Should you go for second mortgage or prefer refinancing your first mortgage? Second mortgage is always offered at higher rate of interest than the first one. Moreover, second mortgage reduces your equity in the home. These two drawbacks of second mortgage give upper hand to mortgage refinancing. Mortgage refinancing is done to cut down monthly mortgage repayments and reduce interest rate.

Refinancing your existing mortgage means taking another loan to repay the first one. Now you may ask why will I need another loan to repay the first one and what’s the benefit of doing so? There are multiple benefits of refinancing but the most important of all is to reduce your monthly payments. How to do that? Keep a watch on the mortgage rates. They are as dynamic as stock market index! Presently, the mortgage rate is touching the historic low point. This could be a good time to refinance your mortgage loan.

Lock in your rate now to get benefits of lower interest rate. Your new lender will repay your first mortgage. You can easily lower down your monthly payments by 1000s of dollars, depending on what you are paying now. In the long run or at the end of your loan life, you will find that you have saved a huge amount for yourself by refinancing at right time.

Besides savings, refinancing also gives you benefit of cashing out the equity in your home. Let’s assume you have first mortgage balance of $100,000 and your property value is 200,000. The new lender can offer you much more than your first mortgage balance. The difference in your first mortgage balance and the amount you are borrowing from new lender can be used for multiple purposes. You can use that money for home improvements or for buying yourself a new car. Refinancing, if seen from this perspective, not only saves your fortune but also can help you building new assets.

It’s better to refinance now and save great sum of money that can be used for many other purposes. After refinancing you will find that your monthly payments have gone down and equity in your home is building faster than ever.

In the present economic times many individuals are living with financial decisions causing them to hold assets, such as houses, automobiles and boats, whose values have plummeted. Individuals are living in properties whose values have dropped far below the mortgages or driving cars, which are valued at a third of the loans. Those individuals with financial difficulties are looking for assistance through the bankruptcy courts in an attempt to get out from underneath all of the debts and liens acquired, which now vastly exceed their current assets.

There are two types of liens, which can be attached to an individual’s property or assets. The first is a voluntary lien, which is basically a situation where you have agreed to use the asset as collateral for a debt, i.e. mortgages and auto loans. A non-voluntary lien is one that a creditor imposes on you and that gives them the right to force you to sell the asset so that they can be paid, for example: judgments against you or tax liens. These liens are either secured or unsecured as to the asset they are attached to.

The most common issue for an individual nowadays is the situation where a homeowner who has a first and second mortgage on a primary residence is facing bankruptcy and wondering if they have the ability to save the family home. As real estate markets fall and the fair market values of the homes fall, homeowners are left with mortgages that far exceed the current fair market value of their homes. There is a process which could be of help to many in this situation and it is called “lien stripping”.

“Lien stripping” refers to the process of reducing a secured claim to the value of the underlying collateral. It uses the combined effect of 11 U.S.C.A. ? 506(a) and 11 U.S.C.A. ? 506(d) to bifurcate the lien into secured and unsecured. The secured lien is allowed in the amount up to the fair market value of the property at the time of the stripping. The balance of the lien, which exceeds the fair market value of the property, is now deemed unsecured.

Liens can be stripped off of the debtor’s assets in Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 when there is not enough equity in the assets. Section 506(a) and 506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code acknowledges that a lien is only a secured claim to the extent there is value in the asset to which it attaches. To the extent that the claim exceeds the value of the collateral, that portion of the lien is now unsecured. The most common application of lien stripping is the reduction of car loan liens to the present value of the vehicle however it is currently used more often with home mortgages in bankruptcy situations. Lien stripping with car loans has been limited to vehicles purchased over 910 days.

The Bankruptcy Code does permit a bankruptcy plan to “modify the rights of holders of secured claims, other than a claim secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor’s principal residence”. Section 1322 (b)(2). This section provides protection to the holder of a claim secured only by a lien on the debtor’s principal residence by prohibiting any modification of the terms, however the issue arose as to if this section precluded “lien stripping” of undersecured residential mortgages in the face of Bankruptcy Code section 506 which appears to permit bifurcation of undersecured mortgages and voiding of unsecured portions of the mortgage lien. At least two bankruptcy court judges sitting in Massachusetts have permitted such bifurcations.

