Dec
11
Denver’s relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hits the rocks:
The chief executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Tuesday warned that their ailing mortgage-finance companies will suffer further in 2008 because of a weakening housing market and rising home-loan defaults.
Read the full article: Freddie and Fannie: More woes in 2008
Metro Denver’s designation as a “declining market” could delay any recovery in the area’s long-suffering residential real-estate market, local housing experts said Tuesday.
Read the full article: Fannie label on Denver ominous
What does this all mean: Putting 5% down is the norm to get a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan. They do have several high risk 100% loans but these loans have higher rates with higher levels of mortgage insurance.
FHA only requires 3% down.
Some companies will have 100% down programs it just remains to be seen who.
Oct
12
Aug
21
Here’s a mortgage primer on which loans are no longer the flavor of the month on Wall Street. They’re the Michael Vick’s of the mortgage world, they were once very popular on but now nobody wants to be associated with them. Okay, that’s a little bit too harsh since these loans didn’t kill dogs. Then again, these loans have put families in dire straits so lets keep the Michael Vick analogy.
Loans the Wall Street doesn’t like:
- THE LOANS WITH THE REALLY REALLY REALLY LOW RATE AND LOW MONTHLY PAYMENT
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WITH REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD CREDIT HISTORIES
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO HAVE GOOD CREDIT BUT WHOSE OVERALL LOAN APPLICATION DOESN’T MEET FANNIE MAE OR FREDDIE MAC’S STANDARDS
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO CAN’T REALLY REALLY REALLY SHOW HOW MUCH MONEY THEY’VE MADE OR HOW MUCH THEY HAVE SAVED UP
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO REALLY REALLY REALLY DON’T WANT TO PUT ANY MONEY DOWN
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO REALLY REALLY REALLY DON’T WANT TO PAY AN AMORTIZED PAYMENT
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO BUY A HOME THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF LIVING IN
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO REALLY REALLY REALLY MAKE A LOT OF DOUGH
- THE LOANS FOR BORROWERS WHO REALLY REALLY REALLY HAVE NO INTENTION OF LIVING IN THEIR HOMES FOR 15 to 30 YEARS
- THE LOANS WITH REALLY REALLY REALLY NO RISK
Also called: 1%, NEGATIVE AMORTIZATION, NEG AM, OPTION ARMS, PAY OPTION ARMS or
“A CAN OF WHOOP ASS WAITING TO HAPPEN”
Also called: SUBPRIME, NON PRIME, POOR CREDIT, 2/28s, 3/27s, or
“I GUESS THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR NOT PAYING MY BILLS”
Also called: ALT-A or
“SO I’VE GOT GOOD CREDIT AND A GOOD JOB BUT I’M PENALIZED FOR NOT SAVING ANY MONEY”
Also called: STATED INCOME, STATEDSIVA, SISA, NO DOC, or
“DON’T THEY HAVE LOANS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE JOBS?”
Are called: 80/20, 100% Financing, NO MONEY DOWN, 103%, 107% or
“I WANT A LOAN WHERE I GET TO KEEP MY MONEY IN CASE MY JOB GETS OUTSOURCED TO INDIA”
Also called: INTEREST ONLY, IO, or
“IF I LIKE PAYING DOWN PRINCIPAL MY PAYMENT GETS RECAST TO A LOWER PAYMENT EVERY MONTH”
Also called: INVESTMENT PROPERTY LOANS, NON OWNER OCCUPANCY, NOO or
“I’M GOING TO BE THE NEXT DONALD TRUMP”
Also called: JUMBO, NON CONFORMING, SUPER JUMBO, MILLION DOLLAR LOANS, ANYTHING OVER $417,000 or
“THAT’S PRETTY LOW FOR A RATE OF RETURN AND PRETTY HIGH FOR A MORTGAGE INTEREST RATE”
It remains to be seen if Wall Street still likes:
Also called: ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGES, ARMS, 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, 10/1, TEASER RATE LOANS, HYBRID LOANS, BALLOONS or
“THE AVERAGE PERSON MOVES EVERY 5 to 7 YEARS, SO WHY SHOULD I GET A LOAN FOR 30 YEARS?”
