What is a Jumbo Loan or a Jumbo Mortgage?

Quite simply it is a loan that does not conform to the guidelines established by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or exceeds the conventional loan limit is called a Jumbo mortgage loan. In most states, home loans that exceed $417,00 to $1,000,000 are considered Jumbo Mortgages. Jumbo Mortgages carry slightly higher interest rates than conventional home loans. This is because when any loan is sold to an investor it is packaged in bundles of several million dollars. For example an investor might purchase a loan bundle that is valued at 3 million dollars. In that bundle, lets say that there are 12 mortgages for $250,000.00 each. If one of those loans defaults, the default ratio would be 1 out of 12. When a jumbo loan bundle is sold, that 3 million dollar bundle may only contain 4-5 loans. In this case if one of those loans defaults the ratio increase to 1 out of 4. Hence the risk is greater for the investor. The greater the risk, the higher the rate.

2006 Jumbo loan limits

As with the growth of the housing market, the average median price of homes increase steadily throughout most of the United States. A home that would have been considered conventional just a few years ago now demands a higher price. Jumbo loans adjust their limits regularly to meet the demand of rising housing prices. Currently the jumbo loan limit for a one family home is 417,000. For properties in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the limits are 50 percent higher.

Why do you need to know this??

Once you know your loan is classified as Jumbo or Super Jumbo, you need to ask different questions. From the first conversation you have with your lender, you need to make certain that he or she knows you need a jumbo or super jumbo loan. You need to be prepared for having at least two appraisals on the property, and potentially providing more documentation than other loan programs. You need to make certain that your lender has the proper resources to offer you competitive jumbo and super jumbo financing.

Super Jumbo Mortgage

A loan amount over $1 Million is classified as a “super jumbo” loan. Most lenders do not offer residential mortgage financing for Super Jumbo loans, and some lenders only do Super Jumbo loans. As with a jumbo loan, documentation requirements, interest rates, and review processes are generally different and more demanding on super jumbo loans than “conforming” loans, due to the amount of money involved. This type of loan does usually require excellent credit.

Author: Anthony Urso
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Mortgage refinancing is a great way to save your home from being lost to foreclosure, save money every month, or both. Many people are taking advantage of super low interest rates and new mortgage refinancing options available from President Obamas “Making Home Affordable” housing stimulus plan. Here are some reasons that refinancing a mortgage right now with Obamas stimulus plan can benefit you.

Many homeowners are aware that President Obama has announced a stimulus program to help them, but are unaware of what it can do for them. This stimulus plan is designed to help prevent homeowners from losing their home and get into a better and affordable monthly home loan payment. This is going to be done with new mortgage refinancing and modification options that are available to nearly all homeowners. With over $75 billion in funding from Obamas stimulus plan, mortgage lenders and banks can help homeowners with upside down mortgages, financial hardships, or other problems.

This money is they how homeowners are going to get help. This $75 billion is being used to keep mortgage rates low, which they are, and also being broken down into cash incentives to give to mortgage lenders and banks. These incentives though are only to be given when a homeowner receives a mortgage refinancing or modification in accordance with President Obamas stimulus plan. This gives a reason for mortgage lenders and banks to help struggling homeowners and offer them truly beneficial mortgage refinancing and modification options.

Homeowners will benefit by getting a better interest rate, and a lower monthly mortgage payment. The stimulus plan says that homeowners who get help from a lender who gets a cash incentive will not have to pay more than 31% of their gross monthly income to their monthly loan payment. This includes all taxes, fees, and other associated home ownership costs. Also, homeowners will avoid having to pay closing costs and fees when using Obamas stimulus plan. These costs can easily add up to thousands of dollars.

Never before has been getting help refinancing a mortgage been this available to so many struggling homeowners. Take advantage of President Obamas mortgage refinance stimulus plan options and get help now. Take action, save money, and save your home.

I have been underwriting mortgages for years. Recently, I got into a new business but I still wish to share my advice, tips, and industry inside happenings of the mortgage refinancing industry.
For more articles on Mortgage Refinance check out my website

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/mortgage-articles/president-obama-mortgage-stimulus-save-money-your-home-or-both-1691967.html

Hey there everyone! You may not realize that you might be able to refinance your mortgage through the Mortgage lender that you are working with; but this is something that you might want to investigate. There are many people out there that will be able to refinance their mortgage when the amount of interest that you are being charged is actually higher than the current interest rates out there. You will need to ask the Mortgage lender that you are working with in order to find this out.

Those that have a higher interest rate on that mortgage loan because you had credit that is less than perfect or might simply have a good bit of equity in the property you might want to go to the loan officer from/for the Mortgage company that holds you loan. If you really don’t know how much equity is on your property you might want to ask the loan officer from your Mortgage Company to be sure. There are going to be times that you are might find out that you do have enough equity in the property to be able to justify refinancing the loan.