In any event, there is an exception as to the lien on a principal residence lien and that is if there is a second or third lien on the same property. In this instance those liens, lien stripping is available to render them totally unsecured if the first mortgage balance equals or exceeds the value of the personal residence. The exception is only if there are two distinct mortgages on the property, not a refinancing situation. It should also be noted that the limitation of lien stripping of first mortgages only apply to personal residences, it will be allowed for a mortgage on a building used for business or renting.

As always, all situations relative to a strategy for bankruptcy and lien stripping should be discussed in detail with a bankruptcy attorney to understand all your avenues open to you.

Opting for a second mortgage is a popular method for homeowners to raise additional finance. The homeowner can leverage additional equity against the property value of his or her house. Until recently, second mortgages were often frowned upon. The general public felt that a second mortgage was an indication that a person was unable to maintain his or her finances. Today, this view no longer holds true, and there are a number of financial institutions offering various schemes for second mortgages.

As the name suggests, a second mortgage is a mortgage that is secured on a property that already has a first mortgage on it. The value of the second mortgage will be calculated by subtracting the value of the first mortgage from the value of the home.

The second mortgage may be taken from a different lender as compared to the first. The money received from the second mortgage can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from funding home improvements to debt consolidation. As with the case of a first mortgage, a second mortgage is secured against the borrower’s home. This means that the borrower risks forfeiting his home in case he is unable to meet the payments of the mortgage.

There are three main types of second mortgages offered to customers. These are a traditional second mortgage, a home equity loan and a home equity line of credit. A home equity line of credit will set a maximum limit on the size of the first and second loans. This is usually between 75% and 85% of the appraised value of the owner’s property. The advantage of this type of second mortgage is that it allows you to repay the loan amount according to your own capabilities and does not enforce a strict monthly payment regime on you.

Different financial institutions offer variations of these types of mortgages. Due to the wide variety of second mortgage schemes available to the customer, interest rates for second mortgages are very attractive. Interest rates in some cases of second mortgages even fall bellow the prime lending rate. The length of a second mortgage usually begins at one year and extends to as long as 15 to 20 years. Loans of smaller amounts should ideally be repaid in shorter durations, as if stretched over long periods; the borrower would have to pay greater interest.

Why should you take out a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit instead of refinancing?

Well…You Shouldn’t!

Why Not?

1. Second Mortgages usually have an interest rant that is twice or even three times as high as your first mortgage rate. You can refinance instead and keep a very low rate. In the long run a second mortgage will just cost you money in interest charges.

2. Home equity lines of credit are designed for mortgage account executives (salespeople) to sell you on using it like a credit card attached to your home. They will try to convince you to use it over and over again.

3. A refinance loan is better for the equity in your home. Very few companies will refinance your home at 100% of it’s value without forcing you to take out a second mortgage. You don’t want to use 100% of your equity because that means you no longer have that equity to fall back on in emergency situations.

4. Second Mortgages and Home Equity lines of credit are designed to provide account executives (salespeople) with another tool to sway you into putting another commission in their pocket.

5. Your equity is a precious thing and should not be used for unnecessary add ons or impulse buys. If you don’t need it and there is even a slight chance you can’t afford it, then don’t get a second mortgage to buy it.

The only reason that I would ever recommend a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit is in an emergency situation. Only when there is no other option and you must take out a loan would I recommend either one of these options.

I had a recent conversation with one of my clients, Mr. Jackson, who is a finance savvy homeowner from Virginia Beach, VA. He asked me an interesting question that I wanted to share with you, because it seems to be a common dilemma for homeowners in many states.

What the best solution for refinancing my first & second mortgages? Mr. Jackson elaborated, “I have an 6% 1st mortgage with a balance of $255,000, and a second mortgage at 14% with a balance of $52,500. We did a 125% second mortgage to pay off some credit cards. If I add the loans together, we exceeded our homes equity, as the property was appraised at $280,000. We are satisfied with the 1st mortgage rate, but we wanted to lower the rate on the second mortgage. A few years have passed since we took out the 2nd loan back in 2002, and importantly our home’s value has increased to about $325,000.” He continued, “Should I refinance the second by itself and try and get a lower rate, or should I refinance the 1st and 2nd mortgage together for one mortgage payment?”