Wall Street will always like:
Also called: FHA, VA, CONFORMING, FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MAC or
“THE LOANS THAT MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN MORTGAGE LANDSCAPE”
Feb
21
Yesterday, ZERO DOWN LENDERS FOLDING was emblazoned on the front page of the Denver Post.
The article discusses in detail how subprime lenders are going out of business. The model suprime lenders use is usually the same across the board. Typically they offer 2 or 3 year adjustable rate mortgages. Once the borrower has a two year history of paying a mortgage they usually refinance to another loan. Hence the term band aid loans or band aid lenders. These lenders are going broke and now it’s front page news.
About two dozen of the largest subprime mortgage lenders across the country - some with offices and customers in Denver - have gone under or stopped making loans since December….
Subprime lenders are typically viewed as lending options to poor credit borrowers as well as borrowers with collections, bankruptcy, or foreclosures. However, they cater to more than that:
- If a borrower has great credit but no assets, they may be a subprime borrower.
- If a borrower has poor credit and a multitude of assets, they may be a subprime borrower.
- If a borrower is buying their first home but doesn’t have the income necessary to qualify for a FHA loan, they may be a subprime borrower.
- If a borrower has more than one late payment on a mortgage, they may be a subprime borrower.
- If a borrower is buying a home and renting a room to a friend, they may be a subprime borrower.
- If a borrower… well you get the point. The scenarios are endless.
Sep
26
A letter from a reader
Filed Under mortgage | Leave a Comment
I get a lot of email. Some are linking requests. Some are spam that somehow get through GMAIL’s spam filter. Some are mortgage requests. Some are mortgage questions. Some are mortgage vendors trying to sell me something.
On Sunday, I received a well written argument from a reader who asked me to post his response to the Denver Post article NO MONEY DOWN: A HIGH RISK GAMBLE.
Phil,
I enjoy frequenting your blog, and wanted to be sure to share this with you. I am an independent Mortgage Broker with my own company Source Financial LLC, and I wrote an extended response to The Sunday Denver Post’s lead article from September 17, 2006 entitled “No Money Down: A High-Risk Gamble” [www.denverpost.com/ci_4347686].
I found the Denver Post article to be riddled with misrepresentations, one-sided accountings, and dangerous misinformation, all supporting a traditionalist approach to mortgages that has put two-thirds of all families into home ownership, but yet has led to a situation where the average fifty year-old American is worth negative $7000, only 5% of Americans retire at age 65 in financial dignity, and 9 out of 10 Americans die in debt.
In reference to my 2000 word response, Denver Post Business Editor Stephen Keating indicated that “I will take the time to read it and digest your observations, and discuss it with the rest of the reporting/editing team here.” Article author and Denver Post Business Writer Greg Grifffin wrote “This is a well-reasoned and well-supported argument. I don’t agree with everything you’ve said, but you’ve managed to get me thinking.” Unfortunately, checking today’s (September 24) Sunday Denver Post and www.denverpost.com, my response remained unpublished…
A Response to “No Money Down: A High-Risk Gamble” – The Sunday Denver Post, September 17, 2006 lead article [www.denverpost.com/ci_4347686]
As an independent Mortgage Broker that owns my own company, Source Financial LLC, in addition to being affiliated with a larger mortgage company that handles the processing and servicing of my loans, Lion Financial Corporation, I read the lead article “No Money Down: A High-Risk Gamble” with great interest. Knowing that a lot of folks along the Front Range turn to the Denver Post as an objective source for information, I was shocked and dismayed by much of the information and conclusions that were put forth on a topic that already invokes a fight or flight response among many home owners.
100% financing loans have been an amazing tool that has greatly contributed to the 5% increase over the last twenty years in percentage of homes occupied by the owner. But it is not the lack of equity that is putting these borrowers into jeopardy, it is a lack of a flexible asset base to deal with changes that has been increasing the risk of these folks defaulting. In general, people that utilize 100% financing for home purchases usually are lacking the liquid assets, emergency funds, and overall wiggle room to deal with financial hardship.
Of course lenders usually have guidelines concerning liquid asset reserves that must be held by the borrower in order to qualify for a loan, but often they only require enough to cover two to four months of mortgage payments. When people do face catastrophic events rightfully referenced by the Denver Post, “job loss, medical problems and divorce,” those reserves can often quickly disappear.
