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- Acceleration The right of the mortgagee (lender) to demand the immediate repayment of the mortgage loan balance upon the default of the mortgagor (borrower), or by using the right vested in the Due-on-Sale Clause.
- Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM) A mortgage where the interest rate is not fixed, but changes during the life of the loan in line with movements in an index rate. You may also see ARMs referred to as AMLs (adjustable mortgage loans) or VRMs (variable-rate mortgages).
- Adjustment interval On an adjustable rate mortgage, the time between changes in the interest rate and/or monthly payment, typically one, three or five years, depending on the index.
- Amortization Means loan payment by equal periodic payment calculated to pay off the debt at the end of a fixed period, including accrued interest on the outstanding balance.
- Annual Percentage Rate (APR) A measure of the cost of credit, expressed as a yearly rate. It includes interest as well as other charges. Because all lenders follow the same rules to ensure the accuracy of the annual percentage rate, it provides consumers with a good basis for comparing the cost of loans, including mortgage plans.
- Appraisal An estimate of the value of property, made by a qualified professional called an "appraiser".
- Assessment A local tax levied against a property for a specific purpose, such as a sewer or street lights.
- Assumability When a home is sold, the seller may be able to transfer the mortgage to the new buyer. This means the mortgage is assumable. Lenders generally require a credit review of the new borrower and may charge a fee for the assumption. Some mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause, which means that the mortgage may not be transferable to a new buyer. Instead, the lender may make you pay the entire balance that is due when you sell the home. Assumability can help you attract buyers if you sell your home.
- Balloon (payment) mortgage Usually a short-term fixed-rate loan which involves small payments for a certain period of time and one large payment for the remaining amount of the principal at a time specified in the contract.
- Blanket Mortgage A mortgage covering at least two pieces of real estate as security for the same mortgage.
- Borrower (Mortgagor) One who applies for and receives a loan in the form of a mortgage with the intention of repaying the loan in full.
- Broker An individual in the business of assisting in arranging funding or negotiating contracts for a client buy who does not loan the money himself. Brokers usually charge a fee or receive a commission for their services.
- Buydown With a buydown, the seller pays an amount to the lender so that the lender can give you a lower rate and lower payments, usually for an early period in an ARM. The seller may increase the sales price to cover the cost of the buydown. Buydowns can occur in all types of mortgages, not just ARMs.
- Cash Flow The amount of cash derived over a certain period of time from an income-producing property. The cash flow should be large enough to pay the expenses of the income producing property (mortgage payment, maintenance, utilities, etc.)
- Cap A limit on how much the interest rate or the monthly payment can change, either at each adjustment or during the life of the mortgage. Payment caps don't limit the amount of interest the lender is earning, so they may cause negative amortization.
- Certificate of Eligibility The document given to qualified veterans which entitles them to VA guaranteed loans for homes, business, and mobile homes. certificates of eligibility may be obtained by sending DD-214 (Separation Paper) to the local VA office with VA form 1880 (request for Certificate of Eligibility) Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV) An appraisal issued by the Veterans Administration showing the property's current market value Certificate of veteran status The document given to veterans or reservists who have served 90 days of continuous active duty (including training time) It may be obtained by sending DD 214 to the local VA office with form 26-8261a (request for certificate of veteran status. This document enables veterans to obtain lower down payments on certain FHA insured loans).
- Closing The meeting between the buyer, seller and lender or their agents where the property and funds legally change hands. Also called settlement. closing costs usually include an origination fee, discount points, appraisal fee, title search and insurance, survey, taxes, deed recording fee, credit report charge and other costs assessed at settlement. The cost of closing usually are about 3 percent to 6 percent of the mortgage amount.
- Commitment A promise by a lender to make a loan on specific terms or conditions to a borrower or builder. A promise by an investor to purchase mortgages from a lender with specific terms or conditions. an agreement, often inwriting, between a lender and a borrower to loan money at a future date subject to the completion of paperwork or compliance with stated conditions.
- Construction loan A short term interim loan to pay for the construction of buildings or homes. These are usually designed to provide periodic disbursements to the builder as he progresses.
- Contract sale or deed A contract between purchaser and a seller of real estate to convey title after certain conditions have been met. It is a form of installment sale.
- Conventional loan A mortgage not insured by FHA or guaranteed by the VA.
- Conversion Clause A provision in some ARMs that allows you to change the ARM to a fixed-rate loan at some point during the term. Usually conversion is allowed at the end of the first adjustment period. At the time of the conversion, the new fixed rate is generally set at one of the rates then prevailing for fixed rate mortgages. The conversion feature may be available at extra cost.
