Tuesday, January 26, 2010

UK Mortgage Fees Rise



UK mortgage fees have risen considerably in the past few years despite low interest rates and high levels of mortgage market competitiveness. The rising UK mortgage costs include both the fees applied to the mortgage upon application and upon redemption.



The cost of applying for a UK mortgage has risen considerably in the past three years alone - in addition to a steady increase prior to this period. The hike in application fees has occurred despite UK mortgage lenders cashing in on increased earnings via interest collected thanks to soaring property prices and increasing average mortgage balances.



In addition to the increase in UK mortgage arrangement fees - the cost of exiting a mortgage - has risen considerably within the same three year period.



The cost of redeeming a UK mortgage during a fixed interest rate period can be as high as 5% of the balance of the mortgage. A UK mortgage that is redeemed without an early repayment charge can still cost the borrower several hundred pounds, particularly if there is a remortgage involved.



Lenders seem to be attempting to find as many different avenues as possible to add extra fees on to mortgage products. When one set of fees decreases, application fees for example, another set of fees such as redemptions penalties will increase. It is clear that fees are a necessary income stream for lenders so it is difficult to foresee a time when they will stop increasing.



This is particularly the case because a more competitive UK mortgage market has lead to a situation in which lenders must compete on the interest rates they offer.



This means that they are no longer deriving all their income from the interest they charge. Home owners have benefited from the increased competition through lower interest rates, however, this has not translates into lower mortgage fees.



Because fees now comprise a significant expense to borrowers it is important to include them in any mortgage comparison when assessing which UK mortgage is the best for their particular circumstances. It is no longer good enough to simply compare the headline interest rate.



The true cost of a UK mortgage is demonstrated by the Annual Percentage Rate (APR). The APR presents a truer representation of the true cost of a UK mortgage than the headline interest rate meaning that the lower the APR, the more cost-effective the mortgage is.



However, it is still not good enough to base a decision solely on comparing APRs of competing UK mortgage products. Other factors, such as the service levels of the lender and the flexibility of the UK mortgage, should also be taken into account.



Selecting the right UK mortgage product can be a confusing task so it is a good idea to speak to an independent mortgage broker for impartial advice if required. An independent mortgage broker will have specialist software that can scan the entire UK mortgage market to help select the right product to suit an individual's personal financial circumstances. Remember - the APR will not tell the whole story so pay attention to the fees that are charged when selecting your next mortgage.






What You Need to Know About Loan Modification



How would you like to slash your mortgage payments by 10% ... 20% or even 50%? Then you may want to consider asking your lender for a loan modification. Of course, modifying an existing mortgage isn't for everyone - it does some with some serious consequences. But, if you are one of the millions of American families these days unable to make those monthly payments, it is definitely an option to consider.



Maybe you've heard the term loan modification, but you aren't exactly sure what it entails.



In its most basic form, mortgage modification is a permanent change to your loan agreement designed to bring your payments down due to some sort of long-term financial crisis.



There are several ways in which a mortgage can be altered in a modification:



1. By extending the life of the loan. Let's say that you are five years into a 25-year mortgage and you suddenly become disabled. Maybe you have enough income to keep your house as long as you can lower your monthly payments.



Your lender may be agreeable to extending that 25 year loan to a 40-year term in order to get those payments low enough for you to afford.



2. By lowering your interest rate. Adjustable subprime rate loans have gotten a lot of people into trouble in recent years. As interest rates skyrocketed, so did their payments, leaving many unable to keep up. More and more lenders are now realizing the benefit of offering these homeowners a lower permanent rate in order to keep them in their homes - and up-to-date with their payments.



3. Forgiving late payments, penalties and interest. If you are one of those homeowners who fell behind on your mortgage payments due to a job loss, only to discover that the penalties, interest and late fees were adding up faster than you could pay them once you got back on your financial feet, you may qualify for forgiveness of these add-on fees through a loan modification.



4. A partial loan forgiveness. It's not very common, but sometimes lenders will forgive a portion of a borrower's loan if they believe the homeowner can keep their account current in order to avoid foreclosure.



Of course, knowing the different types of loan modifications available is only the first step in the process. Here are a few other things you must consider when seeking this type of mortgage help:



·Whether or not your loan qualifies for modification. In the past only loans held by the original mortgage lender qualified for modification. That rule is slowly changing, however, making this option available to more borrowers than ever before. Still, there are strict qualifications for loan modification, so check with your lender to see if you even qualify.



·There are no laws requiring a lender to offer modification assistance, no matter what the circumstances. Approval is under the sole discretion of the lender. No one can make them do it.



·Modifications are easier to get than refinancing or new loans. Depending on the lender, the process can be much easier, involving far less paperwork and financial information. Some don't even require that standard income/debt ratios be met as long as you can prove that you can handle the new payment.



·Loan modifications are not new loans! They are a change to an existing loan.



·Although there are some small fees required for a modification, no standard closing costs associated with most mortgages apply.



You don't need to hire an expensive firm to do your loan modification, on the contrary doing it yourself leads to better results and thousands of dollars saved. One such kit is 60 Minute loan modification. 60 Minute Loan Modification is very simple to follow and has helped multiple people stay in their house and avoid foreclosure.


