Is it easier to refinance with existing lender?
If your current lender offers the best deal or is willing to match the best deal you find with another financial institution, the refinancing process could be easier and you won't lose any money by staying. It could also make your life a bit easier in the long run to keep the same lender.
While it may be easier to just go with your current lender when refinancing, you might be able to get a better rate — and save money — by going with one of their competitors. Laurie Dupnock is a mortgage editor on Bankrate's Home Lending team.
The process of remortgaging with the same lender tends to be fairly straightforward. If all you are doing is moving to a new deal and not changing anything else, your existing lender may be happy to proceed without another affordability check, credit check or property valuation.
Refinancing With Your Lender
Whatever the reason, refinancing with someone you've worked with in the past has its perks. For starters, it should be a seamless process. Conveniently, your old lender will already have some of your financial documents and records on file, depending on how recently you worked with them.
You'll typically need a home appraisal to refinance your mortgage, both to confirm your home's value and to set your new loan amount. If your refinance appraisal comes in too low, though, you may not be able to refinance unless you use a streamline (no-appraisal) refinance program.
Refinancing to lower your monthly payment is great unless it puts a big dent in your pocketbook as time goes on. If it costs more to refinance, it probably doesn't make sense. For instance, if you're several years into a 30-year mortgage, you've paid a lot of interest without reducing your principal balance very much.
As a rule of thumb, experts often say that it's not usually worth it to refinance unless your interest rate drops by at least 0.5% to 1%. But that may not be true for everyone. Refinancing for a 0.25% lower rate could be worth it if: You are switching from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate mortgage.
If your property has fallen in value and it's now worth less than your outstanding mortgage amount, this can make it really difficult to remortgage. This is known as negative equity and can be the hardest obstacle to overcome.
A second-charge mortgage is a type of secured loan which uses your property as collateral to borrow more money. You can use the equity you have in your home as security against taking out another loan. This means you'll need some equity (capital built up in your property) to apply for additional borrowing.
Affordability checks
If you're applying to remortgage your property with a different lender, it's likely that you'll have to prove that you can afford the repayments. A credit score provide you with an indication of your level of creditworthiness. Factors that can affect credit scores can vary.
What happens to escrow when you refinance with same lender?
If you are refinancing your mortgage with your current lender, then your escrow account may remain intact. That means that the funds you have in your account before the refinance will remain in the original escrow account.
You don't have to refinance with your current lender. If you choose a different lender, that new lender pays off your current loan, ending your relationship with your old lender. Don't be afraid to shop around and compare each lender's current mortgage interest rates, availability and client satisfaction scores.
Refinancing will hurt your credit score a bit initially, but might actually help in the long run. Refinancing can significantly lower your debt amount and/or your monthly payment, and lenders like to see both of those. Your score will typically dip a few points, but it can bounce back within a few months.
If the appraiser finds that your home is worth less than what you owe or less than what is beneficial from a loan to value standpoint, your loan could be denied or it may not be beneficial.
If A House Is Appraised Higher Than The Purchase Price
It simply means that you've agreed to pay the seller less than the home's market value.
This can be a problem because lenders will only lend on the appraised value. If your appraised value is lower than the agreed upon sales price, you'll have to make up the difference in cash, or cancel the deal.
If you have a mortgage with a higher balance and rate, a drop of 0.5% interest could be worth refinancing, according to Dell. "For a lower balance, rate and term refinance, it may be at least 1% or more to be worth your time and money," Dell says.
The most common reason why refinance loan applications are denied is because the borrower has too much debt. Because lenders have to make a good-faith effort to ensure you can repay your loan, they typically have limits on what's called your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.
After its December 2023 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) predicted making three quarter-point cuts by the end of 2024 to lower the federal funds rate to 4.6%. Inflation has started to recede, but the committee has signaled it wants to see more positive data before pulling the trigger.
For example, when refinancing your mortgage, there will be closing costs to be paid as part of the process. If you opt to have the closing costs rolled into the new mortgage, you're augmenting the mortgage balance — the amount you owe — and thus diluting your equity — the amount you own.
What is a good mortgage rate?
In today's market, a good mortgage interest rate can fall in the high-6% range, depending on several factors, such as the type of mortgage, loan term, and individual financial circ*mstances. To understand what a favorable mortgage rate looks like for you, get quotes from a few different lenders and compare them.
Product | Interest Rate | APR |
---|---|---|
30-Year Fixed Rate | 6.98% | 7.03% |
20-Year Fixed Rate | 6.82% | 6.88% |
15-Year Fixed Rate | 6.47% | 6.55% |
10-Year Fixed Rate | 6.40% | 6.49% |
The simplest and fastest way is to remortgage with the same lender – this is known as a product transfer. Because the new mortgage deal is with your current lender, the eligibility and affordability checks are not so stringent.
Your current lender already has your details on file, so the process should be quicker. A full remortgage with a new lender can take weeks or even months, but with your current lender it can take as little as a few days.
Remortgaging with poor credit
Most lenders treat bad credit remortgage applications the same as initial mortgage applications from people with bad credit. Having a poor credit history or score indicates poor money management skills, making individuals a risky choice for lenders.
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