But having equity in one’s home when faced with these situations does not “give homeowners options when they face financial problems,” because it is precisely when folks are facing such dilemmas that they are quite often unable to qualify for refinancing, as at that point in time they are too high risk of a borrower for lenders to work with. As a Mortgage Broker I am deeply disturbed by this fact, but unfortunately it is a reality that we all must face when dealing with banks and lenders.
And probably the most misunderstood aspect of homeownership is the fact that equity is a ZERO PERCENT RETURN INVESTMENT. Yet two-thirds of Americans hold the majority of their wealth in home equity, which is a non-liquid asset that gives them absolutely zero return. Many people confuse appreciation, which is the increase in home value due to market trends, with getting some kind of return on their equity, but that is a common misconception. That is why it is so important for homeowners to separate their equity from their home via refinancing, and put those “cashed out” funds into investment vehicles that offer an actual rate of return. In doing so, homeowners increase their overall liquidity, improve their capacity to face emergencies, reduce their financial risk, increase their rate of return, improve their tax deductions, and diversify their investment portfolio.
Instead of spending their liquid asset base (savings) to finish their basement and send money to their parents, such as in the case of Jose Garcia and Maria Vanderhorst, borrowers with 100% financing have to exercise greater financial discipline. And putting money down and getting into a 30-year fixed would not have improved their situation, as then their down payment would be tied up as equity, which is a non-liquid asset, money that can only be accessed through refinancing or by selling their home.
100% finanacing loans are not dangerous, what is dangerous is borrowers not having a liquid asset base to deal with life’s contingencies. Unfortunately, these are the type of borrowers that tend towards 100% financing, as it really is their only option for home ownership. And tying up their wealth in the straightjacket known as equity is not part of the solution, it is part of the problem. An incredible means to access equity for the purpose of greater fiscal flexbility and all the other goods mentioned above, or “cashing out equity as one goes,” is the Option-ARM loan, which received quite a misguided slamming in the Denver Post article.
The Payment Option Loan gives the borrower four different payment options each and every month: they can make an Interest Only, 30-Year amortized, or 15-Year amortized payment based upon the fully indexed interest rate, or they can make the minimum payment that is based upon a very low “start rate” (usually between 1% and 4%), which involves deferring interest (a.k.a. negative amortization), or adding the difference between the Interest Only payment and the minimum payment onto the principal of the loan. Now while most lenders offer the Payment Option Loan with an adjustable fully indexed rate, one that starts adjusting as early as the first month, some lenders offer the Payment Option Loan with a fixed interest rate for the first five years.
The Payment Option Loan has proven to be a favorite of Real Estate Investors and Real Estate Agents, as it frees up extra cash flow on a monthly basis for much greater investment opportunities. Knowing that equity is a zero percent return investment is some powerful information to have.
The annecdote concerning Louis and India Harts conflated the fixed “start rate” with the adjustable “fully indexed rate”, such that readers were left with the impression that the Harts’ interest rate went from 2.6% to 8.1%. The start rate, which determines how much the minimum payment will be, is not a “teaser rate” that “quickly shoots up”. Some lenders do gradually increase the minimum payment itself (not its determining start rate) on an annual basis, usually somwhere in the range of 7.5% per year, to keep the borrower from deferring too much interest. But the start rates is always otherwise a fixed rate. It is the fully indexed rate, upon which the Interest Only, 30-Year amortized, or 15-Year amortized payments are based, that is adjustable is this case. And this fact is consistent with the numbers quoted in the article: the minimum payment of $919 the Harts are making would be the combination of $721 (2.6% start rate on a $180,000 loan) and $198 of escrowed Property Taxes and Hazard Insurance, which is approximately what they would be for such a home.
In the Harts’ particular case, they are going to have plenty of time to refinance before their loan starts to recast when the principal hits 115% (which would be $207,000 in their situation), as they will be well below that total when their three year prepayment penalty period is up. So the answer to Louis’ “I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” is that when those three years are up, they’ll refinance and get themselves into a loan that they feel more comfortable with and educated about. Though given their situation, if properly understood the Payment Option Loan really is their best option.
