FHA loans require PMI for the full loan term, regardless of equity position. Your only option to remove PMI is to refinance into a conventional loan once you have 20%+ equity. Reappraisal alone won't remove PMI on an FHA mortgage.
You can't remove PMI until after 24 months of payments, even if your equity increases significantly or you pay down the loan. Surely they told you that on the phone. If you have the capital, do a large lump sum payment to get to the 78% (it doesn't stop off at 80%LTv) and do a recast to lower your monthly payments.
Remember: You might be able to eliminate PMI when your home value rises or when you refinance the mortgage with at least 20 percent equity. But the onus is on you to request it.
For FHA loans opened on or after June 3, 2013
Most home buyers with newer FHA loans will have a harder time canceling their annual MIP payments. That's because the FHA made annual MIP permanent for many borrowers starting in 2013.
You are required to pay mortgage insurance on FHA loans, but the mortgage insurance on these loans is called a mortgage insurance premium (MIP), not PMI. The rules for when you need to pay this type of mortgage insurance are different than PMI and how much you pay can be different than PMI, too.
Once you reach 20% equity in your home, you have another option for removing PMI without refinancing. You can apply to cancel the PMI. This involves submitting a request to your lender. You'll need to be in good standing with your lender, and it helps if you haven't taken out a second mortgage.
If you meet the eligibility requirements to remove MIP from an FHA loan, your mortgage servicer should automatically cancel the premiums once you meet the criteria (a 78 percent LTV ratio or 11 years, depending on the loan). That's assuming you're in good standing with a record of on-time mortgage payments.
PMI is automatically removed when your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio reaches 78%. You can request to have PMI removed from your loan when you reach 80% LTV in your home. You can achieve an 80% LTV ahead of schedule if your home's value increases or if you make extra loan payments.
When does PMI go away? When your loan balance, or LTV ratio, reaches 78% of the home's original purchase price, your lender must automatically terminate your PMI. You can also request PMI cancellation when you have 20% equity in your home.
Monthly MIP: The Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) is the FHA's version of PMI, a monthly payment that protects lenders in case of loan default. This ranges from 0.40% to 0.75% depending on your down payment, home price and loan term.
This means that from the start of your purchase, you have 20 percent equity in the home's value. The formula to see equity is your home's worth ($200,000) minus your down payment (20 percent of $200,000 which is $40,000). You only own $40,000 of your home.
Get an Appraisal
And no, your neighbor Phil's opinion won't count as an appraisal. Many lenders (like Fannie Mae) also require a two-year “seasoning requirement,” meaning you can't have PMI removed until you've made two years' worth of on-time payments—even if your equity has grown above 20%.
If you have reached the required amount of equity, you can request PMI removal from your lender or loan servicer. To remove PMI, you will need to follow a few steps: Determine if you have reached the required amount of equity. Use the appraisal report to calculate your home's equity.
You can refinance an FHA loan to a conventional loan, but you'll need to meet minimum requirements. If you don't meet the equity minimum for a conventional loan, you'll need to account for continued PMI costs until you've reached at least an 80% loan-to-value ratio (or lower).
“After sufficient equity has built up on your property, refinancing from an FHA or conventional loan to a new conventional loan would eliminate MIP or PMI payments. This is possible as long as your LTV ratio is at 80% or less.”
An FHA loan may be a better option if you have a lower credit score, a higher DTI ratio, or less money saved for a down payment. On the other hand, a conventional loan may work better if your finances are sound and you can qualify for favorable loan terms.
If you put 20% down on an FHA loan, you would pay a lower annual mortgage insurance premium. The premium requirement would also stop after 11 years. However, if you have 20% to put down and your credit score is 620 or higher, you may want to pursue a conventional loan instead.
Yes, a lender can refuse to remove PMI. For instance, if your property does not appraise as expected or you do not satisfy a requirement, a lender can reject your request. However, if you meet the requirements, you can request the removal of PMI.
You can avoid paying PMI by providing a down payment of more than 20% when you take out a mortgage. Mortgages with down payments of less than 20% will require PMI until you build up a loan-to-value ratio of at least 80%.
Key Differences Between PMI And MIP. The main difference between PMI and MIP, as we've already mentioned, is that PMI applies to conventional loans while MIP applies to FHA loans.
FHA mortgage loans don't require PMI, but they do require an Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium and a mortgage insurance premium (MIP) to be paid instead. Depending on the terms and conditions of your home loan, most FHA loans today will require MIP for either 11 years or the lifetime of the mortgage.
Current FHA mortgage rates
Mortgage rates have gone up recently. In December, conventional 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.42%, according to Zillow data. And they've been even higher this month. But keep in mind that FHA rates are typically lower than conventional rates.
Determine whether you're able to afford a 20% down payment on a home. If you are, there's no need to worry about PMI! If you're not putting down at least 20%, see if you qualify for different mortgage loans that don't require PMI, such as a VA loan from Navy Federal.