Something that you are going to need to know at all times is exactly what you credit score and rating are. The reason that these are important is that any Mortgage lender is going to take this into account when they are looking at your financial information. If your credit score and/or rating have changed in any way you are going to need to know this as a change for the worst in your credit will impact the interest rate that you are paying to the Mortgage lender that holds your loan.

Something else that you need to be aware of is that you mortgage loan is not always going to nr held by the same Mortgage company that originated that loan in the first place. All mortgage loans as well as other types of loans continuously get sold off to other lenders throughout the life of that loan. Does this mean that you can’t go back to the loan officer that got your loan approved for you to ask questions? For the most part you are still going to be able to call on him or her to ask questions whenever you don’t understand something. One thing that people do not realize is that the mortgage/financial business is a very confusing one to be involved with at any level and even more confusing when you are only on the sidelines of the whole mess.

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Millions of homeowners are eligible to take advantage of President Obamas “Making Home Affordable” stimulus plan. Along with Wells Fargo and a few selected mortgage lenders and banks this program offers homeowners in bad financial situations new mortgage refinancing options. The goal is to stop the high number of foreclosures, and provide relief financially for homeowners.

Wells Fargo, like the other lenders or banks approved to offer this stimulus plan to homeowners, will receive a cash incentive from the Government every time they help a homeowner and follow Obamas stimulus plan guidelines. With this money, mortgage lenders or banks can, and will, approve more homeowners in worse financial situation than ever before. This money acts as a financial barrier as to how much the lender or bank could potentially lose, and therefore with it is makes getting approved easier than ever.

Wells Fargo mortgage refinancing options exist for homeowners with:

-Bad credit, financial hardships, or other debt problems.

-A home that has dropped in value and mortgages that the homeowner owes up to 25% more on than the home is actually worth.

-Homeowners facing foreclosure or defaulting on their mortgage. This program stops and pending foreclosures, and is basically a fresh start for a homeowner.

Wells Fargo mortgage refinance has always been beneficial for many people. Now though, with Government money backing them, they can help more homeowners than ever before. Contact Wells Fargo today and ask how Obamas stimulus program can help you refinance a mortgage. Help is available and Wells Fargo has the resources, dedication, and proven history that can help you save your home, save money, or both. Take action now.

I have been underwriting mortgages for years. Recently, I got into a new business but I still wish to share my advice, tips, and industry inside happenings of the mortgage refinancing industry.
For more articles on Mortgage Refinance check out my website

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/mortgage-articles/get-mortgage-refinancing-from-wells-fargo-with-obamas-stimulus-plan-1677834.html

FHA Loans can be used for a variety of circumstances in today’s market. FHA loan limits in certain, higher cost areas of the country are actually higher than those for conventional loans (in some cases, much higher). They have become the most popular loan type in America today and for good reason. FHA Mortgage Loans allow for a much higher Loan-to-Value (LTV) when compared to conventional loans and FHA loans carry very low interest rates over a broad range of credit profiles.

FHA loan limits vary greatly over different areas of the country. In most counties, the FHA maximum loan amount is $271,050. This limit is impacted by the average median income for that area. In other, higher cost areas of the country, the loan limits can be higher and in some cases, substantially higher. The maximum FHA home loan amount in any area right now is $729,750.

FHA that are over $417,000 are considered “FHA Jumbo Loans” and carry very similar terms and interest rates as lower FHA mortgage amounts. FHA Jumbo Mortgages allow a home buyer to purchase a home and finance up to 96.5% of the purchase price. Other loan programs do not allow for such a high LTV in today’s lending climate. This is one of the reasons that FHA mortgage loans are so popular today.

In addition to the FHA Maximum Loan Amount for a give area, FHA home loans also carry certain Debt-to-Income Ratios (DTI) that determine how much of a loan amount a borrower can afford for their particular circumstances. Current FHA maximum DTI Ratios are 31% for the housing ratio (meaning the new house payment should not be more than 33% of the total documented income) and 43% for the total expense ratio (meaning the new total monthly expenses should not be more than 43% of the borrowers documented income). These ratios can be exceeded with compensating factors, such as an excellent credit score and payment history.

Author: Spencer Llewellyn
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Imagine this, you and your spouse find the perfect house for your little family. Its a few minutes from your work place, near a good school, and located in a good community. Unfortunately, ethough you can pay for the monthly mortgage payments, you just dont have enough cash on hand to pay for the requisite 20% down payment. What should you do?

Do you scrounge around until you can raise enough to cover the down payment cost? Do you let it go? Or do you try to find a way to get the house without having to shell out a large sum of cash as down payment? If you really want the house, and feel that you and your partner make a good enough living to pay the mortgage – then go for the latter option.