My question is how can mortgage products themselves be blamed for foreclosures? At best the article points towards a correlation, but demonstrating causation surely requires more than offhanded references to what some unnamed experts stated the next wave of defaults “may” come from. Beyond unpredictable catastrophic occurences like job loss and overwhelming medical bills, foreclosures occur because borrowers are getting into loans that they do not understand, and often they do not know that they do not understand the mortgage product. It is the responsibility of the Mortgage Broker to completely explain all the details of any mortgage product to the borrower. But it is also the responsibility of the borrower to be certain that they understand the terms of loan before signing off on it at closing. Vehicles and guns both kill in the range of 35,000 Americans each year, but it is the human misuse due to lack of education, ignorance or simple negligance that creates this reality, much like in the mortgage scenario.
Every different mortgage product serves its purpose, and what works for one borrower will not work for another given the specifics of their situation. To label certain categories of loans as “high-risk gambles” or as leaving “no room for slips” ignores the millions of families that are in these loans and find that they very much work for them. It is also a disservice to consumers to mislead them with such one-sided representations.
The true irony of the lead piece in September 17th Sunday Denver Post is that the conclusion that “Option-ARMs… could fuel a surge in foreclosures in the next few years” is the opposite of what we find is actually going on in the mortgage industry, as Payment Option Loans have proven to have the lowest foreclosure rate of any mortgage product currently on the market. World Savings is a bank that specializes in this product, which they refer to as the Pick-A-Pay Loan, as more than 90% of the loans they outfit borrowers with are of the Option-ARM variety. As a lender they have less than a 1% percent foreclosure rate! But World Savings, along with the independent Mortage Brokers like myself that they work with, take on the responsibility of educating the borrowers as to how to properly and smartly manage this incredibly powerful mortgage product.
A lot of mortgage brokers I know will not touch Payment Option loans, but I believe that is primarily because they are not all that interested in educating the consumer. Why not just throw them into a 30-year fixed APR mortgage? Everyone pretty much knows how that works. But that is also how banks make of the most money off of borrowers! The “list of higher-risk, alternative mortgages” the article refers to are not only not necessarily higher risk (Payment Option loan has the lowest risk, as discussed above), but they also provide the borrower the opportunity to increase their monthly cash flow by lowering their monthly mortgage payments by as much as 40%. In this way consumers are empowered to “become the bank” and grow their own investment portfolio, rather than falling into the trap of handing over their hard earned capital to the banks in the form of a large down payment or paying down principal so that they can have more of a zero percent return investment, equity.
Affiliates of Lion Financial Corporation, like myself through my company Source Financial LLC, do not shy away from the privilege or responsibility of educating our clients how to properly utilize alternative mortgage packages. And why is this? Because when families are taught smart mortgage product and equity management, they learn to utilize their mortgage as a financial tool for building wealth, which easily makes a $500,000 to $1,000,000 difference for the borrower over the next fifteen to twenty years. The affluent have always understood how to leverage their mortgage, pay as little down as possible, and keep very low monthly payments in order to increase cash flow for investment purposes. The American middle class is being transformed by engaging in these very same concepts and increasing their fiscal discipline, and I absolutely would not have it any other way.
Brent Ritzel
President/CEO, Source Financial LLC
Denver, Colorado, USA
An affiliate of Lion Financial Corporation
303-590-8999
Brent.Ritzel@lionfinance.com
Aug
25
Fraudulent Friday?
Filed Under blog, colorado, denver, foreclosure, mortgage, real estate | Leave a Comment
The Denver Post three articles devoted to real estate and mortgage fraud:
- 3 men named in real estate scam
- Big profits oil the wheel of loan fraud
- FHA program key in surge of foreclosures
The indictment claims the men solicited investments in duplex projects in Colorado, Texas and Florida that were never built.
Former prosecutor Anthony Accetta cleaned up mortgage fraud 34 years ago - or at least, he tried.
Accetta said nobody in the lending industry cares about mortgage fraud, because nobody in the lending industry suffers when a loan goes bad. The mortgage industry is a financial game where all of the players are covered against losses.
A key factor in the state’s record-setting wave of foreclosures, critics say, is an FHA program that allows people to borrow more than their houses are worth with little or no money down.
Created to extend the dream of homeownership to first-time buyers, the so-called FHA gift program instead has led to rampant foreclosures. Nearly 6,000 FHA loans have wound up in foreclosure in Colorado in the past two years, and during that time the program allowed more than 25 percent of FHA buyers to use gifts as down payments.
