Mortgage Interest Rates Keep Steady

Mortgage interest rates were virtually unchanged this week. The 30 Year rate stayed even at 6.52. The 15 year rate moved up a little from 6.07 to 6.10 and the 5 year arm moved down from 6.07 to 6.05. The only rate that moved much was the one year are which fell from 5.27 to 5.22. The one year Arm had the biggest fall last week as well. So in total for the last two weeks the 1 year arm has fallen from 5.49 to 5.22 while the other 3 major mortgage products have not fallen more than .11. Why the one year ARM is looking so good is another question. A high percent of the foreclosures the country is currently dealing with are from ARM based mortgages. So it seems odd to encourage ARMs when they are partially responsible with the current mess we are in. Of course the people in charge of the various mortgage companies didn't lose billions in shareholder wealth in just two years by making prudent decisions. So who knows what their current strategy is. Here are mortgage interest rates for the major mortgage products for the last few weeks.

August 7,2008
30-yr 6.52 15-yr 6.10 5-yr ARM 6.05 1-yr ARM 5.22

July 31,2008
30-yr 6.52 15-yr 6.07 5-yr ARM 6.07 1-yr ARM 5.27

July 24,2008
30-yr 6.63 15-yr 6.18 5-yr ARM 6.16 1-yr ARM 5.49

July 17,2008
30-yr 6.26 15-yr 5.78 5-yr ARM 5.80 1-yr ARM 5.10

July 10,2008
30-yr 6.37 15-yr 5.91 5-yr ARM 5.82 1-yr ARM 5.17

As always what do all these crazy numbers mean. To put these numbers in perspective lets see what these rates translate into for a mortgage on a 200k house.

August 7th
30-yr $1266.76
15-yr $1698.53
5-yr ARM $1205.53
1-yr ARM $1100.69

July 31th
30-yr $1266.76
15-yr $1695.28
5-yr ARM $1208.11
1-yr ARM $1106.88

July 24th
30-yr $1281.28
15-yr $1707.22
5-yr ARM $1219.75
1-yr ARM $1134.32

On the one hand I am usually pretty against ARMs. But a difference of 166.07 a month is pretty hard to ignore. If you are thinking of getting a 1 Year ARM this my advice. 1) Make sure you have 12 months of mortgage payments in a liquid account. 2) Watch the rates over the next year and wait for rates to come down a bit. If they don't come down and instead come up make sure you can afford to refinance at a higher rate. 3) this should be obvious from point one and two but if you are getting a 1 Year Arm dont get anywhere near your maximum loan amount. So if you are approved for a 300k loan it might be ok to get a 1 Year ARM if you are buying a house that is 150k-200k. If you are approved for a 300k loan and get a house for 280k get a 30 Year loan its simply not worth the risk. With an ARM your mortgage rate will simply start to flucuate after a year unlike a balloon where you are forced to refinance.

Guest Post by Escapeso Realty which is a small brokerage in Austin Texas. Their site provides updated graphs on mortgage interest rates. They also provide a free mortgage calculator along with a mortgage rates widget

A Beginner’s Guide to Using a Mortgage Broker

A mortgage broker is able to utilise industry knowledge and experience to source deals that can be beneficial to an applicant. Thanks to legislation in favour of the consumer, the broker must offer advice that is appropriate to the applicant’s circumstances and can be held financially liable if their information or advice is later found to be defective or misleading.

Therefore a broker must assess the borrower’s circumstances before making any contact with a lender; this may include a credit report supplied by one of the three credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and Creditcall) and verification of income to support the premise that the mortgage is affordable. The broker is also responsible for completing the lender application form, gathering all the required documents from the applicant, explaining all the legalities of the mortgage agreement and submitting all the relevant material to the lender.

There are, in essence, two types of mortgage broker: those who are ‘whole of market’ brokers and those who work with a smaller, select panel of lenders. Whole of Market brokers, such as The Mortgage Broker Ltd, offer applicants the opportunity to select their mortgage product from any available UK lender they choose. This approach is ideal for those who are not confident in their working knowledge of mortgages, those who have adverse credit ratings and for those who simply do not have the time to thoroughly research the mortgage market.

