost less than other forms of borrowing because the loan is secured by your home. And if you use the money wisely, you can get out of credit trouble and raise your FICO score. This will qualify you for better rates in the future.
Your FICO score is computed and tracked by the three major credit bureaus: Trans Union, Equifax and Experian. Your score is updated quarterly and is negatively affected by such things as: late or missed loan payments, filing for bankruptcy, having too much debt compared to your income, and credit card balances being too close to their limits.
Fixing Bad Credit
If you are a homeowner, mortgage refinancing can go a long way toward improving your financial situation. Here are a few other positive steps you can take to speed up the process:
Credit card discipline - Reduce the number of cards in your wallet or purse to one. Take it out only when necessary and pay it off each month.
Credit union membership - If you aren’t already a member, join a credit union. They’re a good source of loans for purchases like a car or a home.
Automatic savings - Have your bank automatically deposit a set amount from your paycheck into your savings account or retirement plan.
Avoid credit repair scams - There’s nothing a credit repair company can do that you can’t do yourself with a little research and effort.
Many of the homes on your block have probably been refinanced in the last few years. Now it’s your turn. For more information on bad credit mortgage refinancing and a quote based on today’s best rates, visit www.badcreditmortgagerefinancingnow.com/.
About The Author
Mike Hamel is the author of several books and the Senior Writer for AIM Techs, www.salesandmarketingllc.com, an Internet marketing company that specializes in improving visitor-to-sale conversions using proprietary software and advanced SEM techniques.
Mikehamel@salesandmarketingllc.com
Mortgage Definitions
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Jumbo mortgage
This is considered a nonconforming loan because it exceeds the loan limit set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The 2003 single-family loan limit is $322,700. The maximum loan amount is 50 percent higher in Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Balloon mortgage
With these, borrowers get lower rates and payments for a specific period of time, which usually is anywhere from three years to 10 years. At that point, a borrower has to pay off the principal balance in a lump sum.
Assumable mortgage
Assumable mortgages are relatively rare. A homeowner with an assumable loan can "hand off" the loan to a buyer instead of paying it off using proceeds from the home sale. If rates are low and you can get one, by all means do so. If rates rise, buyers will want to assume your loan (and will be willing to pay more for your house!) because it'll be much cheaper than any loan they could get from a bank or other source.
Subprime mortgages
These loans have higher rates and more onerous terms than conventional loans, but they can help borrowers who have poor credit ratings.
About The Author
Jeff Anderson knows his mortgages. He knows what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid. Let him guide you to finding out more about mortgages. Contact him at Jeff@ibfmortgage.com or visit the blog at his site www.ibfmortgage.com.
This is considered a nonconforming loan because it exceeds the loan limit set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The 2003 single-family loan limit is $322,700. The maximum loan amount is 50 percent higher in Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Balloon mortgage
With these, borrowers get lower rates and payments for a specific period of time, which usually is anywhere from three years to 10 years. At that point, a borrower has to pay off the principal balance in a lump sum.
Assumable mortgage
Assumable mortgages are relatively rare. A homeowner with an assumable loan can "hand off" the loan to a buyer instead of paying it off using proceeds from the home sale. If rates are low and you can get one, by all means do so. If rates rise, buyers will want to assume your loan (and will be willing to pay more for your house!) because it'll be much cheaper than any loan they could get from a bank or other source.
Subprime mortgages
These loans have higher rates and more onerous terms than conventional loans, but they can help borrowers who have poor credit ratings.
About The Author
Jeff Anderson knows his mortgages. He knows what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid. Let him guide you to finding out more about mortgages. Contact him at Jeff@ibfmortgage.com or visit the blog at his site www.ibfmortgage.com.
Understanding the Mortgage Meltdown; What happened and Who's to Blame
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People are losing their homes and many more will lose their jobs before the mortgage meltdown works its way through the system.
To paraphrase Alan Greenspan's remarks on March 17th, 2008, “The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War. The crisis will leave many casualties.”
How many casualties? Experts are predicting that in the next few years, between 15 and 20 million homeowners could have homes worth less than what they owe. Walking away from a bad situation may actually make sense for people who mortgages that are 'upside down' considering the fact that refinancing is out of the question and home equity is nonexistent.
It seems quite easy to point fingers at greedy Wall Street titans for causing the sub-prime mortgage crises. They after all, put together the deals that allowed banks to underwrite mortgages and then offload these liabilities to investors. What many fail to realize is that there is no shortage of blame to go around from homeowners buying more home than they could afford to real estate agents looking for more commission dollars. Mortgage brokers and bankers, the banks themselves, ratings agencies such as Moody's and Standard & Poor's, Wall Street, the Fed and last but certainly not least, the Federal Government.
Let's start with the homeowners--the people who are now in the process or soon to enter the process, of losing their homes. Some of these people had never before owned a home and as such, may not have been prepared for the costs associated with homeownership. Basic financial literacy is sorely lacking in this country despite there being no shortage of budgeting and tracking programs readily available such as Quicken and Microsoft Money. The lack of financial literacy does not absolve these buyers of their responsibility. Every borrower receives a truth in lending disclosure statement. Here is a portion of what the act covers:
The purpose of TILA (Truth In Lending Act) is to promote the informed use of consumer credit by requiring disclosures about its terms and cost. TILA also gives consumers the right to cancel certain credit transactions that involve a lien on a consumer's principal dwelling, regulates certain credit card practices, and provides a means for fair and timely resolution of credit billing disputes. With the exception of certain high-cost mortgage loans, TILA does not regulate the charges that may be imposed for consumer credit. Rather, it requires a maximum interest rate to be stated in variable-rate contracts secured by the consumer's dwelling. It also imposes limitations on home equity plans that are subject to the requirements of Sec. 226.5b and mortgages that are subject to the requirements of Sec. 226.32. The regulation prohibits certain acts or practices in connection with credit secured by a consumer's principal dwelling.
