July 2007

What you need to know about private mortgage insurance

If you’re in the market for a home, you’ve probably heard of private mortgage insurance or PMI. It’s insurance that protects lenders — not borrowers — if the mortgage goes into default. Lenders generally require PMI if you’re unwilling or unable to make a down payment of at least 20% of the home’s purchase price. Depending on your credit history, your income, the size of your mortgage and other factors, PMI can run from $50 to several hundred dollars a month. After building up equity in your home (in technical terms, when your loan-to-value ratio drops below 78% of the original loan balance), your PMI policy can be cancelled. But building up that much equity, especially with a conventional long-term mortgage, can take a decade or longer.

Is everyone who can’t afford a big down payment required to take out a PMI policy? If you’re financing a home with a conventional mortgage, the short answer is: probably. Homes financed with a Veteran’s Administration (VA) or Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage don’t require PMI. That’s because the federal government protects these lenders by paying off the outstanding mortgage balance if the borrower defaults. Lenders who finance conventional mortgages don’t have that protection. From the lender’s perspective, if you borrow more than 80% of the home’s market value, you’re more likely to default on the loan. (And, yes, lenders can trot out studies to prove their point.) To compensate for this greater perceived risk, conventional mortgage lenders generally require you to purchase PMI. Those lenders who don’t require PMI will compensate for their risk in other ways, such as jacking up your mortgage’s interest rate.

On the plus side, a conventional mortgage with PMI may enable you to acquire a home that’s otherwise outside your budget. On the other hand, the availability of PMI may entice you to purchase a home that’s more expensive than you can realistically afford. Consider also that PMI premiums add an extra cost to your monthly house payment, and they’re tax-deductible in 2007 only.

So if you’re looking to finance that dream home, be sure to consider all the factors — including PMI. If you need assistance, give us a call.