Brokers who use smaller panels of lenders are more restricted in the choice of product they can offer. In turn, this can also limit their experience in certain types of mortgage, given that they may be used to dealing with a set number of lenders and their associated products. An experienced broker, however, may have the power to negotiate terms, on behalf of his or her client, that may have seemed previously unattainable. The broker may also be able to begin and finish the entire procurement process on the client’s behalf.

All mortgage brokers are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, offering the consumer an added degree of protection as, should the broker’s information to the lender prove to be inaccurate, they can be held responsible for any financial problems that have been incurred. They are obliged to ensure that their advice caters for the needs of the applicant, whilst taking into account the lender’s criteria, ensuring that the client receives entirely impartial advice.

As well as the basic service of mortgage procurement, many mortgage brokers also offer further services and advice on other aspects of mortgaging, including re-mortgages, buy to let, self-certification and adverse credit mortgages. Mortgage brokers now cater for over 68% of all mortgage deals across the UK. With the often confusing jargon offered by financial institutions and the lack of explanatory literature offered by the internet, it is not hard to see why.

Guest Post by Steven Clarke – Marketing Manager – The Mortgage Broker – Providing a mortgage comparison of the whole mortgage lender market to find you the best mortgage loan rates. Visit the Mortgage Broker to get a quote on the type of mortgage you want.

Home Mortgage Refinancing – How Rates and Terms Affect Overall Cost

When looking at home mortgage refinancing, rates and terms of the loan are critical. The rate is the amount of interest that you will be applied to the unpaid principal during each loan payment period, while the term is the length of time before the loan is paid off. It is important to understand how various combinations of these two factors affect the total cost of your loan. Make certain that you have a complete understanding of not only the monthly payment that will be your obligation, but the cost of the entire loan over the course of the loan.

Definitions

There are some common buzz words associated with obtaining home refinancing. It is important that you understand the meaning of the terms as the loan broker or the lender defines them. If the definition is not standard usage as you understand the term, you may find yourself with some very wrong assumptions about the mortgage documents that you signed. For example, you should at a minimum define adjustable rate mortgage, mortgage term, Option ARM and negative amortization. Be aware of alternative terms used in the documents and be certain that you understand the impact these words and clauses will have on the length and cost of the mortgage loan.

ARM

An adjustable rate mortgage grew in popularity during the 70s and 80s when fixed rate mortgages were climbing sky high. The adjustable rate mortgage allowed more home buyers to qualify for a loan, because the interest rate and thus the initial payment amount was lower. If you select the ARM for your home mortgage refinancing, you will typically pay less for 6 to 24 months after which your rate will increase at a rate tied to some outside index. There may or may not be a cap on how high the adjusted rate can go and how often it can be adjusted.

Fixed Rate

A fixed rate is quite common when searching for home mortgage refinancing. This type of rate benefits those who have a stable income, plan to stay in the same home for at least 3 years, and who need to be able to plan ahead for expenses in the foreseeable future. The fixed mortgage rate is set at the onset of the loan term and does not change during the term. It tends to be somewhat higher than an adjustable rate mortgage since the lender has a slightly higher risk of loss with this type of loan.

Negative Equity

Negative equity loans are more likely to be seen in new home mortgages than in home mortgage refinancing loans, since the concept is relatively new. Essentially, the negative amortization loan adds the unmet portion of interest and principal payments each month to the principal balance. This means that at the end of the grace period which can be only a few months, the borrower ends up owing more in principal than was on the original loan. A few individuals can take advantage of this type of loan but it requires self-discipline and an understanding of strict budgeting.

Guest Post by To get the latest, most accurate and complete information about Home Mortgage Refinancing or Home Mortgage, be sure to visit the web site located at http://www.homemortgageloan-refinance.com.