Mortgage & Refinancing Information


Online Home Equity Loans: A Basic Glossary


Home equity loans can be a great idea for individuals looking to get out of debt or make necessary repairs on their homes. During the process, you will come across a variety of terms and acronyms. We have gathered together some of the basic terms that you come across during your home equity loan. If you have any questions about any of these terms, make sure to consult with your mortgage lender.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM): This type of mortgage has an interest rate that will change over time. Typically the interest rate will be lower than fixed mortgage products.

Amortization: Loan payments that will cover both principle and interest in one payment. Your lender will likely give you an amortization schedule outlining your payment schedule.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR): This is the cost of credit on a yearly basis.

Appraised Value: An appraiser will determine the value of your home based on experience, market data, and other information.

Cap: This is the limit on how much an interest rate can increase over the life of your loan.

Closing/Closing Costs: This is the final step in the real estate transaction. This would include the delivery of the deed, signing of the notes, and final disbursement of the funds. There will be various fees associated with a closing, such as attorney fees and taxes, that are called closing costs.

Depreciation: An overall loss on a property due to age, physical deterioration, and economic factors.

Discount Point: A buyer can pay the lender a set fee for a lower interest rate. This is usually a percentage of the loan itself.

Equity: This is the amount of money that you have vested in your home. This can be determined by subtracting the lien amount from the property's value.

Equity Loan: A loan or line of credit that is based on the amount of equity that you have in your home. Your home is essentially used as collateral.

Fixed Interest Rate: An interest rate that remains constant throughout the life of the loan. A fixed-rate mortgage will have the same interest rate and payments for the length of the loan.

Home Equity Line of Credit: Similar to a home equity loan, but you receive a line of credit that you can draw upon at any time.

Home Equity Loan: A loan based on the amount of equity you have in your home.

Interest: This is the cost for borrowing money.

Interest Rate: This is the percentage of the loan amount that you must add to your principle, for the privilege of borrowing money.

Loan-To-Value Ratio: This is the ratio between the amount of the loan and the actual value of the home. Some loans can give you up to a 125% Loan-To-Value Ratio.

Market Value: This is the price that buyers would be willing to pay for your home, at the present time. This can vary from the actual sale price of the home.

PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance): This is the usual breakdown for mortgage payments.

Principal: The amount of your original loan before interest was added.

John Ross is a freelance author who writes articles about financial loans including: home equity loans company, online home equity loans, and fixed rate home equity loans. The Loanchbox is a user friendly website designed to inform beginners about home equity loans.


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

Pros and Cons of a Mortgage Refinance
FreeRateUpdate.com
Many homeowners are jumping on the opportunity to save money with a mortgage refinance at the current low mortgage rates. With mortgage rates at historically low levels, some homeowners have refinanced more than once in the past several years which is ...
Who Qualifies for the $26 Billion Foreclosure Settlement?TIME

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Lenders say mortgage refinance deal will bolster Manatee market
Bradenton Herald
By JOSH SALMAN - jsalman@bradenton.com MANATEE -- A new refinance program to help underwater homeowners will uplift the local economy by putting extra cash into the pockets of those who will spend it, area lenders predict. The deal struck with five of ...

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Mortgage-refinance bill a dangerous deal
Arizona Republic
by Robert Robb, columnist - Feb. 10, 2012 12:00 AM State Sen. Michele Reagan wants to help out underwater homeowners in the worst way. And she has succeeded with SB 1451 -- it's hard to imagine a worse bill. Reagan proposes to establish a state agency ...

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Housing Wire

Obama pressures Congress on mortgage refinance program
Fox News
WASHINGTON – President Obama is rallying support for his plan to expand government assistance to homeowners, pressuring Congress to help lower lending rates for millions of strapped homeowners. Obama, in his radio and Internet address Saturday, ...
President Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Just a Bid for VotesYahoo! Contributors Network
Obama Unveils Mortgage Refinance EndeavorsMortgageorb
New Obama mortgage refinance plan to near $10 billionHousing Wire
Go Banking Rates -MNI News -CBS Moneywatch
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MonitorBankRates.com

Mortgage Refinance Rates: 15 Year Refinance Mortgage Rates at 3.29%
MonitorBankRates.com
Mortgage refinance rates on 30 year conforming home loans are averaging 3.98%, unchanged from yesterday's average 30 year mortgage refinance rate. Mortgage refinance rates today on 15 year home mortgage loans are averaging 3.29%, down from yesterday's ...

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Fox News

Obama Proposes Mortgage-Refinance Plan
Wall Street Journal
By NICK TIMIRAOS President Barack Obama called on Congress during Tuesday's State of the Union address to approve new legislation that would give all homeowners who are current on their mortgages the opportunity to refinance at record low mortgage ...
Will Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Be D.O.A.?U.S. News & World Report
Obama proposes mortgage refinance programPolitico (blog)
Obama proposes new mortgage refinance programHousing Wire
Daily Caller
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Bloomberg

HARP Refi May Delay PMI Cancellation
NASDAQ
The federal HARP mortgage refinance program can be a huge boon for underwater homeowners. But if you have PMI, there's a little hitch you should know about. While refinancing a mortgage through HARP can cut your interest rate and save you money, ...
New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 MillionMortgageLoan.com

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International Business Times

FOX 11 News Discussion: State of the Union
MyFox Los Angeles
And he aimed a pitch at homeowners, announcing a new mortgage refinance program with "historically low interest rates" that "gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3000 a year on their mortgage." He added, "A small fee on the ...
Winning Words, But Not a WinnerU.S. News & World Report
Obama State of the Union 2012: Mortgage Refinance Changes Face ObstaclesInternational Business Times

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CBS Local

Six Questions on Obama's Mortgage Refinance Proposal
Wall Street Journal (blog)
By Nick Timiraos President Barack Obama said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that he would send a plan to Congress to allow all homeowners who are current on their mortgages to refinance. Here's a quick look at the proposal: How is this ...
Obama plan could help refinance Bay Area mortgagesSan Francisco Chronicle

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Obama Projects $901 Billion Deficit Next Year With Tax Increases
BusinessWeek
He also would raise $61 billion over 10 years from the largest financial institutions to offset the cost of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and his mortgage refinance plan. The deficit forecast is based on the assumption Congress accepts previous ...

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