Today, there are financial institutions (both private and government funded) who can help you purchase a home even if you dont have enough to cover the initial down payment requirement. These lenders can shoulder 95% 100% of the total property cost (meaning, you either give 5% down payment or none at all) – a sweet deal for th financially capable yet cash-strapped (at the moment) home buyer.

Alas, this wonderful opportunity does come with a price. If you avail of this program, you should expect to be given higher interest rates on your mortgage, make bigger monthly payments, and you may also be asked to purchase what is called a: private mortgage insurance. It is a stiff deal, but if you dont want to spend your life saving just for the down payment, and miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a reasonably priced home at an upscale market then this option is worth considering.

If you really dont want to be tied down to their terms and conditions, you can still purchase the house of your dreams: you just need to come up with the requested down payment amount another way. You can borrow money from your relatives, or cash in on some of your investments. If, however, all else fails, you may just have to let go of the property. Dont feel too bad though. There are other houses up on the market. If you look hard enough, you may find one that fits your personal requirements, as well as your finances to a t. Just be patient, and one day, youll find it.

Author: Gloria Smith
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If you want to buy a new home, but have little money in the bank, there are ways to get approved for a home with no money down. New homebuyers have a multitude of mortgage options available to them. These options make buying a home with little out-of-pocket expense more attainable.

Understanding Traditional Mortgage Loans

Prior to the flood of new mortgage loans, buying a home required waiting until you had the ideal circumstances. This usually meant saving enough money for a down payment (about 20% of the home price), building a high credit rating, and having adequate funds left over to pay closing fees.

Unfortunately, the prefect circumstances rarely present itself. Thus, several home loans have been established to help people achieve their goal of owning a home. Although new types of home loans are common, traditional mortgage loans have not become extinct.

There are advantages to traditional home loans. Typically, these loans involve a lower interest rate and better terms. However, meeting the qualifying requirements is difficult. Moreover, traditional mortgage loans require some form of down payment.

First Time Home Buyer Loans Programs

Several local housing departments have programs setup to help new homebuyers acquire a home loan. In some cases, homebuyers must successfully complete a home buying workshop.

Afterwards completing workshop, homebuyers become eligible for down payment assistant programs and government grants. Unfortunately, some cities establish income restrictions. Thus, if the annual household income exceeds a certain amount, you will not qualify for down payment assistance.

No Money Down Home Loans

If seeking a conventional home loan, there are many programs offered by Veteran Administration and FHA that involve no money down home loans. In either case, the lender financing the home will likely approve the homebuyer for 100% financing.

Try using one of ABC Loan Guide’s Recommended No Money Down Mortgage Loan Lenders.

Buyers may also obtain funds for more than the purchase price, which is usually enough to pay for closing costs and home repairs. These loans are labeled 103% and 107% financing. If using a prime lender, good credit is required. Homebuyers that do qualify for prime rates may obtain up to 103% financing using a bad credit mortgage lender.

Author: Carrie Reeder
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In 2008, the United States underwent a huge economic meltdown and President Bush signed a major housing bill into law. As a part of this housing bill, a temporary tax credit was provided as an incentive for first time home buyers. The $7500 tax credit was available on the purchase of a principal residence. In 2009, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expanded the first time homebuyer credit and increased it to $8000.

The stabilization of the housing market in 2008 due to the tax credit and the tremendous success of the cash for Clunkers program have shown that stimulus payments that directly go to the consumers are the ones that have the most impact. After more than a year since the worst period of the financial disaster, the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the fall of Lehman Brothers and the quick sale of Merrill Lynch the signs of optimism in the housing market  are visible everywhere. In the recent months the housing market has been bolstered by a number of factors, the first time homebuyer tax credit being one of them. With falling home prices and low rates of mortgages, the tax credit is the icing on the cake.

Though the credit has helped stabilize the housing market for now, there are contradicting views about its practicality and its costs. The National Association Of Realtors and The National Association of Home Builders have focused on the positive outcome of the tax credit, the additional 400,000 home sales that would not have happened otherwise, while some of the lawmakers are discussing the costs which, if it hits the estimated $15 billion, will be much more than what was projected in the economic stimulus bill.

While on one side the tax credit is increasing home sales, on the other side it is also increasing government spending and adding to the budget deficit. There have also been reports from governance groups and the IRS that there has been a widespread fraud around claims for this tax credit. According to the IRS 73,799 claims totaling approximately$ 504 million may not be from first time home buyers. Also people under 18, who are ineligible to buy a home, claimed almost $4 million in credits. Analysts also argue that the tax credit has not had much impact on the hardest- hit and most expensive housing markets and that the  benefits of this tax credit has been overstated and its impact going forward will be uneven. In markets with excessive bank-owned properties any demand that is stimulated by the tax credit will be offset.