- Credit Report A report documenting the credit history and current status of a borrower's credit standing. Debt-to-Income Ratio The ratio, expressed as a percentage, which results when a borrower's monthly payment obligation on long-term debts is divided by his or her gross monthly income. See housing expenses-to-income ratio.
- Deed of trust In many states, this document is used in place of a mortgage to secure the payment of a note. Default Failure to meet legal obligations in a contract, specifically, failure to make the monthly payments on a mortgage.
- Deferred interest When a mortgage is written with a monthly payment that is less than required to satisfy the note rate, the unpaid interest is deferred by adding it to the loan balance.Seenegative amortization
- Delinquency Failure to make payments on time. this can lead to foreclosure. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) An independent agency of the federal government which guarantees long-term, low-or no-down payment mortgages to eligible veterans.
- Discount In an ARM with an initial rate discount, the lender gives up a number of percentage points in interest to give you a lower rate and lower payments for part of the mortgage term (usually for one year or less). After the discount period, the ARM rate will probably go up depending on the index rate.
- Down Payment Money paid to make up the difference between the purchase price and the mortgage amount. Due-on-Sale-Clause A provision in a mortgage or deed of trust that allows the lender to demand immediate payment of the balance of the mortgage if the mortgage holder sells the home.
- Earnest Money Money given by a buyer to a seller as part of the purchase price to bind a transaction or assure payment.
- Entitlement The VA home loan benefit is called entitlement. Entitlement for a VA guaranteed home loan. This is also known as eligibility.
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) Is a federal law that requires lenders and other creditors to make credit equally available without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status or receipt of income from public assistance programs.
- Equity The difference between the fair market value and current indebtedness, also referred to as the owner's interest. The value an owner has in real estate over and above the obligation against the property.
- Escrow An account held by the lender into which the home buyer pays money for tax or insurance payments. Also earnest deposits held pending loan closing.
- Fannie Mae seeFederal National Mortgage Association. Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) provides financing to farmers and other qualified borrowers who are unable to obtain loans elsewhere.
- Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) The former name for the regulatory and supervisory agency for federally chartered savings institutions. Agency is now called the Office of Thrift Supervision Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) also called "Freddie Mac", is a quasi-governmental agency that purchases conventional mortgage from insured depository institutions and HUD-approved mortgage bankers
- Federal Housing Administration (FHA) A division of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its main activity is the insuring of residential mortgage loans made by private lenders. also sets standards for underwriting mortgages.
- Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) also know as "Fannie Mae" A tax-paying corporation created by Congress that purchases and sells conventional residential mortgages as well as those insured by FHA or guaranteed by VA. This institution, which provides funds for one in seven mortgages, makes mortgage money more available and more affordable. FHA loan a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration open to all qualified home purchasers. While there are limits to the size of FHA loans ($155,250 as of 1/1/96), they are generous enough to handle moderately-priced homes almost anywhere in the country. FHA mortgage insurance Requires a fee (up to 2.25 percent of the loan amount) paid at closing to insure the loan with FHA. In addition, FHA mortgage insurance requires an annual fee of up to 0.5 percent of the current loan amount, paid in monthly installments. The lower the down payment, the more years the fee must be paid.
- FHLMC The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporationprovides a secondary market for savings and loans by purchasing their conventional loans. Also known as "Freddie Mac." Firm Commitment A promise by FHA to insure a mortgage loam for a specified property and borrower. A promise from a lender to make a mortgage loan.
- Fixed Rate Mortgage The mortgage interest rate will remain the same on these mortgages throughout the term of the mortgage for the original borrower.
- FNMA The Federal National Mortgage Association is a secondary mortgage institution which is the largest single holder of home mortgages in the United States. FNMA buys VA, FHA, and conventional mortgages from primary lenders. Also known as "Fannie Mae." Foreclosure A legal process by which the lender or the seller forces a sale of a mortgaged property because the borrower has not met the terms of the mortgage. Also known as a repossession of property.
- Freddie Mac see Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Ginnie Mae see Government National Mortgage Association.
- Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) also known as "Ginnie Mae",provides sources of funds for residential mortgages, insured or guaranteed by FHA or VA Graduated Payment Mortgage (GPM) A type of flexible-payment mortgage where the payments increase for a specified period of time and then level off. This type of mortgage has negative amortization built into it.