Much of the subprime mortgage crisis can be traced directly back to variable-rate mortgages. As is clearly stated above, “TILA does not regulate the charge that may be imposed for consumer credit. Rather, it requires a maximum interest rate to be stated in variable-rate contracts secured by the consumers dwelling.” It also clearly states that TILA also gives consumers the right to cancel certain credit transactions that involve a lien on a consumer's principal dwelling. One has to wonder whether or not these homeowners:
1. Bothered to read the truth in lending act disclosure at all.
2. Understood what the truth in lending act disclosure meant.
3. Chose to ignore the information printed clearly the truth in lending act disclosure.
A number of months ago, just as the subprime mortgage crisis was beginning to unfold, The New York Daily News ran an article about a family in New York City, who had bought a home and were now faced with the prospect of foreclosure. The article was sympathetic to this family, highlighting the fact that they're living the American dream and that this dream was about to come to an end. What I found to be distressing was the fact that clearly visible in the photo that accompanied this sympathetic article was a very expensive flat screen television hanging on the wall. Perhaps I'm naïve, but I can assure you that if I were faced with the prospect of losing my home and having my family put out on the street, there is absolutely no way that I would still have that expensive television hanging on my wall. It would have been one of the first things to be sold and some financial relief would be found by jettisoning what I'm sure was the expensive cable bill.
Clearly the public needs easy access to financial literacy courses. Too bad we don't see the need to make this a mandatory course of study in our educational system.
Mortgage bankers and brokers have in the last four or five years been raking in cash by the bucket load in the form of commissions paid when mortgages they've originated, close. Many of these people have not needed to do much in the way of prospecting. Instead, their phones have run off the hook as people have jumped on the homeownership and refinancing and take out extra cash bandwagon, despite their ability to pay for their home. No-document loans were readily available without the borrower having to produce documentation that backed up their income. Clearly this practice can and indeed has, lead to substandard loan underwriting processes. Were some of these mortgage bankers and brokers dishonest? Sure. Were all of them dishonest? I think not. To have a massive nationwide conspiracy, where thousands and thousands of people involved in the mortgage banking and mortgage brokering profession got together to create this situation is simply not feasible. Yes, some of the blame does belong with those in the mortgage industry, but they were simply a small cog in the huge machine that created this mess.
Let's discuss real estate agents. In 2007, we bought a home, and also sold a home. The agent we used to purchase our home was absolutely fantastic. In our opinion, she went above and beyond to make our deal happen. She answered every phone call, followed up on every concern and was the epitome of professionalism. We consider this individual to be a friend, and we have sent referrals her way that have resulted in her earning additional commissions. We will continue to recommend her to all who ask or mention that they'd like to buy or sell a home in our area.
The real estate agent, we used to sell our home, could not have been more different. We got our old home ready to sell prior to closing on our new home. We decided to list it as “For Sale by Owner.” In the event that we didn't sell this home on our own, it was our intention to list it with an agent as soon as we had closed on the purchase our new home. Literally, from the day we put the sign in front of our home and listed it on a “For Sale by Owner” website we were inundated with phone calls from real estate agents. We were told many lies and were constantly harassed; although we had already made it quite clear to every agent who called, and there were more to 60 who did; that we were willing to pay half the commission-the same as they would have received had they sold another agent's listing. We also told every agent that called that we had already lined up an agent to sell our home in the event that we chose to no longer sell it ourselves. Our deadline was the closing date of our new home purchase. We did have an interested buyer who shortly after our closing date decided to keep looking so we listed our home with a local agent so that we could concentrate on getting our new home ready for our moving date at the end of the school year. This agent showed our home a maximum of two times and got an offer which we accepted. We ended up getting $1,000 less than we had wanted in a declining Real Estate market. The agents who had called many times to harass us called our listing agent on a number of occasions and he lied telling them that the house was under contract when in fact it wasn't at that time-clearly a breach of our agent's fiduciary duty. Quite frankly an ethical agent would have continued to show our home until closing in the event that the deal fell through.
But wait, there's more. Our agent also acted as the buyer's mortgage broker. At the closing table, we learned that he had signed documents from the buyer stating that he (our agent) represented them and we had signed documents stating that he represented us. We also learned that the buyer had effectively put down approximately 2-3% of the purchase price when financed closing costs were factored into the equation. Their first mortgage had what we thought was a high fixed rate and their second mortgage came with a rate in excess of 8.5%. Because the closing happened in August, literally in the midst of the first wave of the meltdown, if they didn't close on the day they did (August 31st, 2007), Citibank wasn't going to extend their rate. When my wife & I have bought houses in the past, it had always been a very happy day. These people looked absolutely shell-shocked at the closing table. I'm not convinced that they knew just how much their monthly payment was going to be until closing day. We knew down to the penny well in advance having budgeted and planned everything on a spreadsheet. Were these people stupid or just inexperienced and mislead by a greedy combination of real estate agent & mortgage broker? I'm extremely confident that they are intelligent people but inexperienced and taken advantage of by an unscrupulous agent.
The banks are also culpable. Prior to bank deregulation, Savings and Loans provided mortgages to home buyers and kept these loans on their books. Non-performing loans had a negative effect on the S&L's profitability which of course caused tighter lending guidelines such as job stability and decent down payments in order for prospective home buyers to be approved for a mortgage. Way back then, a home buyer had to actually save up enough money for a down payment 10 or even 20% before a bank would ever consider underwriting a mortgage. The checks & balances kept banks solvent and borrowers responsible. Although this approach worked, some cried foul stating that the regulated system was racist and discriminatory-and there certainly was some truth to this. Skipping forward to the present, banks made a bundle on mortgages over the past five or six years. For the most part, they allowed their underwriting criteria to be stretched so far out of alignment that almost anyone could and indeed did, qualify for a mortgage despite their ability to pay. Some folks even applied for and received mortgages for more than the property was worth. Sometimes for as much as 25% more than their property was worth!
Under the prior system, 125% mortgages would not have been possible because of course these loans were held on the banks' books and could have led to losses that would have had to have been absorbed directly by the bank.