In my opinion even though the tax credit may not have had much impact it certainly has had a psychological effect on people and has helped push some of the buyers from the sidelines. While the actual impact on the sales numbers may be relatively low, this tax credit has taken the worst case scenario off the table for the immediate future.

While on one hand this tax credit has drawn may people into the housing market, on the other hand it may be a subsidy for some who don’t need it.

I think without the tax credit the prices of homes may start falling again because job losses will continue to curb demand and reverse this year’s gains in housing market. The new version of the tax credit which includes  people with higher incomes and people who want to trade up into new homes, will  stimulate the housing market more than the old one due to the fact that under the expanded version more people qualify for the tax credit.

I think the tax credit is a short term fix for the housing market and if long term solutions are not found, the housing market will plummet soon after the tax credit expires. We need to find solutions to stabilize the economy and not make the country dependent on stimulus packages because it is the tax payers who will ultimately pay for the stimulus packages. If government debt keeps piling up at this rate it could easily lead to a second wave of financial disaster within a few years. Finally learning from our past mistakes; government policies encouraging people to become homeowners led to the credit and housing problems, and we should try to not go down that path again.

Student at West Chester University

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/mortgage-articles/first-time-homebuyer-tax-credit-should-it-be-extended-1667703.html

The conforming loan limit is $417,000. That is the maximum loan amount that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are allowed to buy from lenders across the United States. These purchases provide liquidity and lower rates for these “conforming” loans.

The 2006 median sales price in Fairfax County, Virginia, is reported to be $525,100. If prospective purchasers are interested in a higher priced home could they use a conforming loan without having a large down payment? Does a mortgage insurance premium need to be paid? It is not tax deductible by those earning more than $100,000 per year. Would you as a buyer have to get a jumbo loan and a higher rate?

Earlier this year jumbo rates were anywhere from one quarter to one half higher than conforming mortgages. But since a liquidity crisis has strangled the credit markets, jumbo rates are now at least one full percent higher than conforming rates for fixed rate mortgages.

Don’t fret! You can still use a conforming loan to purchase a home costing as much as $556,000 without any down payment whatsoever. You can do this by keeping the first trust at the maximum $417,000 limit and combining it with a second trust of $139,000. This is commonly referred to a 75/25 combo or piggyback loan. They also come in different flavors including an 80/20 or for those with a down payment the 80/10/10, the 80/15/5 or the 75/15/10.

These combinations can help you to avoid any or all of the following: jumbo rates, necessity for a down payment or mortgage insurance. Skipping any one of these will keep more money in your pocket. Avoiding all three is priceless.

Author: Stephen A Myers
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Mortgage refinancing with bad credit is easy thanks to President Obamas stimulus plan for homeowners. Never before has the Government stepped in and offered so many homeowners mortgage relief. Homeowners with bad credit, an upside down mortgage or other financial hardships can easily get a mortgage refinancing that will lower their monthly payments, help them avoid foreclosure, and save money. Here are some things to know about President Obamas stimulus plan for homeowners refinancing a mortgage.

Bad credit, upside down mortgages, or financial hardships have often kept a homeowner from being able to get a beneficial mortgage refinancing. However, things have changed and President Obamas stimulus plan now provides new mortgage refinancing options for millions of homeowners, regardless of their financial position. With over $75 billion in funding to help struggling homeowners, getting help refinancing a mortgage right now is easier than it ever has been before, and a lot of people are eligible.

The $75 billion will be mainly broken down into small cash incentives and given to participating mortgage lenders and banks. Every time an approved lender or bank offers a struggling homeowner a mortgage refinancing option that follows Obamas guidelines, they will get a cash incentive. This means that even homeowners who have lost a job, owe up to 25% more than their home is actually worth, have been denied before, or have other financial problems can get mortgage refinancing help, save money, and save a home from being lost. This stimulus program had to be enabled in order for the housing market, and millions of homeowners, to have a chance at recovering.

Refinancing a mortgage can be a great thing for many people to do. Interest rates are low and stimulus programs for homeowners will keep monthly payments affordable, help you avoid foreclosure, and save you money. Millions of homeowners can benefit from Obamas stimulus plan if they refinance their mortgage with it. Contact a mortgage lender or bank today and ask how you can use Obamas plan for yourself.

I have been underwriting mortgages for years. Recently, I got into a new business but I still wish to share my advice, tips, and industry inside happenings of the mortgage refinancing industry.
For more articles on Mortgage Refinance check out my website

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/mortgage-articles/obamas-new-stimulus-plan-for-struggling-homeowners-1660117.html