Private mortgage insurance (MI) puts home ownership in reach for millions of qualified borrowers because it helps them to obtain mortgages with smaller down payments – as little as 3% in some cases — while also protecting lenders and investors from losses if those borrowers default on their mortgages.
PMI is designed to protect the lender in the event that the homeowner defaults on the loan. While it doesn't protect the homeowner from foreclosure, it does allow prospective homebuyers to become homeowners even if they can't afford a 20 percent down payment.
Mortgage insurance lowers the risk to the lender of making a loan to you, so you can qualify for a loan that you might not otherwise be able to get. Typically, borrowers making a down payment of less than 20 percent of the purchase price of the home will need to pay for mortgage insurance.
Private mortgage insurance, also called PMI, is a type of mortgage insurance you might be required to pay for if you have a conventional loan. Like other kinds of mortgage insurance, PMI protects the lender—not you—if you stop making payments on your loan.
PMI can open up more payment and housing options.
By allowing different loan terms – e.g. combinations of down payment and monthly payment amounts – it can give you a wider choice of homes and neighborhoods.
Cons of having PMI: PMI is an extra premium. PMI is an extra payment that you're going to have to pay on top of your normal mortgage payment – and you don't get it back. PMI rates vary.
PMI is designed to protect the lender in case you default on your mortgage, meaning you don't personally get any benefit from having to pay it. So putting more than 20% down allows you to avoid paying PMI, lowering your overall monthly mortgage costs with no downside.
Mortgage insurance is maintained at the option of the current owner of the mortgage. In many cases, the lender will allow the cancellation of mortgage insurance when the loan is paid down to 80% of the original property value. However, lenders may take more than your home value into account to consider eliminating PMI.
For conventional loans, mortgage insurance is temporary. It's only required until your home equity percent reaches 20% of your home's market value. In time, because your monthly mortgage payment includes principal repayment, you're likely to gain that home equity and petition your lender to cancel PMI.
This federal law, also known as the PMI Cancellation Act, protects you against excessive PMI charges. You have the right to get rid of PMI once you've built up the required amount of equity in your home.
A mortgage is a long-term loan designed to help you buy a house. In addition to repaying the principal, you also have to make interest payments to the lender. The home and land around it serve as collateral. But if you are looking to own a home, you need to know more than these generalities.
Because of the Homeowners Protection Act of 1989, lenders must cancel conventional PMI when you reach a 78% loan–to–value ratio. Many home buyers opt for a conventional loan because PMI drops while FHA MIP does not go away on its own – unless you put down 10% or more.
Refinancing is the only option for getting rid of PMI on most government-backed loans, such as FHA loans. You'll have to refinance from a government-backed loan to a conventional mortgage to get rid of PMI.
To sum up, when it comes to PMI, if you have less than 20% of the sales price or value of a home to use as a down payment, you have two basic options: Use a "stand-alone" first mortgage and pay PMI until the LTV of the mortgage reaches 78%, at which point the PMI can be eliminated. 1 Use a second mortgage.
On average, PMI costs range between 0.22% to 2.25% of your mortgage . How much you pay depends on two main factors: Your total loan amount: As a general rule, PMI expenses are higher for larger mortgages. Your credit score: Lenders typically charge borrowers with high credit scores lower PMI percentages.
There is no simple way to get rid of LPMI. You basically have two options: sell the home or refinance the mortgage. With a refinance in general, you'd need to ensure you get a lower rate and can afford the closing costs to make it financially worthwhile.
Fortunately, you don't have to pay private mortgage insurance, or PMI, forever. ... And your lender must automatically cancel PMI charges once your regular payments reduce the balance on your loan to 78 percent of your home's original appraised value.
On FHA loans, lenders must cancel your mortgage insurance when you have 22 percent equity in your home. You may get a refund on your upfront FHA mortgage insurance payment if you did not default on your loan. Likewise, you may get a refund on a portion of private mortgage insurance policy once the coverage ends.
For homeowners with a conventional mortgage loan, you may be able to get rid of PMI with a new appraisal if your home value has risen enough to put you over 20 percent equity. However, some loan servicers will re–evaluate PMI based only on the original appraisal.
The Bottom Line. PMI is expensive. Unless you think you'll be able to attain 20% equity in the home within a couple of years, it probably makes sense to wait until you can make a larger down payment or consider a less expensive home, which will make a 20% down payment more affordable.
Let's take a second and put those numbers in perspective. If you buy a $300,000 home, you would be paying anywhere between $1,500 – $3,000 per year in mortgage insurance.
Private mortgage insurance does nothing for you
This is a premium designed to protect the lender of the home loan, not you as a homeowner. Unlike the principal of your loan, your PMI payment doesn't go into building equity in your home.
For example, if you make $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year), you can afford a mortgage with a monthly payment no higher than $1,080 ($3,000 x 0.36). Your total household expense should not exceed $1,290 a month ($3,000 x 0.43).
There is one big advantage and one big disadvantage of PMI. The advantage – It lets homebuyers buy a home without having to wait till they have the full 20% down payment. The disadvantage – The obvious disadvantage is the higher monthly cost for the borrower.
A borrower with a “very good” FICO credit score (at least 740) might pay 0.20 percent to 0.30 percent of the loan balance for PMI, or $50 to $75 a month, says Guarino.