So what went wrong? Under the current system, these loans were sold to the big Wall Street investment firms who repackaged them as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO's), Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS's) and other similar acronyms. These instruments were then sent to the ratings agencies for their blessing and more importantly a letter rating. Many of these structured finance deals receive AAA ratings-the highest ratings available meaning that in theory, these instruments were least likely to default. How does one create a 'triple A' or AAA rated financial instrument out of sub-prime mortgages? Herein lies the magic. These Asset Backed Securities (ABS) are made up of different tranches or slices, each carrying a different risk and reward level. The first dollar of principle and interest is applied to the securities with the highest rating, and the first dollar of loss is applied to the tranche with the lowest ratings. The lower slices are designed to provide a security blanket that in theory protects the higher-rated securities. The investment banks that package or 'structure' these securities in order to earn fat fees when they sell them to investors are the same entities that pay the ratings agencies to rate these instruments. Clearly the possibility for conflict of interest is present. If investors and not the investment banks that stand to rake in millions in fees were to pay for the rating, the potential for this conflict of interest would be negated. Furthermore, the investment banks have a vested interest in convincing the ratings agencies of the credit worthiness of these securities.
So we've already pointed fingers at homeowners, some greedy, many more I suspect, naïve or uninformed, real estate agents-one out of more than 60 in my experience was a gem, mortgage brokers & bankers, banks, Wall Street and ratings agencies so who's left? The Federal Reserve and the Government of course.
The Fed as its known is responsible of the country's monetary policy and for supervision and regulation of banks. This is the definition of the Fed's roles in their own words:
Monetary Policy
The Fed is best known for its role in making and carrying out the country's monetary policy-that is, for influencing money and credit conditions in the economy in order to promote the goals of high employment, sustainable growth, and stable prices.
The long-term goal of the Fed's monetary policy is to ensure that money and credit grow sufficiently to encourage non-inflationary economic expansion.
The Fed cannot guarantee that our economy will grow at a healthy pace, or that everyone will have a job. The attainment of these goals depends on the decisions of millions of people around the country. Decisions regarding how much to spend and how much to save, how much to invest in acquiring skills and education, how much to spend on new plant and equipment, or how many hours a week to work may be some of them.
What the Fed can do, is create an environment that is conducive to healthy economic growth. It does so by pursuing a goal of price stability-that is, by trying to prevent inflation from becoming a problem.
Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in prices over a period of time.
A stable level of prices is most conducive to maximum sustained output and employment. Also, stable prices encourage saving and, indirectly, capital formation because it prevents the erosion of asset values by unanticipated inflation.
Inflation causes many distortions in the market. Inflation:
· hurts people with fixed income-when prices rise consumers cannot buy as much as they could previously
· discourages savings
· reduces economic growth because the economy needs a certain level of savings to finance investments that boost economic growth
· makes it harder for businesses to plan-it is difficult to decide how much to produce, because businesses can't predict the demand for their product at the higher prices they will have to charge in order to cover their costs
Bank Regulation & Supervision
The Fed is one of the several Government agencies that share responsibility for ensuring the safety and soundness of our banking system. The Fed has primary responsibility for supervising bank holding companies, financial holding companies, state-chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System, and the Edge Act and agreement corporations, through which U.S. banking organizations operate abroad.
The Fed and other agencies share the responsibility of overseeing the operation of foreign banking organizations in the United States. To insure that the banking system remains competitive and operates in the public interest, the Fed considers applications by banks for mergers or to open new branches.
The passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act in November 1999, was the culmination of a multi-decade effort to eliminate many of the restrictions on the activities of banking organizations.
Some of the main provisions of the GLB are:
· Repeals the existing limitations on the ability of banks to affiliate with securities and insurance firms
· Creates a new organizational form that allows banking organizations to carry new powers. This new entity called a "financial holding company," (FHC) and its non-banking subsidiaries are allowed to engage in financial activities such as insurance and securities underwriting
The Fed's enlarged role as an umbrella supervisor of FHCs is similar to its role in supervising bank holding companies. The Federal Reserve Banks will supervise and regulate the FHCs while each affiliate is still overseen by its traditional functional regulator.
The Fed has to delineate the financial relationship between a bank and other FHC affiliates. Its primary goal is to establish barriers protecting depository institutions from the problems of a failing affiliate. To do this efficiently the Fed has to ensure increased communication, cooperation, and coordination with the many supervisors of the more diversified FHCs.
The Fed has access to data on risks across the entire organization, as well as information on the firm's management of those risks. Regulators will be in a position to evaluate and presumably act on risks that threaten the safety and soundness of the insured banks.
It would appear that the Fed has failed to curb housing inflation which played a role in this entire debacle then made matters worse and in their efforts or lack there of, to properly supervise banking institutions.
Finally the government, a.k.a. Uncle Sam, the big Kahuna 10,000 pound elephant etc. Where do we begin? How about with: 'Where were they?'
It now appears that after millions of horses are out of the barn (some horses ran, others were foreclosed upon) the government wants to step in with a bailout to save the rest. While nobody wants to see people lose their homes, the question that must be raised is this: What about all those of us who were responsible? Those of us, who scrimped and saved up a decent down payment, bought less-house than we could afford and who live below our means? Many of us drive older cars and keep them longer. We don't run out and buy the latest and greatest at inflated prices, we watch, wait and budget.
When the World Trade Center was attacked, families who decided not to sue received government payouts and we certainly don't begrudge them as I'm sure that given the choice, they'd prefer to still have their loved-ones over the money. The problem, in typical government fashion is that those who were responsible and had insurance policies in place received less than those who were irresponsible and didn't plan ahead. I'm not talking about dishwashers at Windows on the World and blue collar workers; I'm talking about executives, traders and people who should have known better.
Now our government, the same government that sat by idly watching as this bubble got bigger and bigger despite many warnings, wants to step in and bailout people who are in danger of losing their homes. There has been no talk about educating people, let's not teach people to fish, rather, let's give them a fish and bail them out once again at the expense of those who are responsible.
Clearly, by keeping the majority of the population financially ignorant, there is a lot of money to be made by the poverty industry.
About The Author
Richard Gandon is the Managing Director of The Financial Learning Network, dedicated low-cost online to financial literacy seminars. His 'Understanding the Stock Market" course was made into a CD-ROM and is in use in more that 50,000 classrooms nationwide. Every year since 1998, Richard has teamed up with a fifth grade class in Georgia to teach them about the stock market online. Richard has more than 20 years of financial services industry experience including as a broker, trader, licensing trainer and managed both a sales group and Central Inquiry, a Historical Equity & Index Research group at Standard & Poor's.
http://financiallearningnetwork.com/
To paraphrase Alan Greenspan's remarks on March 17th, 2008, “The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War. The crisis will leave many casualties.”