Mortgage Loan Calculators Can Help You Estimate Your Home Loan Payments



With the real estate market beginning to see signs of a bottom leading to a recovery, it may be time to start looking for a new home or an investment property. Because of that, I want to show you a website where you can figure out your loan payments with their mortgage loan calculator.



First, let's talk about what a real estate bottom means. Real estate, just like everything having to do with the economy, moves in definite cycles. While economic downturns are scary and affect people in a real and sometimes debilitating ways, they are part of the normal cycle of our economy.



When the economy is down, you can expect that it will go back up.



What investors look at in these cycles is the bottom. The bottom of a cycle is the absolute lowest value an investment vehicle hits before it starts to go back up in value. The closer to the bottom you can buy, the more money you stand to make. Use the mortgage loan calculator at Yahoo! Real Estate to see if you can afford that property if you think your area is at the bottom of the real estate value cycle.



Remember that no matter what your motives are for purchasing a home, it is an investment and should be bought at the appropriate time in the cycle.



Let's take a look at the Yahoo! Real Estate mortgage loan calculator which you can find by searching for Yahoo! Real Estate and clicking on the comprehensive mortgage calculator



In order to get an accurate payment amount you have to fill in all of the fields. The loan amount is the total amount that you will borrow for your home. That is different than the selling price of your home. The interest rate will come from your loan company but if you want to get an average rate, look in your newspaper or online for the average rate being paid in your area.



There are numerous online resources that will give you that information.



Number of years is normally 30 years and you want to look at a yearly amortization table. (This table simply tells you how much of your payment is going to interest versus principal. It's depressing to see how much money isn't going to the actual payment of your home.)



The property taxes can be found by calling the local city government office or asking your real estate agent if it is on the MLS listing. Your mortgage loan calculator is almost ready to calculate so don't give up.



Hazard Insurance is going to depend on the value of your home plus any additional coverage you want. It is suggested that you get a quote before making a decision on whether to purchase the home. This can easily be done online and the quote will be nearly instant.



Unless your down payment is at least 20% of your home's value, you are going to pay PMI. This is insurance against you defaulting on your loan. Bankrate.com says this:



Let's say you put down 10 percent or $10,000 on a $100,000 house.



The lender multiplies the 90 percent loan, or $90,000, by .005. The result is an annual PMI of $450, which is divided into monthly payments of $37.50.



Now, your mortgage loan calculator is ready so do the calculation and see what comes up. If you can afford it, take the next step. You're on your way to a new home!


Refinance Mortgage Loan - Tips on Refinancing Your Home Mortgage



Refinancing your home mortgage can appear with some abundant perks. If you do it with no money out of pocket, you can skip one to three mortgage payments. You can save money on your transaction or pay off your absolute mortgage faster if you accept bigger terms. Here are a few things to pay absorption to if you refinance your mortgage loan, to accomplish abiding that you don't discount annihilation that you ability regret, or that can could cause you problems later:

1.



Apply for a pre-approval to abounding altered lenders to accomplish abiding you are accepting the everyman bulk possible. If you do this, accomplish abiding that with the antecedent pre-approval application, the lender is not affairs your acclaim history. You will wish to assets your acclaim cull for the lender that you are a lot of acceptable to plan with. You can adjudge that afterwards you accept gone through the basic pre-approval action with a few lenders. Each time your acclaim is pulled, it docks your acclaim account just a little.



If you accept too abounding inquiries, it could accumulate you from refinancing your mortgage accommodation with the everyman bulk possible. If you pre-apply for home mortgage loans online, a lot of lenders or mortgage account companies will not initially cull your credit. Check for advice about this on their website. They will usually acquaint you whether or not they are traveling to cull your credit. Also, if on the appliance you do not accord them your amusing aegis number, they cannot cull your credit.



If, on the application, they ask you to call your credit, they are apparently not affairs your credit.

2. Accomplish abiding that your aboriginal mortgage does not accept a pre-payment amends or aboriginal adjustment amends of any kind. Sometimes humans will get into their mortgage with the mortgage accepting a pre-payment amends and they will not even apperceive about it. Pre-payment penalties usually ambit from 6 months to 3 years with a amends for an aboriginal payoff.



The amends is usually about the bulk of 6 months account of your mortgage accommodation interest, but this varies. You would accept to be able to accept some cogent transaction and absorption accumulation on your refinance accommodation to absolve refinancing a mortgage accommodation with a pre-payment penalty.

3. If evaluating altered lender offers, in the mortgage accommodation pre-approval process, pay abutting absorption to the absorption ante they are alms & the closing costs.



These are the two better factors that will advice you amount out which lender is appropriate for you. If one of these two factors is too high, it could account the account of refinancing for you.

4. Get your absorption bulk and closing costs in autograph as anon as you adjudge on a lender to plan with. Get your lender to accord you a charge in beforehand of all of the costs that will be complex with your loan. Find out if the refinance accommodation you are accepting has a pre-payment amends as well.



Sometimes lenders will leave out important advice like this, if they anticipate it ability alarm you abroad from refinancing with them.

To appearance a account of awful recommended refinance mortgage lenders, a lot of of which will not cull your acclaim in the antecedent application, appointment this page:Recommended Refinance Mortgage Lenders.

Carrie Reeder is the buyer of http://www.abcloanguide.com. ABC Accommodation Guide is an advisory accommodation website with advisory articles, the latest accounts account and lists of recommended mortgage lenders.