Wow, what a good question. I praised my client for consolidating his credit card debts with a fixed rate loan. He was very satisfied with his monthly savings with the 125% loan and because it exceeded his property value, he did not consider refinancing that loan until neighbor hood housing costs went up significantly. Now that his house has increased its value it appears that his combined loan to value was under 100%. His refinancing options become much greater with the increased equity from the home appreciation.

I asked Mr. Jackson a few questions so I could help him find the best solution. How is your credit? Do you know your credit score? Is there a pre-payment penalty on your second mortgage?
Does your first mortgage have a fixed interest rate?
Jackson answered quickly: 689 credit score no pre-payment penalty after 3 years, and his 1st mortgage is at 6% with a 30 year fixed rate.

Combining first and second mortgages into one loan can be challenging, but sometimes it makes sense financially as well as being practical. In Jackson’s case, the best option was to leave his first mortgage alone, and simply refinance the 125% home equity loan with a 95- 100% second mortgage to lower his monthly payments. So Mr. Jackson was approved for a fixed rate 2nd mortgage. He had inquired about a home equity line of credit, but I reminded him that they have adjustable rates that have been increasing rapidly in the last few years. Since he was paying off long term debt, a fixed rate loan with simple interest was the only way to go. I was excited for Mr. Jackson, because we were able to get him approved for a loan with no pre-payment penalty and we were able to reduce the closing costs, because of his credit score.

Depending on the home equity program, 2nd mortgages may cost you a few thousand dollars in closing costs. Most closing costs are tax deductible and getting the lowest possible rate pays off in the long run. For example, With a 15 year term, you would recover the cost of the second mortgage within a few years, so if you can get 1% or more better paying some closing costs, it would be better than a home equity loan with no points. The lending reality is that most no point no fee 2nd mortgages require credit scores over 700, and the combined loan to value will most likely need to be under 90%.

If you are able to get the second mortgage with no penalty for early payoff, then get that feature with your loan, because if your home’s value continues to increase, then in a year or two, you may find yourself ready to refinance because you are back at the golden 80% combined loan to value. If 1st mortgage rates happen to drop again, then you may find yourself in a great position to finally combine both loans together. If the 1st mortgage rates dropped to the 6% zone, and you still plan to live in your home for many years to come then make the move to refinance. It all comes down to what the rate are doing, when the time comes.

Colorado Springs, also nicknamed “The Springs,” is Colorado’s second biggest City. It is a modern city and a major tourist spot having been established as a resort community in 1987.

A second mortgage as the word ’second’ implies, means another loan undertaken, on top of the first one, using the same property as collateral. This new loan is subordinate to the first loan you made. In terms of payment preference in case of default by the buyer, the original mortgage must be satisfied first, before payments on the second mortgage can be allowed. Generally a second mortgage imposes a higher rate since it is exposed to a higher risk in the event of inability to pay by the mortgagor.

There are a number of reasons for taking out a second mortgage. The owner must be in need of cash immediately and there is no other alternative available than mortgaging the property a second time. It may be that the owner wants to make improvements in his home in order to increase its market value. Taking a second mortgage at a lower rate may also be a way of consolidating debts that have high interests.

In Colorado Springs, second mortgages are available for interested mortgagors. Some of the attractive offers that the financing companies and mortgagees have come up with are the following – no equity requirement meaning a buyer need not shell out his own money or post a bond in order for his mortgage to be approved. Offers include free appraisal of the property to be mortgaged and once approved, the buyer can receive up to 100 percent to 125 percent of the appraised value. However, most companies limit the maximum loanable amount. Buyers can also choose to have their adjustable rates that keeps on increasing be replaced with a fixed interest rate. Fixing the rates would inform the buyer what his payments would be for the rest of the mortgage period and to take advantage of the lower rates offered.

Availing of second mortgages in Colorado Springs has its advantages and disadvantages. Before making the decision, buyers should weigh down their needs. Buyers should also consult the mortgage brokers in Colorado Springs, as they are more familiar with the mortgage market within the territory. Choose a mortgage company that adopts a personalized approach to its customers.