How many casualties? Experts are predicting that in the next few years, between 15 and 20 million homeowners could have homes worth less than what they owe. Walking away from a bad situation may actually make sense for people who mortgages that are 'upside down' considering the fact that refinancing is out of the question and home equity is nonexistent.
It seems quite easy to point fingers at greedy Wall Street titans for causing the sub-prime mortgage crises. They after all, put together the deals that allowed banks to underwrite mortgages and then offload these liabilities to investors. What many fail to realize is that there is no shortage of blame to go around from homeowners buying more home than they could afford to real estate agents looking for more commission dollars. Mortgage brokers and bankers, the banks themselves, ratings agencies such as Moody's and Standard & Poor's, Wall Street, the Fed and last but certainly not least, the Federal Government.
Let's start with the homeowners--the people who are now in the process or soon to enter the process, of losing their homes. Some of these people had never before owned a home and as such, may not have been prepared for the costs associated with homeownership. Basic financial literacy is sorely lacking in this country despite there being no shortage of budgeting and tracking programs readily available such as Quicken and Microsoft Money. The lack of financial literacy does not absolve these buyers of their responsibility. Every borrower receives a truth in lending disclosure statement. Here is a portion of what the act covers:
The purpose of TILA (Truth In Lending Act) is to promote the informed use of consumer credit by requiring disclosures about its terms and cost. TILA also gives consumers the right to cancel certain credit transactions that involve a lien on a consumer's principal dwelling, regulates certain credit card practices, and provides a means for fair and timely resolution of credit billing disputes. With the exception of certain high-cost mortgage loans, TILA does not regulate the charges that may be imposed for consumer credit. Rather, it requires a maximum interest rate to be stated in variable-rate contracts secured by the consumer's dwelling. It also imposes limitations on home equity plans that are subject to the requirements of Sec. 226.5b and mortgages that are subject to the requirements of Sec. 226.32. The regulation prohibits certain acts or practices in connection with credit secured by a consumer's principal dwelling.
Much of the subprime mortgage crisis can be traced directly back to variable-rate mortgages. As is clearly stated above, “TILA does not regulate the charge that may be imposed for consumer credit. Rather, it requires a maximum interest rate to be stated in variable-rate contracts secured by the consumers dwelling.” It also clearly states that TILA also gives consumers the right to cancel certain credit transactions that involve a lien on a consumer's principal dwelling. One has to wonder whether or not these homeowners:
1. Bothered to read the truth in lending act disclosure at all.
2. Understood what the truth in lending act disclosure meant.
3. Chose to ignore the information printed clearly the truth in lending act disclosure.
A number of months ago, just as the subprime mortgage crisis was beginning to unfold, The New York Daily News ran an article about a family in New York City, who had bought a home and were now faced with the prospect of foreclosure. The article was sympathetic to this family, highlighting the fact that they're living the American dream and that this dream was about to come to an end. What I found to be distressing was the fact that clearly visible in the photo that accompanied this sympathetic article was a very expensive flat screen television hanging on the wall. Perhaps I'm naïve, but I can assure you that if I were faced with the prospect of losing my home and having my family put out on the street, there is absolutely no way that I would still have that expensive television hanging on my wall. It would have been one of the first things to be sold and some financial relief would be found by jettisoning what I'm sure was the expensive cable bill.
Clearly the public needs easy access to financial literacy courses. Too bad we don't see the need to make this a mandatory course of study in our educational system.
Mortgage bankers and brokers have in the last four or five years been raking in cash by the bucket load in the form of commissions paid when mortgages they've originated, close. Many of these people have not needed to do much in the way of prospecting. Instead, their phones have run off the hook as people have jumped on the homeownership and refinancing and take out extra cash bandwagon, despite their ability to pay for their home. No-document loans were readily available without the borrower having to produce documentation that backed up their income. Clearly this practice can and indeed has, lead to substandard loan underwriting processes. Were some of these mortgage bankers and brokers dishonest? Sure. Were all of them dishonest? I think not. To have a massive nationwide conspiracy, where thousands and thousands of people involved in the mortgage banking and mortgage brokering profession got together to create this situation is simply not feasible. Yes, some of the blame does belong with those in the mortgage industry, but they were simply a small cog in the huge machine that created this mess.
Let's discuss real estate agents. In 2007, we bought a home, and also sold a home. The agent we used to purchase our home was absolutely fantastic. In our opinion, she went above and beyond to make our deal happen. She answered every phone call, followed up on every concern and was the epitome of professionalism. We consider this individual to be a friend, and we have sent referrals her way that have resulted in her earning additional commissions. We will continue to recommend her to all who ask or mention that they'd like to buy or sell a home in our area.
The real estate agent, we used to sell our home, could not have been more different. We got our old home ready to sell prior to closing on our new home. We decided to list it as “For Sale by Owner.” In the event that we didn't sell this home on our own, it was our intention to list it with an agent as soon as we had closed on the purchase our new home. Literally, from the day we put the sign in front of our home and listed it on a “For Sale by Owner” website we were inundated with phone calls from real estate agents. We were told many lies and were constantly harassed; although we had already made it quite clear to every agent who called, and there were more to 60 who did; that we were willing to pay half the commission-the same as they would have received had they sold another agent's listing. We also told every agent that called that we had already lined up an agent to sell our home in the event that we chose to no longer sell it ourselves. Our deadline was the closing date of our new home purchase. We did have an interested buyer who shortly after our closing date decided to keep looking so we listed our home with a local agent so that we could concentrate on getting our new home ready for our moving date at the end of the school year. This agent showed our home a maximum of two times and got an offer which we accepted. We ended up getting $1,000 less than we had wanted in a declining Real Estate market. The agents who had called many times to harass us called our listing agent on a number of occasions and he lied telling them that the house was under contract when in fact it wasn't at that time-clearly a breach of our agent's fiduciary duty. Quite frankly an ethical agent would have continued to show our home until closing in the event that the deal fell through.
