Record Number of Refinancing Homeowners Maintain or Reduce Mortgage Balance
Record Number of Refinancing Homeowners Maintain or Reduce Mortgage Balance
Record Number of Refinancing Homeowners Maintain or Reduce Mortgage Balance
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May 31, 2012 (Jeff Alan)

American’s who refinanced their first lien mortgage in the first quarter of 2012 continued to take advantage of historically low interest rates and strengthen their financial balance sheets according Freddie Mac’s First Quarter Refinance Analysis.

Seventy-nine percent of the homeowners who refinanced their first lien mortgage either lowered their principal balance or maintained about the same loan amount after paying closing costs.

Twenty-one percent of the homeowners paid down their principal balance when they refinanced their mortgages in the first quarter, down from a record 49 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, while 58 percent of the homeowners maintained about the same loan amount when they refinanced. The combined percentage of those who paid down their principal mortgage and those who maintained their same loan amount was at a 26-year high.

Twenty-one percent of all refinanced loans in the quarter were “cash-out” borrowers, those that increased their loan by at least five percent, up from 15 percent in the fourth quarter. Compare that to the average between 1985 and 2008, when 50 percent of the homeowners took cash out of their homes when they refinanced.

Borrowers, who refinanced their mortgages and converted equity to cash, took an estimated $5.3 billion in the quarter, the least amount of equity converted to cash since the third quarter of 1995 when adjusted for inflation.

Cash-out refinance volume peaked in the second quarter of 2006 at $83.7 billion. The amount of cash borrowers took out of their homes in the first quarter was less than six percent of that total amount.

For 30 year fixed rate mortgages, the median interest rate reduction during the quarter was about 1.5 percentage points, or about 27 percent below their initial rate, which allowed borrowers to save about $2,900 in interest payments in the first year of their loan with a principal of $200,000.

Frank Nothaft, Vice President and chief economist of Freddie Mac stated, “The typical borrower who refinanced reduced their interest rate by about 1.5 percentage points. On a $200,000 loan, that translates into saving about $2,900 in interest during the next 12 months. Fixed-rate mortgage rates hit new lows during March, with 30-year product averaging 3.95 percent and 15-year averaging 3.20 percent that month, according to our Primary Mortgage Market Survey®. The enhancements to HARP announced in October, such as removing the maximum loan-to-value limit, are beginning to show up in additional refinance volume during the first quarter. HARP loans were 20 percent of Freddie Mac’s refinance fundings during the first quarter, the highest share since HARP’s inception.”

Tags: Freddie Mac, home equity, borrowers, refinance, cash-out, cash-in, principal, interest, interest rate reduction

Source:
Freddie Mac

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May 31, 2012 (Jeff Alan)

American’s who refinanced their first lien mortgage in the first quarter of 2012 continued to take advantage of historically low interest rates and strengthen their financial balance sheets according Freddie Mac’s First Quarter Refinance Analysis.

Seventy-nine percent of the homeowners who refinanced their first lien mortgage either lowered their principal balance or maintained about the same loan amount after paying closing costs.

Twenty-one percent of the homeowners paid down their principal balance when they refinanced their mortgages in the first quarter, down from a record 49 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, while 58 percent of the homeowners maintained about the same loan amount when they refinanced. The combined percentage of those who paid down their principal mortgage and those who maintained their same loan amount was at a 26-year high.

Twenty-one percent of all refinanced loans in the quarter were “cash-out” borrowers, those that increased their loan by at least five percent, up from 15 percent in the fourth quarter. Compare that to the average between 1985 and 2008, when 50 percent of the homeowners took cash out of their homes when they refinanced.

Borrowers, who refinanced their mortgages and converted equity to cash, took an estimated $5.3 billion in the quarter, the least amount of equity converted to cash since the third quarter of 1995 when adjusted for inflation.

Cash-out refinance volume peaked in the second quarter of 2006 at $83.7 billion. The amount of cash borrowers took out of their homes in the first quarter was less than six percent of that total amount.

For 30 year fixed rate mortgages, the median interest rate reduction during the quarter was about 1.5 percentage points, or about 27 percent below their initial rate, which allowed borrowers to save about $2,900 in interest payments in the first year of their loan with a principal of $200,000.

Frank Nothaft, Vice President and chief economist of Freddie Mac stated, “The typical borrower who refinanced reduced their interest rate by about 1.5 percentage points. On a $200,000 loan, that translates into saving about $2,900 in interest during the next 12 months. Fixed-rate mortgage rates hit new lows during March, with 30-year product averaging 3.95 percent and 15-year averaging 3.20 percent that month, according to our Primary Mortgage Market Survey®. The enhancements to HARP announced in October, such as removing the maximum loan-to-value limit, are beginning to show up in additional refinance volume during the first quarter. HARP loans were 20 percent of Freddie Mac’s refinance fundings during the first quarter, the highest share since HARP’s inception.”

