The Debt-to-Income Ratio, also known as “DTI Ratio”, are simply a couple of percentage representing applicant debt compared to their total income. Lenders use mortgage debt-to-income ratio percentages to evaluate a borrowers ability to repay them as agreed. Maximum debt-to-income ratios may vary based upon the mortgage program and the lender. Read More
Conventional loans are considered the ‘garden variety’ of mortgage programs. And while the term ‘conventional loan’ is defined as any mortgage that isn’t guaranteed or insured by a government agency, conventional loans can be either “conforming” or “non-conforming”. Conforming loans are conventional programs that meet or ‘conform’ to guidelines set forth by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as well as the funding criteria for either Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
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As you go through the process of purchasing a home with a mortgage, you are likely to discover a number of surprising costs. Read More
January of 2014 saw the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB for short) introduce a host new rules and guidelines for real estate mortgages. For the most part, these ‘new’ rules and guidelines have already been around for awhile. The financial industry suffered a crushing blow from the 2008 Financial Crisis and has been extensively regulated every since. Read More
Once thought of as the agile, exuberant cheerleader of home loans, the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) accounted for as many as one in four mortgages in 2006. A few years later, when ARMs became branded one of the risky, greed-filled indulgences of the financial crisis, their number fell dramatically. Yet ARMs have seen a recent uptick in popularity, but with a much clearer view of what they really are and who can benefit from their flexibility. Read More