But wait, there's more. Our agent also acted as the buyer's mortgage broker. At the closing table, we learned that he had signed documents from the buyer stating that he (our agent) represented them and we had signed documents stating that he represented us. We also learned that the buyer had effectively put down approximately 2-3% of the purchase price when financed closing costs were factored into the equation. Their first mortgage had what we thought was a high fixed rate and their second mortgage came with a rate in excess of 8.5%. Because the closing happened in August, literally in the midst of the first wave of the meltdown, if they didn't close on the day they did (August 31st, 2007), Citibank wasn't going to extend their rate. When my wife & I have bought houses in the past, it had always been a very happy day. These people looked absolutely shell-shocked at the closing table. I'm not convinced that they knew just how much their monthly payment was going to be until closing day. We knew down to the penny well in advance having budgeted and planned everything on a spreadsheet. Were these people stupid or just inexperienced and mislead by a greedy combination of real estate agent & mortgage broker? I'm extremely confident that they are intelligent people but inexperienced and taken advantage of by an unscrupulous agent.
The banks are also culpable. Prior to bank deregulation, Savings and Loans provided mortgages to home buyers and kept these loans on their books. Non-performing loans had a negative effect on the S&L's profitability which of course caused tighter lending guidelines such as job stability and decent down payments in order for prospective home buyers to be approved for a mortgage. Way back then, a home buyer had to actually save up enough money for a down payment 10 or even 20% before a bank would ever consider underwriting a mortgage. The checks & balances kept banks solvent and borrowers responsible. Although this approach worked, some cried foul stating that the regulated system was racist and discriminatory-and there certainly was some truth to this. Skipping forward to the present, banks made a bundle on mortgages over the past five or six years. For the most part, they allowed their underwriting criteria to be stretched so far out of alignment that almost anyone could and indeed did, qualify for a mortgage despite their ability to pay. Some folks even applied for and received mortgages for more than the property was worth. Sometimes for as much as 25% more than their property was worth!
Under the prior system, 125% mortgages would not have been possible because of course these loans were held on the banks' books and could have led to losses that would have had to have been absorbed directly by the bank.
So what went wrong? Under the current system, these loans were sold to the big Wall Street investment firms who repackaged them as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO's), Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS's) and other similar acronyms. These instruments were then sent to the ratings agencies for their blessing and more importantly a letter rating. Many of these structured finance deals receive AAA ratings-the highest ratings available meaning that in theory, these instruments were least likely to default. How does one create a 'triple A' or AAA rated financial instrument out of sub-prime mortgages? Herein lies the magic. These Asset Backed Securities (ABS) are made up of different tranches or slices, each carrying a different risk and reward level. The first dollar of principle and interest is applied to the securities with the highest rating, and the first dollar of loss is applied to the tranche with the lowest ratings. The lower slices are designed to provide a security blanket that in theory protects the higher-rated securities. The investment banks that package or 'structure' these securities in order to earn fat fees when they sell them to investors are the same entities that pay the ratings agencies to rate these instruments. Clearly the possibility for conflict of interest is present. If investors and not the investment banks that stand to rake in millions in fees were to pay for the rating, the potential for this conflict of interest would be negated. Furthermore, the investment banks have a vested interest in convincing the ratings agencies of the credit worthiness of these securities.
So we've already pointed fingers at homeowners, some greedy, many more I suspect, naïve or uninformed, real estate agents-one out of more than 60 in my experience was a gem, mortgage brokers & bankers, banks, Wall Street and ratings agencies so who's left? The Federal Reserve and the Government of course.
The Fed as its known is responsible of the country's monetary policy and for supervision and regulation of banks. This is the definition of the Fed's roles in their own words:
Monetary Policy
The Fed is best known for its role in making and carrying out the country's monetary policy-that is, for influencing money and credit conditions in the economy in order to promote the goals of high employment, sustainable growth, and stable prices.
The long-term goal of the Fed's monetary policy is to ensure that money and credit grow sufficiently to encourage non-inflationary economic expansion.
The Fed cannot guarantee that our economy will grow at a healthy pace, or that everyone will have a job. The attainment of these goals depends on the decisions of millions of people around the country. Decisions regarding how much to spend and how much to save, how much to invest in acquiring skills and education, how much to spend on new plant and equipment, or how many hours a week to work may be some of them.
What the Fed can do, is create an environment that is conducive to healthy economic growth. It does so by pursuing a goal of price stability-that is, by trying to prevent inflation from becoming a problem.
Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in prices over a period of time.
A stable level of prices is most conducive to maximum sustained output and employment. Also, stable prices encourage saving and, indirectly, capital formation because it prevents the erosion of asset values by unanticipated inflation.
Inflation causes many distortions in the market. Inflation:
· hurts people with fixed income-when prices rise consumers cannot buy as much as they could previously
· discourages savings
· reduces economic growth because the economy needs a certain level of savings to finance investments that boost economic growth
· makes it harder for businesses to plan-it is difficult to decide how much to produce, because businesses can't predict the demand for their product at the higher prices they will have to charge in order to cover their costs
Bank Regulation & Supervision
The Fed is one of the several Government agencies that share responsibility for ensuring the safety and soundness of our banking system. The Fed has primary responsibility for supervising bank holding companies, financial holding companies, state-chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System, and the Edge Act and agreement corporations, through which U.S. banking organizations operate abroad.
The Fed and other agencies share the responsibility of overseeing the operation of foreign banking organizations in the United States. To insure that the banking system remains competitive and operates in the public interest, the Fed considers applications by banks for mergers or to open new branches.
The passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act in November 1999, was the culmination of a multi-decade effort to eliminate many of the restrictions on the activities of banking organizations.
Some of the main provisions of the GLB are:
· Repeals the existing limitations on the ability of banks to affiliate with securities and insurance firms
· Creates a new organizational form that allows banking organizations to carry new powers. This new entity called a "financial holding company," (FHC) and its non-banking subsidiaries are allowed to engage in financial activities such as insurance and securities underwriting
The Fed's enlarged role as an umbrella supervisor of FHCs is similar to its role in supervising bank holding companies. The Federal Reserve Banks will supervise and regulate the FHCs while each affiliate is still overseen by its traditional functional regulator.
The Fed has to delineate the financial relationship between a bank and other FHC affiliates. Its primary goal is to establish barriers protecting depository institutions from the problems of a failing affiliate. To do this efficiently the Fed has to ensure increased communication, cooperation, and coordination with the many supervisors of the more diversified FHCs.