Tags: Freddie Mac, home equity, borrowers, refinance, cash-out, cash-in, principal, interest, interest rate reduction

Source:
Freddie Mac

FILL OUT THE FORM
It all starts here. Select the loan product you want to apply for and complete the subsequent questionnaire.
WE VERIFY & TRANSMIT TO LENDERS
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Applying to multiple lenders is fast and easy with our one simple questionnaire. Choose the product you’re looking for, take a few moments to answer a few questions and you’re on your way to saving.
NO OBLIGATION. NO HIDDEN FEES
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Helpful Tools

May 31, 2012 (Jeff Alan)

American’s who refinanced their first lien mortgage in the first quarter of 2012 continued to take advantage of historically low interest rates and strengthen their financial balance sheets according Freddie Mac’s First Quarter Refinance Analysis.

Seventy-nine percent of the homeowners who refinanced their first lien mortgage either lowered their principal balance or maintained about the same loan amount after paying closing costs.

Twenty-one percent of the homeowners paid down their principal balance when they refinanced their mortgages in the first quarter, down from a record 49 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, while 58 percent of the homeowners maintained about the same loan amount when they refinanced. The combined percentage of those who paid down their principal mortgage and those who maintained their same loan amount was at a 26-year high.

Twenty-one percent of all refinanced loans in the quarter were “cash-out” borrowers, those that increased their loan by at least five percent, up from 15 percent in the fourth quarter. Compare that to the average between 1985 and 2008, when 50 percent of the homeowners took cash out of their homes when they refinanced.

Borrowers, who refinanced their mortgages and converted equity to cash, took an estimated $5.3 billion in the quarter, the least amount of equity converted to cash since the third quarter of 1995 when adjusted for inflation.

Cash-out refinance volume peaked in the second quarter of 2006 at $83.7 billion. The amount of cash borrowers took out of their homes in the first quarter was less than six percent of that total amount.

For 30 year fixed rate mortgages, the median interest rate reduction during the quarter was about 1.5 percentage points, or about 27 percent below their initial rate, which allowed borrowers to save about $2,900 in interest payments in the first year of their loan with a principal of $200,000.

Frank Nothaft, Vice President and chief economist of Freddie Mac stated, “The typical borrower who refinanced reduced their interest rate by about 1.5 percentage points. On a $200,000 loan, that translates into saving about $2,900 in interest during the next 12 months. Fixed-rate mortgage rates hit new lows during March, with 30-year product averaging 3.95 percent and 15-year averaging 3.20 percent that month, according to our Primary Mortgage Market Survey®. The enhancements to HARP announced in October, such as removing the maximum loan-to-value limit, are beginning to show up in additional refinance volume during the first quarter. HARP loans were 20 percent of Freddie Mac’s refinance fundings during the first quarter, the highest share since HARP’s inception.”

Tags: Freddie Mac, home equity, borrowers, refinance, cash-out, cash-in, principal, interest, interest rate reduction

Source:
Freddie Mac

HOW LOANRATENETWORK
LOAN CENTER WORKS
FILL OUT THE FORM
It all starts here. Select the loan product you want to apply for and complete the subsequent questionnaire.
WE VERIFY & TRANSMIT TO LENDERS
Once we receive your completed questionnaire we verify a couple vital pieces of information and direct your information to our network of lenders, all within minutes.
REVIEW YOUR OFFERS
With offers in hand you can now compare rates and costs and get the best possible deal. Comparison shopping made easy. You fill out one form and lenders compete for your business.
CHOOSE YOUR LENDER
Congratulations! With the great learning tools we provide for you at LoanRateNetwork and the offers you have received, you've found the right product and the best rate.
ADVANTAGES OF USING
LOANRATENETWORK
FAST & EASY. DATA ENCRYPTED
Applying to multiple lenders is fast and easy with our one simple questionnaire. Choose the product you’re looking for, take a few moments to answer a few questions and you’re on your way to saving.
NO OBLIGATION. NO HIDDEN FEES
Any of the services on our website are 100% free, there is no obligation to use our services or any hidden fees. We’re not loan brokers so we don’t charge broker fees like other websites.
NO SSN OR CREDIT
CHECK
No SSN or credit check is necessary to use our services. We bring lenders to you so they can compete for your business and you save. That information only becomes necessary after you choose a lender.