To read more about mortgage and real estate fraud check out these two blogs:
Mar
8
Buying a home vs. renting is a big decision that takes careful consideration, as most mortgage consultants will agree. But the rewards of home ownership are great. For many years, purchasing real estate has been considered an extremely profitable investment. It is an achievement that offers a sense of pride, financial stability and potential tax advantages.
Yes, there are certain responsibilities associated with owning a home. Landlords will often argue the benefits of renting, and for obvious reason. If you are renting, you’re helping them make their mortgage payment.
The numbers are staggering if you look at it this way. If you are paying $1,000 per month for an apartment, and you know your rent will increase 5% every year, then over the next five years you will pay your landlord $66,309. If you are currently renting a house, you may be paying much more than that each month. Either way, you gain no equity by shelling out this monthly housing expense and you certainly won’t benefit when the property value goes up!
However, if you were to purchase your own home or condominium, you would be well on your way toward building equity within that same five-year period. By choosing a fixed-rate loan program, you can have the comfort of knowing that your monthly mortgage payment will never go up. In fact, you would have the option of refinancing to a lower interest rate at some point in the future should interest rates drop, and this would cause your monthly mortgage commitment to go down.
In addition to building equity, there are tax advantages that come into play with home ownership. Depending on your tax bracket, owning a home is often less expensive than renting after taxes. Interest payments on a mortgage below $1 million are tax-deductible, and your mortgage consultant should help you evaluate the tax advantages of various loan scenarios, and share this information with your tax consultant to glean feedback on your behalf.
To find the loan program that is right for you, your mortgage consultant will need to evaluate your monthly household income, current assets and savings, as well as any monthly obligations you may have for credit card payments, car payments, child support, etc. These prequalification factors, along with the report of your credit score, will determine how much house you can afford and what interest rate you will pay for financing. It is also important to let your mortgage consultant know what your future goals are, because this will help narrow down which loan option is the best fit for your long-term needs.
There are many different types of loan programs available, including “low†and “no†down payment mortgage programs. These types of programs require the borrower to provide less than 3 percent of the loan amount as down payment. FHA lenders rule that the mortgage payment, including principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI) should not exceed 31 percent of your gross income, and the PITI plus other long-term debt (car payments, etc.) should not exceed 43 percent of your gross income.
Housing is an expense that takes a big bite out of the monthly budget. If you are a renter and feel that “home†is more than just someplace to hang your hat, think about the advantages of purchasing real estate. It may be time to take the step into building your personal net worth as a home owner.
Jan
1
Who is Eligible for a First Time Buyer Loan? First time home buyer programs are designed to help borrowers who may not have enough money to pay the full cost of the down payment or the closing costs on a mortgage. These programs make obtaining a mortgage more cost effective. There are even programs specifically for residents of each state. First time home buyer programs are available to those who have not owned a home for the past three years.
A large amount of first time home buyer programs are FHA. Be prepared to spend a few hours in class so you can get a certificate stating your eligible.
Some First Time Buyers Programs require as little as 3% down.
Many other first time home buyer programs require that you either take a course or do a self study program with a workbook to learn about the responsibilities and financial obligations involved with owning a home. Even if these programs are not required by your lender or broker if is a good idea to do them anyway. Talk to your broker they can get you the information about when the classes are or provide you with a work book. Many of these courses and workbooks are provided through a PMI Company
A first time home buyer is considered somebody who has not owned a home in the last three years.
First time home buyers may also have other advantages such as discounted transfer tax. Check your local and state regulations to see what benefits you may qualify for, make sure your mortgage professional is aware that you are a first time home buyer. Some of the advantages define a first time home buyer as a borrower who has not owned a home in the past three years, others require that the borrower has never had any interest in any property.
Some local First Time Home Buyer programs offer down payment assistance. To be eligible, applicants’ household incomes must not exceed an amount set by the program administrators. These income limits are usually calculated by multiplying the Area Median Income with a percentage (e. g. 110% of the AMI). The program administrator may place a lien on the home to prevent the homeowner selling the property for profit shortly after settlement. Such liens usually dissipate after 5 to 10 years.
You may find that there are some mortgage loan programs, usually ones that the lender has a higher perception of risk, that are not available to first time home buyers.
Generally the programs will have a step by step guide to get you thru the process of home ownership.
Jan
1
Types of Loan Programs
Filed Under mortgage | Leave a Comment
Editors Note: Due to the mortgage and credit crunch, many loan programs have been eliminated. If you’re in need of a Denver mortgage contact us to discuss your mortgage options.
