Are you thinking of making an offer on a new home? Perhaps you are looking to refinance a mortgage you already have and need to work out what your monthly payments will be. Making the decision as to how much to pay is a good idea.
There are types of mortgages that have features that adjust payments for the borrower. These are called "innovative" or "exotic" mortgages and they allow for a borrower to make smaller repayments at the start of the loan in return for increased repayments later on. A good number of borrowers in this group feel that they will have refinanced the loan long before the increased repayments start. The problem with this sort of loan is that borrowers often do not understand the risks that accompany the mortgage and this in turn can lead to financial stress or at worst case, financial ruin.
This article will be concerned with the organization of such mortgages and the potential risks thay have.
How Much? So, how much are you prepared (or able) to pay monthly?
To make this decision easier, we should look at the four common categories of these loans, which are: (1)fixed-rate interest-only loans; (2)adjustable-rate interest-only loans; (3) fixed-rate graduated payment loans and (4) payment option ARMs.
Interest-only Mortgages
These types of mortgages give the borrower the option to pay only the interest that is charged on what is outstanding on the principal balance of the mortgage. This is worked out by dividing the interest rate by 12 (for the months) and then multiplying that by the balance of the mortgage. Using this loan system, the balance does not decrease.
You are able to obtain this style of mortgage in both with rates that are referred to as either "fixed" or "adjustable" rate loans (ARMs). Generally, mortgage with an interest rate that is fixed of 30 year's duration will have a period of 10 years of interest only payments. The amount to be paid after that time is then calculated to ensure that the balance is paid in full by the end of the term.
Mortgages that can be adjusted monthly and 5-6 ARMs are interest-only adjustable-rate mortgages and are quite popular. Those that are adjustable monthly generally have as a policy an interest-only period of 10 years, whereas the interest-only period of the 5-6 ARMs lasts for a five-year fixed-rate period only. After this period the payment has to be recalculated to meet the fully indexed interest rate plus a margin and to ensure that the mortgage is paid in full by the end of the term.This is also known as "fully amortized". The name 5-6 ARM comes from the fact that the interest rate is adjusted every 6 months.
Negative Amortization Mortgages
This style of mortgage goes further than the interest-only mortgage. Borrowers using this mortgage are able to make payments that are less than the "interest-only" payment. This creates a situation where there is deferred interest that accumulates and is added to the principal balance, creating a "negative amortization".
These are also available in both "fixed-rate" and "adjustable-rate" mortgages.
Fixed-Rate Or Graduated Payment Mortgages
Otherwise referred to as "negative amortization" mortgages, these have a starting payment schedule less than the "interest-only" payment, which is increased over the period of the loan to ensure that it is fully paid.
Adjustable-Rate Or Payment Option Mortgages
These types of loans are the most complicated of commonly used mortgage products. They are also referred to as payment option ARMs. To begin with the lender calculates a "minimum payment", which is considered to be a temporary start interest rate and which will usually last from between one to three months. The monthly payment during this time is fully amortizing.
Add the end of this initial period, the borrower is able to decide whether to continue with this rate, with the interest rate actually converting to the fully indexed interest rate. In the majority of cases the minimum payment is below than of the interest-only payment and as such deferred interest is created. This deferred interest is then added to the mortgage's principal.
How much the fully indexed interest rate changes decides the rate of the deferred interest that is placed on top of the principal ie the rate of negative amortization. This is complicated enough, but there is also a clause in the mortgage contract stating that the minimum payment is to rise by between 7% or 7.5% each year, with the mortgage being "recast" at the conclusion of five years.
When this eventuates, monthly payments are adjusted to ensure that the mortgage will be paid in full by the end of the term. This new payment is decided according to the fully indexed interest rate at that time and becomes the new minimum payment and so the cycle is recommenced.
Note: There is a "negative amortization limit" on these types of loans. This declares that should the outstanding principal balance of the mortgage get to a particular percentage of the original principal balance (which is generally 110-125%), it will trigger an "unscheduled recast" to occur.
The Benefits and Risks All these types of mortgages have certain risk factors, but there are many legitimate reasons why they are offered to consumers by both mortgage lenders and financial planners. These are the potential benefits as well as possible risks:
Benefits
* "Interest-only" and "negative amortization" mortgages are popular in areas where housing costs are higher as they allow a borrower to purchase a better quality home. (but they are subject to underwriting standards). * They can often be a suitable option for a borrower who is assured of a future increase in their income over an extended period of time. * Interest-only" and "negative amortization" mortgages could be a viable consideration for those borrowers whose income is irregular. An example of this is someone for whom an annual bonus is a significant percentage of their income. Risks
* The majority of people who opt for "interest-only" and "negative amortization" mortgages rely on the premise that their home will appreciate to the extent that it will cancel out any increases on the principal balance of the mortgage. This is an extremely risky thing to do as there are a number of variables that could cause this sort of plan to fail. * Adjustable-rate "interest-only" and "negative amortization" mortgages can be negatively affected by a phenomenon known as "payment shock risk". This means that the monthly payments, which increase as as result of the contract, may occur at times when there is financial strain or they may increase by an amount that was not expected. * If you use the minimization of a mortgage payment to allow for investment, you are taking a huge risk. "Interest-only" and "negative amortization" mortgages are meant to be five-year products and five years is not a long enough period of time to ensure that you achieve a stable rate of return on the stockmarket. Stockmarkets are volatile and inpredictable by nature and it is not a guarantee that you will make enough of a return in five years to cover any interest charges.
Conclusion It is only when a consumer becomes familiar with the actual nuts and bolts of these types of mortgage, understanding all the implications,will surely give you a secured debt or a good consolidation loans, both good and bad, that they will be able to make the best decision according to their individual needs.