The Fed has access to data on risks across the entire organization, as well as information on the firm's management of those risks. Regulators will be in a position to evaluate and presumably act on risks that threaten the safety and soundness of the insured banks.
It would appear that the Fed has failed to curb housing inflation which played a role in this entire debacle then made matters worse and in their efforts or lack there of, to properly supervise banking institutions.
Finally the government, a.k.a. Uncle Sam, the big Kahuna 10,000 pound elephant etc. Where do we begin? How about with: 'Where were they?'
It now appears that after millions of horses are out of the barn (some horses ran, others were foreclosed upon) the government wants to step in with a bailout to save the rest. While nobody wants to see people lose their homes, the question that must be raised is this: What about all those of us who were responsible? Those of us, who scrimped and saved up a decent down payment, bought less-house than we could afford and who live below our means? Many of us drive older cars and keep them longer. We don't run out and buy the latest and greatest at inflated prices, we watch, wait and budget.
When the World Trade Center was attacked, families who decided not to sue received government payouts and we certainly don't begrudge them as I'm sure that given the choice, they'd prefer to still have their loved-ones over the money. The problem, in typical government fashion is that those who were responsible and had insurance policies in place received less than those who were irresponsible and didn't plan ahead. I'm not talking about dishwashers at Windows on the World and blue collar workers; I'm talking about executives, traders and people who should have known better.
Now our government, the same government that sat by idly watching as this bubble got bigger and bigger despite many warnings, wants to step in and bailout people who are in danger of losing their homes. There has been no talk about educating people, let's not teach people to fish, rather, let's give them a fish and bail them out once again at the expense of those who are responsible.
Clearly, by keeping the majority of the population financially ignorant, there is a lot of money to be made by the poverty industry.
About The Author
Richard Gandon is the Managing Director of The Financial Learning Network, dedicated low-cost online to financial literacy seminars. His 'Understanding the Stock Market" course was made into a CD-ROM and is in use in more that 50,000 classrooms nationwide. Every year since 1998, Richard has teamed up with a fifth grade class in Georgia to teach them about the stock market online. Richard has more than 20 years of financial services industry experience including as a broker, trader, licensing trainer and managed both a sales group and Central Inquiry, a Historical Equity & Index Research group at Standard & Poor's.
http://financiallearningnetwork.com/
Tennessee Mortgage Loans
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Whether you live in a big city such as Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, or Knoxville, or in smaller towns scattered throughout the state of Tennessee, there are some terrific housing developments being planned. If you ever have considered moving to one of these newer places, there are Tennessee Mortgage Loans lenders who can expedite your move. Here are some tips on contacting leading lenders in the Volunteer State today.
1. Ask around. Your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members can all be excellent sources toward helping you find a lender. More than likely, mostly everyone you know owns their own home, find out from them where they received their Tennessee Mortgage Loans from. Contact those lenders who are favored by your those you know and have a reputation that is good in the community.
2. Get online. Yes, the internet is an excellent source for all things financial. Enter, “Tennessee Mortgage Loans” in your Google search box and wait a megasecond for the results. Scan the first several pages of the results for answers and contact those companies whose web sites are the most informative. Compare your Google results with what your friends shared with you.
3. Ask your realtor. If anyone knows of where you can get good Tennessee Mortgage Loans it would be your realtor, especially if she has been selling homes for a long time. Your realtor wants to see the deal done - they get no commission until closing - and they will be eager to not only help you find a lender but one who you will be completely satisfied with having.
Other sources listing Tennessee Mortgage Loans will be your local newspaper, a regional magazine, real estate books at the supermarket, your phone books, flyers and other advertisements you receive in the mail, and ads that you hear on the radio or see on the television.
Your first step toward securing financing is by determining which Tennessee Mortgage Loans providers are available to assist you. When contacting lenders, ask questions, take notes, and interview them. They need your business as much as you need their business. If you are unsatisfied, shop around until you find someone who satisfies your needs. Purchasing a home is the single largest purchase you ever make and your relationship with your lender must be a good one.
About The Author
Mark Lambie is the founder of http://www.the-loan-house.com a website that allows consumers to quickly and easily get mortgage information.
1. Ask around. Your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members can all be excellent sources toward helping you find a lender. More than likely, mostly everyone you know owns their own home, find out from them where they received their Tennessee Mortgage Loans from. Contact those lenders who are favored by your those you know and have a reputation that is good in the community.
2. Get online. Yes, the internet is an excellent source for all things financial. Enter, “Tennessee Mortgage Loans” in your Google search box and wait a megasecond for the results. Scan the first several pages of the results for answers and contact those companies whose web sites are the most informative. Compare your Google results with what your friends shared with you.
3. Ask your realtor. If anyone knows of where you can get good Tennessee Mortgage Loans it would be your realtor, especially if she has been selling homes for a long time. Your realtor wants to see the deal done - they get no commission until closing - and they will be eager to not only help you find a lender but one who you will be completely satisfied with having.
Other sources listing Tennessee Mortgage Loans will be your local newspaper, a regional magazine, real estate books at the supermarket, your phone books, flyers and other advertisements you receive in the mail, and ads that you hear on the radio or see on the television.
Your first step toward securing financing is by determining which Tennessee Mortgage Loans providers are available to assist you. When contacting lenders, ask questions, take notes, and interview them. They need your business as much as you need their business. If you are unsatisfied, shop around until you find someone who satisfies your needs. Purchasing a home is the single largest purchase you ever make and your relationship with your lender must be a good one.
About The Author
Mark Lambie is the founder of http://www.the-loan-house.com a website that allows consumers to quickly and easily get mortgage information.
Pitbull Mortgage School Offers Loan Officer Training on Hard Money by Leonard Rosen
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I'm also known as the Pitbull which is a name I was given many years ago by my friends and competitors due to my tenacious business approach. Somehow the name stuck throughout the years and I accepted it as part of my persona. My business career has spanned over 30 years. In the 80's I was an anchor on the Financial News Network. Perhaps you remember me from my nightly reports. After the network was sold to CNBC I was offered to host The Leonard Rosen Show, which was nationally syndicated. In the 90's I became the CEO of a large medical group. We specialized in the treatment of chronic obesity. Our focus was to provide medical services to our patients and provide a hard money loan to finance their treatment. This was a huge success, and is what opened my eyes to the hard money business.