A study conducted from October 10-12, 2006 by Harris Interactive ? by Countrywide Home Loans indicates that Americans don’t fully comprehend or utilize their home equity as a financial tool. “There’s a prevalent misperception about mortgages that may prevent many Americans from realizing their home’s full financial potential,” says Dan Hanson, managing director of Countrywide Home Loans. If you understand that your home equity can be leveraged for personal and financial goals, you are one step ahead of most Americans.

There are a lot of reasons to consider utilizing your equity and refinancing your home equity loans into a new first mortgage. Just because you already have an equity loan doesn’t mean that you can’t still use your home equity as a financial tool. If you are in debt with credit cards or have other revolving debt, debt consolidation may be an excellent way to make use of your equity. Your interest rates and payments are likely to be lower, especially if you cash out. If you can be responsible with your credit cards after consolidating, you will ultimately save money in interest.

If you have already taken out home equity loans or have a 100 % first mortgage you can still refinance. You can pay off your 2nd with a new 1st mortgage refinance or consider converting 80-20 home loans that you took out to avoid PMI. 100% percent mortgage financing is not an impossibility. If there is equity in your home, you can still cash out and a select group of mortgage lenders will allow you to refinance up to 110% and there is still no PMI. However, if you refinance for 90% or more, keep in mind that there will be a higher interest rate because the LTV exceeds 90%. You should also consider a home equity refinance if you have an adjustable rate loan with rising payments.

Consider all your second mortgage options carefully. The trick to realizing your home’s full financial potential is to stay educated and make wise decision. Equity that is used for further investment or for saving money in interest may be a smart choice. Just be sure get all the information for each home equity loan quote, so you can and to work with a lender that you trust.

The Piggyback Second Mortgage provides an option to home buyer who can not afford a twenty percent down payment. Without enough funds for twenty percent down payment, the home buyer pays an expensive Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Mortgage Lenders are able to provide the usual ten percent second mortgage without PMI. Only a few mortgage lenders can provide fifteen or twenty percent second mortgage without PMI.

Another term for piggyback second mortgage are 80/10/10, 80/15/5, 80/20/0 mortgage. The 80/10/10 is the most popular. There are only a few who provide 80/15/5, and 80/20/0. The three numbers represents the percentage of first mortgage, second mortgage, and down payment. For example, the 80/10/10 means eighty percent first mortgage, ten percent second mortgage, and ten percent down payment.

The Advantages of Piggyback Second Mortgage

The demand for piggyback second mortgage increased lately. There are a few reasons. The monthly mortgage payment costs less than a mortgage with PMI. The PMI premium varies on different states and situation. The PMI protects the mortgage lender in case of default on mortgage payment. However, the PMI has no benefit at all to the home buyer.

The interest on first and second mortgage are tax deductible from the time being. Mortgage interests are actually one of the important tax deductions for home owners. In fact, some homeowners elect not to pay off mortgage early for tax purposes.

The home buyer avoids the higher interest for Jumbo Mortgage Loan. Every year, the government sets conventional mortgage limit for purchase. If the mortgage exceeds the conventional mortgage limit for purchase, the mortgage lenders considers the mortgage application as Jumbo Mortgage Loan. Since the Jumbo Mortgage Loan offer higher risk to mortgage lenders, the mortgage lenders give higher interest rate on Jumbo Mortgage Loan.

The Disadvantages of Piggyback Second Mortgage

The house prices goes up or down. As the house prices goes up, the equity on the house grows as well. When the home equity goes up to twenty two percent, the home owner can cancel the PMI. The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 requires the removal of PMI on loans made after July 29, 1999 after the homeowners pay down twenty two percent of equity.

Mortgage Lenders made Piggyback Second Mortgage more difficult to acquire than traditional mortgage. To qualify for this mortgage, the home buyer needs 680 Fair, Isaac, & Co (FICO) score. The FICO score measures the individual record in using credit.

Second mortgage comes with its own costs. The home buyer pays the same kind of costs as the first mortgage. Furthermore, the home buyer pays the same penalties on mortgage payment default.

The final verdict on Piggyback Second Mortgage

The Piggyback Second Mortgage benefits the home buyers, but the second mortgage requires some crunching on numbers. With this second mortgage, the home buyers pay less mortgage payment, and income tax. The PMI providers are feeling the pinch on loss business. In the future, PMI could be a tax deductible as well. The House Resolution 3098 and Senate Bill 132 (which are currently on pending) allow deducting the PMI on income tax.