There are a wide variety of loan programs available.
One of the most popular loan options in the market today is the Pay Option adjustable rate mortgage, which is often called a flex or borrower’s choice loan. Available in 30 and 40 year amortized varieties, many of our customers who value having cash in their pockets each month have taken advantage of this innovative financing program.
For example, you have fixed rate mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages, VA mortgages, FHA loans, Reverse Mortgages, Interest-Only loans, Option Arm loans, Stated-income loans, No Ratio loans, HELOC’s, 30 year loans due in 15 years, etc. The list goes on and on. You should ask your mortgage professional which loans apply to your situation, whether you qualify, and what will save you the most money.
Adjustable (or Variable) Rate Mortgage (ARM) is a mortgage in which the Note rate can change throughout the life of the loan. The interest rate of an ARM is calculated by adding a predetermined margin to an interest market index. Some of the more common indices chosen as the underlying index are the 1-year Treasury Bill, London Interbank Offered Rate, and the 11th District Cost of Funds. Because the underlying index constantly changes to reflect market conditions, any ARM that base the their interest rates on that index would move in tandem.
Interest only options can be used on many of the other types of programs. It can be used on the fixed rate or adjustable rate programs. With the interest only option the borrower is paying only the interest and not the principle. There is usually a small fee charged to the interest rate for adding this option.
NINA loans are loans that don’t require income and assets to be disclosed or verified.
A HELOC is a home equity line-of-credit.
The traditional fixed rate mortgage is the most common type of loan programs, where monthly principal and interest payments never change during the life of the loan.
With a 15 year fixed loan, you will pay off your principle faster than with a 30 year fixed loan, even if you were only to stay in the loan for a few years.
The option arm loan is a loan that provides four payment options each month:-minimum payment-interest only-30 year amortization-15 year amortization This loan has a variable interest rate. However, the minimum payment is very low - much lower than the interest payment. The unpaid interest for each month is added to the total loan amount. This is referred to as “negative amortization”, because the amount you owe on the house will go up in time, not down. This loan can be good for short terms, such as for investors who will soon sell the property. It is also good for people whose income may change from month-to-month, and they need some flexibility.
Jan
1
Understanding a Good Faith Estimate
Filed Under mortgage | Leave a Comment
A brief overview of how to make sense of a mortgage good faith estimate:
The GFE, short for Good Faith Estimate, shows the interest rate, term, loan amount, and all settlement costs on a particular loan. The items on the GFE can be divided into three major groups: Interest rate and points, fixed-dollar loan fees, and third-party charges. A dishonest loan provider can manipulate all of these figures. There is no legal liability for errors on the GFE.
On the GFE (Good Faith Estimate) you will notice some letters at the end of line 800: PFC, S, F, POC. PFC means Prepaid finance charge. These are the charges that are associated with calculating APR. S means Seller Paid. These are items that the seller will be paying at closing. The F means FHA allowable. These items are permitted by FHA. Lastly the POC stands for Paid Outside of Close. This means that these items will be paid for, generally, before close. Some common items that are paid outside of close would be appraisal fees, homeowner’s insurance premiums and homeowner’s association dues. On some GFE’s these letters may simply be filled in after the dollar amounts of each fee.
Have each mortgage professional go over the Good Faith Estimates with you. Compare the items line by line. If you notice the cost of any item on a GFE significantly higher or lower than that of the same item on other GFE’s, ask the loan officer to explain the difference. Some dishonest loan officers might “low ball” their settlement costs to gain your business.
Federal law requires lenders and brokers to provide a written good faith estimate within three days after taking an application from a borrower.
In California, the Good Faith Estimate is also called the MLDS or Mortgage Loan Disclosure Statement, when produced by a mortgage broker rather than the direct lender. The statement will itemize which costs are from the broker and which are from other parties.
It is important to keep a copy of the original GFE your are shown, to compare it to the final closing statement before you sign your loan documents.
Items checked as pre paid (PFC) finance charges will affect the final APR of your mortgage.
The 800 section of the GFE is what the lender, broker, appraisal fees are. These are the fees you will want to compare with different lenders and brokers. the 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, ampersand 1300 are all third party fees. The 1100 section are the fees charged by the title company.