We train loan officers, mortgage professionals, Real Estate Investors and hard money lenders how to succeed in the hard money business. If you are interested in a career in mortgage lending, our hard money school is a must for every mortgage broker and industry professional. Pitbull mortgage school is much more than a loan officer school providing loan officer training. In order to compete in the competitive environment of mortgage brokering, you need to learn all the aspects of hard money lending. Pitbull mortgage school is the definitive answer to a high income career in mortgage banking. Our California based hard money seminar series has trained mortgage professionals, loan officers, and attorneys in the lucrative field of private financing.
I host the most powerful and dynamic seminar on hard money lending that has ever been taught.
I teach the secrets and techniques of the hard money mortgage business to brokers all over the country. My students learn more in the first 45 minutes than most brokers have learned after 20 years in the business. The tuition of my seminars ranges from $395 to $695 depending on the venue. If you can't get away, you may be interested in purchasing my DVD which was filmed at our seminar at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on February 7th 2007. This seminar was a tremendous success and sold out with standing room only!
I hold nothing back, Everything is disclosed!
You will receive the actual names, phone numbers, and contacts of my preferred hard money lenders.
This seminar is a must for any loan professional who desires to earn $500,000 or more in the hard money business. I know no other industry that affords more potential to earn in excess of $500,000 per year.
My experience tells me that most loan officers and mortgage professionals never even come close to reaching their potential in the hard money business. The reasons are simple- they spend most of their time spinning their wheels instead of converting their time into what I call revenue producing efforts. You need to know what to ask the borrower to flush out the real information. Then you need to learn how to manage and control your borrower through the process. And most importantly, you need to know where to place the loan for funding. Most brokers never get their loans funded. No funding, no commission. This seminar will teach you the specifics of how to get your hard money loans funded.
The Pitbull Mortgage School teaches you specifics not hypotheticals.
Here is a sample of what you will learn:
- How to do mezzanine and conduit loans.
- How to start a hard money mortgage company.
- How to ask the right questions of the borrower
- How to manage your borrower
- Where to place your loan scenario
- How to determine the real value of the property (the Pitbull Hard Money way)
- How to package and sell your loan to the investor
- How to do raw land deals, commercial projects, foreclosures, NOD's and real estate development projects
- How to assess an appraisal that will lead to funding the loan
- How to earn 4 to 5 points on a first trust deed
- How to do second mortgages and make money doing them
About The Author
Leonard Rosen
President of Pitbull Mortgage School, the largest organization in the country teaching hard money to mortgage brokers and hard money lenders, Leonard Rosen was previously the CEO of a large medical group with 6 clinics. Also the former anchor of Financial News Network and host of the Leonard Rosen Show.
A Lifetime member of Who's Who in Business, and author of "From here to Financial Freedom," Mr. Rosen is a renowned National Speaker who has been featured in CNN, Forbes, American Chronicle and many local and National publications. Currently Mr. Rosen is a private consultant to numerous mortgage companies. A former Army Ranger, and a graduate of both the University of Minnesota and Shattuck Military Academy.
http://www.pitbullmortgageschool.com
We train loan officers, mortgage professionals, Real Estate Investors and hard money lenders how to succeed in the hard money business. If you are interested in a career in mortgage lending, our hard money school is a must for every mortgage broker and industry professional. Pitbull mortgage school is much more than a loan officer school providing loan officer training. In order to compete in the competitive environment of mortgage brokering, you need to learn all the aspects of hard money lending. Pitbull mortgage school is the definitive answer to a high income career in mortgage banking. Our California based hard money seminar series has trained mortgage professionals, loan officers, and attorneys in the lucrative field of private financing.
I host the most powerful and dynamic seminar on hard money lending that has ever been taught.
I teach the secrets and techniques of the hard money mortgage business to brokers all over the country. My students learn more in the first 45 minutes than most brokers have learned after 20 years in the business. The tuition of my seminars ranges from $395 to $695 depending on the venue. If you can't get away, you may be interested in purchasing my DVD which was filmed at our seminar at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on February 7th 2007. This seminar was a tremendous success and sold out with standing room only!
I hold nothing back, Everything is disclosed!
You will receive the actual names, phone numbers, and contacts of my preferred hard money lenders.
This seminar is a must for any loan professional who desires to earn $500,000 or more in the hard money business. I know no other industry that affords more potential to earn in excess of $500,000 per year.
My experience tells me that most loan officers and mortgage professionals never even come close to reaching their potential in the hard money business. The reasons are simple- they spend most of their time spinning their wheels instead of converting their time into what I call revenue producing efforts. You need to know what to ask the borrower to flush out the real information. Then you need to learn how to manage and control your borrower through the process. And most importantly, you need to know where to place the loan for funding. Most brokers never get their loans funded. No funding, no commission. This seminar will teach you the specifics of how to get your hard money loans funded.
The Pitbull Mortgage School teaches you specifics not hypotheticals.
Here is a sample of what you will learn:
- How to do mezzanine and conduit loans.
- How to start a hard money mortgage company.
- How to ask the right questions of the borrower
- How to manage your borrower
- Where to place your loan scenario
- How to determine the real value of the property (the Pitbull Hard Money way)
- How to package and sell your loan to the investor
- How to do raw land deals, commercial projects, foreclosures, NOD's and real estate development projects
- How to assess an appraisal that will lead to funding the loan
- How to earn 4 to 5 points on a first trust deed
- How to do second mortgages and make money doing them
About The Author
Leonard Rosen
President of Pitbull Mortgage School, the largest organization in the country teaching hard money to mortgage brokers and hard money lenders, Leonard Rosen was previously the CEO of a large medical group with 6 clinics. Also the former anchor of Financial News Network and host of the Leonard Rosen Show.