- Guaranty A promise by one party to pay a debt or perform an obligation contracted by another if the original party fails to pay or perform according to a contract Hazard Insurance A form of insurance in which the insurance company protects the insured from specified losses, such as fire, windstorm and the like. Housing Expenses-to-Income Ratio The ratio, expressed as a percentage, which results when a borrower's housing expenses are divided by his/her gross monthly income. See debt-to-income ratio. Impound That portion of a borrower's monthly payments held by the lender or servicer to pay for taxes, hazard insurance, mortgage insurance, lease payments, and other items as they become due. Also known as reserves.
- Index The index is the measure of interest rate changes that the lender uses to decide how much the interest rate on an ARM will change over time. No one can be sure when an index rate will go up or down. To help you get an idea of how to compare different indexes, the following chart shows a few common indexes over a ten-year period (1977-87). As you can see, some index rates tend to be higher than others, and some more volatile. (But if a lender bases interest rate adjustments on the average value of an index over time, your interest rate would not be as volatile.) You should ask your lender how the index for any ARM you are considering has changed in recent years, and where it is reported.
- Interim Financing A construction loam made during completion of a building or a project. A permanent loan usually replaces this loan after completion.
- Investor A money source for a lender. Jumbo Loan A loan which is larger (more than $214,600 as of 1/1/97) than the limits set by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Because jumbo loans cannot be funded by these two agencies, they usually carry a higher interest rate.
- Lien A claim upon a piece of property for the payment or satisfaction of a debt or obligation.
- Loan-to-Value Ratio The relationship between the amount of the mortgage loan and the appraised value of the property expressed as a percentage.
- Margin The number of percentage points the lender adds to the index rate to calculate the ARM interest rate at each adjustment.
- Market Value The highest price that a buyer would pay and the lowest price a seller would accept on a property. Market value may be different from the price a property could actually be sold for at a given time.
- MIP (Mortgage Insurance Premium) It is insurance from FHA to the lender against incurring a loss on account of the borrower's default.
- Mortgage Insurance Money paid to insure the mortgage when the down payment is less than 20 percent. See private mortgage insurance, FHA mortgage insurance.
- Mortgagee The lender Mortgagor The borrower or homeowner
- Negative Amortization Amortization means that monthly payments are large enough to pay the interest and reduce the principal on your mortgage. Negative amortization occurs when the monthly payments do not cover all of the interest cost. The interest cost that isn't covered is added to the unpaid principal balance. This means that even after making many payments, you could owe more than you did at the beginning of the loan. Negative amortization can occur when an ARM has a payment cap that results in monthly payments not high enough to cover the interest due.
- Net Effective Income The borrower's gross income minus federal income tax.
- Non Assumption Clause A statement in a mortgage contract forbidding the assumption of the mortgage without the prior approval of the lender.
- Note: The signed obligation to pay a debt, as a mortgage note.
- Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) The regulatory and supervisory agency for federally chartered savings institutions. Formally known as Federal Home Loan Bank Board Origination Fee The fee charged by a lender to prepare loan documents, make credit checks, inspect and sometimes appraise a property; usually computed as a percentage of the face value of the loan.
- Permanent Loan A long term mortgage, usually ten years or more. Also called an "end loan."
- PITI Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance. Also called monthly housing expense.
- Pledged account Mortgage (PAM) Money is placed in a pledged savings account and this fund plus earned interest is gradually used to reduce mortgage payments.
- Points A point is equal to one percent of the principal amount of your mortgage. For example, if you get a mortgage for $65,000, one point means you pay $650 to the lender. Lenders frequently charge points in both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages in order to increase the yield on the mortgage and to cover loan closing costs. These points usually are collected at closing and may be paid by the borrower or the home seller, or may be split between them.
- Power of Attorney A legal document authorizing one person to act on behalf of another.
- Prepaid Expenses Necessary to create an escrow account or to adjust the seller's existing escrow account. Can include taxes, hazard insurance, private mortgage insurance and special assessments.
- Prepayment A privilege in a mortgage permitting the borrower to make payments in advance of their due date.
- Prepayment Penalty Money charged for an early repayment of debt. Prepayment penalties are allowed in some form (but not necessarily imposed) in many states.
- Primary Mortgage Market Lenders making mortgage loans directly to borrower's such as savings and loan associations, commercial banks, and mortgage companies. These lenders sometimes sell their mortgages into the secondary mortgage markets such as to FNMA or GNMA, etc.
- Principal The amount of debt, not counting interest, left on a loan.
- Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) In the event that you do not have a 20 percent down payment, lenders will allow a smaller down payment - as low as 5 percent in some cases. With the smaller down payment loans, however, borrowers are usually required to carry private mortgage insurance. Private mortgage insurance will usually require an initial premium payment and may require an additional monthly fee depending on you loan's structure.
- Realtor A real estate broker or an associate holding active membership in a local real estate board affiliated with the National Association of Realtors.
- Recision The cancellation of a contract. With respect to mortgage refinancing, the law that gives the homeowner three days to cancel a contract in some cases once it is signed if the transaction uses equity in the home as security.
- Recording Fees Money paid to the lender for recording a home sale with the local authorities, thereby making it part of the public records.
- Refinance Obtaining a new mortgage loan on a property already owned. Often to replace existing loans on the property.
- Renegotiable Rate Mortgage A loan in which the interest rate is adjusted periodically. See adjustable rate mortgage.
- RESPA Short for the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. RESPA is a federal law that allows consumers to review information on known or estimated settlement cost once after application and once prior to or at a settlement. The law requires lenders to furnish the information after application only.
- Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM) A form of mortgage in which the lender makes periodic payments to the borrower using the borrower's equity in the home asSatisfaction of Mortgage: The document issued by the mortgagee when the mortgage loam is paid in full. Also called a "release of mortgage."
- Second Mortgage A mortgage made subsequent to another mortgage and subordinate to the first one.
- Secondary Mortgage Market The place where primary mortgage lenders sell the mortgages they make to obtain more funds to originate more new loans. It provides liquidity for the lenders. security.
- Servicing All the steps and operations a lender performs to keep a loan in good standing, such as collection of payments, payment of taxes, insurance, property inspections and the like.
- Settlement/Settlement Costs see closing/closing costs
- Shared Appreciation Mortgage (SAM) A mortgage in which a borrower receives a below-market interest rate in return for which the lender (or another investor such as a family member or other partner) receives a portion of the future appreciation in the value of the property. May also apply to mortgage where the borrowers shares the monthly principal and interest payments with another party in exchange for part of the appreciation.
- Simple Interest Interest which is computed only on the principle balance.
- Survey A measurement of land, prepared by a registered land surveyor, showing the location of the land with reference to know points, its dimensions, and the location and dimensions of any buildings.
- Sweat Equity Equity created by a purchaser performing work on a property being purchased.
- Title A document that gives evidence of an individual's ownership of property .
- Title Insurance A policy, usually issued by a title insurance company, which insures a home buyer against errors in the title search. The cost of the policy is usually a function of the value of the property, and is often borne by the purchaser and/or seller.
- Policies are also available to protect the lender's interests.
- Title Search An examination of municipal records to determine the legal ownership of property. Usually is performed by a title company.
- Truth-In-Lending A federal law requiring disclosure of the Annual Percentage Rate to home buyers shortly after they apply for the loan. Also known as Regulation Z.
- Two-Step Mortgage A mortgage in which the borrower receives a below-market interest rate for a specified number of years (most often seven or 10), and then receives a new interest rate adjusted (within certain limits) to market conditions at that time. the lender sometimes has the option to call the loan due with 30 days notice at the end of seven or 10 years. also called "Super Seven" or "Premier" mortgage.
- Underwriting The decision whether to make a loan to a potential home buyer based on credit, employment, assets, and other factors and the matching of this risk to an appropriate rate and term or loan amount.
- USURY Interest charged in excess of the legal rate established by law.
- VA Loan A long-term, low-or no-down payment loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Restricted to individuals qualified by military service or other entitlements.
- VA Mortgage Funding Fee A premium of up to 1-7/8 percent (depending on the size of the down payment) paid on a VA-backed loan. On a $75,000 fixed-rate mortgage with no down payment, this would amount to $1,406 either paid at closing or added to the amount financed.
- Variable Rate Mortgage (VRM) see adjustable rate mortgage
- Verification of Deposit (VOD) A document signed by the borrower's financial institution verifying the status and balance of his/her financial accounts.
- Verification of Employment (VOE) A document signed by the borrower's employer verifying his/her position and salary.
- Warehouse Fee Many mortgage firms must borrow funds on a short term basis in order to originate loans which are to be sold later in the secondary mortgage market (or to investors). When the prime rate of interest is higher on short term loans than on mortgage loans, the mortgage firm has an economic loss which is offset by charging a warehouse fee.
- Wraparound mortgage Results when an existing assumable loan is combined with a new loan, resulting in an interest rate somewhere between the old rate and the current market rate. The payments are made to a second lender or the previous homeowner, who then forwards the payments to the first lender after taking the additional amount off the top.
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