Scenario:

I have a foreclosure soon to take place on my first mortgage. What happens to the second mortgage if it is paid up to date? I was so stupid that paid a company XYZ $1000 to negotiate a plan for paying the first loan. they promised me that the first mortgage lender would surely accept their plan. But they dropped the ball and the first lender won’t take anything. Now, it’s just 10 days left for the foreclosure sale. The lender is simply trying to blame it on me. Is there anyway I can get back the $1000? What’s going to happen when they sell off the home? Will the sheriff come and keep all my possessions if I’m still there in the property? I’m so upset, I could have used the $1000 towards the first mortgage instead of paying XYZ. What do you suggest now?

Solution:

Once the first mortgage lender forecloses your property, he will sell it to the highest bidder in the foreclosure auction sale. The sale proceeds will be used to pay down your first loan and then the second. If there is a shortage, and the first lender fails to retrieve the entire first loan balance, he may give you a time period as per the state or bank laws after which you’ll have to vacate the property. There’ll be a date set by the Sheriff on which he’ll come and evict you if at all you don’t move out.

Now, when the first lender carries out a foreclosure sale, the second mortgage lender can take the following steps:

File a deficiency judgment against you if the foreclosure sale doesn’t cover the entire second mortgage loan balance. File a civil judgment against you in court or garnish your income. Bid for the property at the time of foreclosure sale in order to recover the money the second lender has invested. Even after the first lender sells off property, the second lender can pay off the required amount of money to the first and get back property at the end of the redemption period.

Apart from the steps above, the second lender can also charge-off any unpaid debt after getting a part of the sale proceeds when the first loan is paid off. This means that the second lender considers the debt as uncollectible. But you still don’t lose your obligation to pay off second mortgage after foreclosure.

A 2nd mortgage charge-off will have a negative impact on your credit score. So, try to repay the charged-off debt and request the second lender so that he reports to the bureaus who can then update the status on your credit report as “Paid Charge-off” or “Settled Charge-off”.

In case you don’t pay off the charged-off debt, it may be considered as income and depending upon the state laws, you may have to pay tax on the unpaid debt. However, if your lender forgives the unpaid debt, you may not have to pay tax provided you qualify for tax relief on mortgage debt forgiveness.

What I suggest is, save up your money for rent because foreclosure is inevitable as it’s only 10 days left for the sale. Also, try to negotiate with the second lender so that he accepts the amount that you can pay off in easy installments. This will help you avoid a charge-off being reflected on your credit report.

Foreclosures are seldom ever a good experience to deal with. Though FHA loans don’t cause problems too often, recurring problem seems to happen with conventional loans. Most of the time, the banks that deal with these loans choose not to discount the property very much, if at all. They often want to charge or will want to charge the BPO or the appraised value of the property.

This is referred to as a short sale. A short sale occurs when a property is sold and the lender agrees to accept a discounted payoff, meaning the lender will release the lien that is secured to the property upon receipt of less money than is actually owed. For example, if the balance due on a mortgage is $150,000 but the property sells for $110,000, under a short sale, the lender would accept the $110,000 as a payoff of the loan.

If you are dealing with a situation that you feel is a short sale, you should consider doing some research before jumping on the offer. Talk in depth with your agent because he can determine who is on the title and if a foreclosure notice has been issued, and how much is owed to the lender. This will give you an idea as to the final price. Also take note if there is a second mortgage on the property.

Working past this is often times not much more than talking to the right person at the right time of the month. Bank manager’s deal with these foreclosures on their books. And when too many of them are there, they pressure their employees to get them off the book. So, in essence, getting a few of these guys working for you is a good move. This way you do not have to feel like you are chasing only one person trying to get these closures.

On average, only about 35% of these are closed. Just complete the short sale package as the bank requires and send it in. You don’t have to approach them about anything, and there are no fancy words to say…and just know there’s very little you’re gonna say to influence the sale.

With these considerations, all foreclosures have their own benefits and obstacles to work around. There are many different strategies to take when working with foreclosures and short sales. Be sure you do all the necessary research to accomplish what you are wanting. The payoff can be very profitable.