A Lifetime member of Who's Who in Business, and author of "From here to Financial Freedom," Mr. Rosen is a renowned National Speaker who has been featured in CNN, Forbes, American Chronicle and many local and National publications. Currently Mr. Rosen is a private consultant to numerous mortgage companies. A former Army Ranger, and a graduate of both the University of Minnesota and Shattuck Military Academy.
http://www.pitbullmortgageschool.com
Two Ways To Start Your Own Mortgage Company From Someone Who’s Been There And Done That by: Rob Lawrence
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One of the most frequent questions I get asked from loan officers is, “How can I go out on my own and start my own mortgage company?” Often times, the person is sick and tired of low-commissions, office politics, too restrictive a time-schedule, etc. There are hundreds of reasons why they want to get out.
They see the money other loan officers are making, and wonder why they aren’t making that kind of money too? After all, they are doing the SAME work. The difference, very often, is just in the commission payout. Branching out on your own, is an instant pay-raise and can often double or triple the amount of commission you are currently earning.
There are two ways to start your own mortgage business.
1. Get your own broker license from the State.
2. Join an existing regional or national company as a “net branch”.
There are advantages and disadvantages of each. First off, getting your own license from the State isn’t easy. There are certain financial and experience thresholds that regulators look for before granting a broker’s license. Also, the capital requirements and start-up costs make this option extremely cost prohibitive. And, you’d be responsible not just for bringing in business and selling loans, but also hiring a processor, doing all the accounting and back office tasks, auditing, renting office space, etc.
Not to mention, that you have to go and set-up relationships with each lender you want to do business with. And some of them are pretty picky about who they deal with. If you’re a one-person company, you can forget about incentives and low pricing. You’re simply not worth their time.
By going entirely on your own, you can see quickly that your time would be exhausted with “chores”, leaving little available time to sell loans—unless you plan on working around the clock! And how long would a mortgage company last without new business?
But, getting your own license would give you 100% commission. Isn’t that what you want? 100%?
Another option is join an existing net branch company. Net branches are very popular in the industry and give you a number of advantages over going it alone.
A net branch is simply of way of doing business. You create your own personal branch, but under and existing mortgagecompany. You have freedom to do what you want and have all the benefits of being a large corporation.
Firstly, when you join a net branch, you are joining a ready-made structure with back-office support in place. That means they handle all the auditing, the compliance checks, the follow-up etc. Some even do processing. For this, they take part of the commission. So, instead of 100% (from going solo), you might just get 70% to 80%. Not bad, considering what you are earning currently. And you don’t have all the other regulatory headaches to contend with.
Net branches are typically 1 to 2 person shops, mostly professionals operating from their own home office, and selling on the road. In today’s digital age, this is entirely possible as most work is submitted electronically, or done over the phone and fax. Location is irrelevant.
By freeing-up your time--not getting bogged-down in the details--you can focus on bringing in new business and earning more money.
Remember, each net branch is different, and each has their own set of processing rules, guidelines, commission splits, fees, etc., and all should be examined closely before making a final decision.
Whether you decide to get your own brokers license or join a net branch is up to you, it depends on what your long-term goals are. Some people want 100% control over their destiny and want to create something new. That’s fine. That’s how entrepreneurs succeed. But, others don’t want the hassle of starting an entirely new business—they just want a higher paycheck to reach their goals.
About The Author
Rob Lawrence is ranked one of top national trainers in the mortgage industry. He is the currently the CEO of Battlecall.com, coaching, tools and resources to turn mortgage professionals into mortgage warriors. Visit http://www.battlecall.com for his free “Sink Or Swim” weekly newsletter, mortgage training, marketing advice and more! Jumpstart your career in the mortgage business, starting today.
They see the money other loan officers are making, and wonder why they aren’t making that kind of money too? After all, they are doing the SAME work. The difference, very often, is just in the commission payout. Branching out on your own, is an instant pay-raise and can often double or triple the amount of commission you are currently earning.
There are two ways to start your own mortgage business.
1. Get your own broker license from the State.
2. Join an existing regional or national company as a “net branch”.
There are advantages and disadvantages of each. First off, getting your own license from the State isn’t easy. There are certain financial and experience thresholds that regulators look for before granting a broker’s license. Also, the capital requirements and start-up costs make this option extremely cost prohibitive. And, you’d be responsible not just for bringing in business and selling loans, but also hiring a processor, doing all the accounting and back office tasks, auditing, renting office space, etc.
Not to mention, that you have to go and set-up relationships with each lender you want to do business with. And some of them are pretty picky about who they deal with. If you’re a one-person company, you can forget about incentives and low pricing. You’re simply not worth their time.
By going entirely on your own, you can see quickly that your time would be exhausted with “chores”, leaving little available time to sell loans—unless you plan on working around the clock! And how long would a mortgage company last without new business?
But, getting your own license would give you 100% commission. Isn’t that what you want? 100%?
Another option is join an existing net branch company. Net branches are very popular in the industry and give you a number of advantages over going it alone.
A net branch is simply of way of doing business. You create your own personal branch, but under and existing mortgagecompany. You have freedom to do what you want and have all the benefits of being a large corporation.
Firstly, when you join a net branch, you are joining a ready-made structure with back-office support in place. That means they handle all the auditing, the compliance checks, the follow-up etc. Some even do processing. For this, they take part of the commission. So, instead of 100% (from going solo), you might just get 70% to 80%. Not bad, considering what you are earning currently. And you don’t have all the other regulatory headaches to contend with.
Net branches are typically 1 to 2 person shops, mostly professionals operating from their own home office, and selling on the road. In today’s digital age, this is entirely possible as most work is submitted electronically, or done over the phone and fax. Location is irrelevant.
By freeing-up your time--not getting bogged-down in the details--you can focus on bringing in new business and earning more money.
Remember, each net branch is different, and each has their own set of processing rules, guidelines, commission splits, fees, etc., and all should be examined closely before making a final decision.
Whether you decide to get your own brokers license or join a net branch is up to you, it depends on what your long-term goals are. Some people want 100% control over their destiny and want to create something new. That’s fine. That’s how entrepreneurs succeed. But, others don’t want the hassle of starting an entirely new business—they just want a higher paycheck to reach their goals.
About The Author
Rob Lawrence is ranked one of top national trainers in the mortgage industry. He is the currently the CEO of Battlecall.com, coaching, tools and resources to turn mortgage professionals into mortgage warriors. Visit http://www.battlecall.com for his free “Sink Or Swim” weekly newsletter, mortgage training, marketing advice and more! Jumpstart your career in the mortgage business, starting today.