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Negative Amortization

Filed Under mortgage 

Occurs when your monthly mortgage payments submitted are not sufficient to pay all interest and principal due on the loan. The unpaid interest is added to the unpaid balance of the mortgage. It could be considered borrowing equity from yourself. The period of time the Neg-am is applicable is usually limited on each mortgage.

Neg-am or Negative amortization loan usually have a recast period to the loan conditions. Make sure that the recast period is 5 year or more. This will give you enough time to refinance if you are still in the loan. Contact a Mortgage Professional in regards to which lenders have a recast past 5 years.

When doing financing that has a potential for negative amortization make sure you fully understand and feel comfortable with what that means to your individual situation. Your Loan Officer can go over the risk and benefits of the program you choose.

A negative amortization loan is a rising balance loan. It differs from a fully amortized loan in that the payments made on a fully amortized loan are paying down a principal balance. A Neg-am loan does not decrease the principal balance, it adds to it. This loan can be very useful for cash flow oriented projects in that the monthly payment can be fairly low.

When used properly, mortgage loans with potential negative amortization characteristics can be beneficial to homebuyers who want to pay as little in monthly payments as possible in the first few years of the loan term.

What’s good about negative amortization is that your payment doesn’t have to increase just because the interest rate on your ARM went up. The lender can also price the loan more aggressively because a payment cap doesn’t mean that the lender can’t pass along an interest rate increase. What’s bad about negative amortization is that the payment will eventually reset to a level to allow the loan to amortize over its remaining life. The increase in the monthly payment needed to repay the larger loan over a shorter time span can be substantial. If rates have increased substantially, then refinancing may not be a viable option.

Negative amortization can occur with the Option Arms (1% or similar start rates) and reverse mortgages.

When mortgage payments do not cover the full amount of interest due, and the unpaid interest is added to the principal balance of the loan. Under standard amortization, the principal balance decreases with each payment.

A gradual increase in mortgage debt that occurs when the monthly payment is insufficient to cover the interest due, and the balance owed keeps increasing (at least in the first few years).

Some investors use Neg Am loans to increase their cash flow on a property. Usually they plan on selling or refinancing the property is just a few years when using this type of loan.

In most areas where housing prices at a minimum double over the course of 10 years, negative amortization may be less of a concern, and the additional cash in your pocket may be more than worthwhile for individuals who prefer to invest their money in asset classes other than real estate.

I want to thank you for reading the information above. If you would like to continue this conversation than please contact me so you and I can discuss your financial situation. Please read more valuable information and when you feel comfortable I would like you to contact me.

Negative amortization When a borrower’s monthly payment is too small to cover both the principal and interest of a loan. In this case, the unpaid interest is added to the outstanding balance of the loan. The danger of negative amortization is that it gradually increases the mortgage debt, and therefore the home buyer can end up owing more than the original amount of the loan.

Most ARMs have a limit on the amount of negative amortization allowed, usually 110 to 125 percent of the original loan amount. If the loan balance exceeds this amount, the borrower has to start paying off the excess.

Although no one likes the term “negative” a loan with negative amortization is not always a “negative” for the borrower. The essence of such a loan is that the lender allows the borrower to use a little bit of their equity each month to keep their payment low. The additional cash flow created can often keep the borrower from incurring more expensive debt (such as credit card debt) and in most cases that is a “positive.”

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