Lending institutions in the mortgage market

The mortgage business is an ever changing and it is an industry that has its own complexities. It is very much important that you understand how the mortgage industry works and how is the profit generated by the lenders. An analysis of this information will help you to have an insight knowledge about the techniques with which the loans can be appreciated and what is the reason behind the question as to why some lender offer certain loans and not the other. This article will help you to have insight knowledge about the different lending institutions that operate in the mortgage market.

Private lenders Vs institutional lenders: The foremost broad distinction arises between the private lenders and the institutional lenders. The lenders in the institutional lender category include commercial banks, savings and loans, credit unions, mortgage banking companies, pension funds, and insurance companies. These lenders generally determine the loan giving capacity of a person based on the income and credit of the borrower; these institutions have to adhere to the standard lending norms. On the other hand the private lenders do not have the guaranteed depositors and they are not regulated by the norms of the federal government.

Primary Vs the secondary market: First of all these markets should not be confused with the first and second mortgages. The primary mortgage lenders deal directly with the general public and they themselves originate the loans from their resources and then lend the money to the borrower directly. The primary market is often referred as the retail side of the business. The profit is generated by the lenders from the loan processing fee and not with the interest amount of the loan. The primary mortgage market generally lends the money to the consumers and then they sell the mortgage notes to the investors in the secondary market so as to replenish their cash reserves.

Some of the largest buyers in the secondary market are the Federal National Mortgage Association or FNMA or Fannie Mae, the Government National Mortgage Association or GNMA or Ginnie Mae and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or FHLMC or Freddie Mac. Private financial institutions such as banks, life insurance companies, private investors, and the other thrift associations also buy notes.

Mortgage brokers Vs Mortgage bankers: It is a common assumption that the mortgage companies are the banks that lend their own money, it is important to note the fact that any company that you deal is either a mortgage banker or a mortgage broker. The mortgage banker is the direct lender who owns money and he often sells it to the secondary market. They are referred as direct lenders and they are the ones who sometimes even retain the servicing rights. On the other hand a mortgage broker is an intermediary who is responsible for loan shopping, he is the one who is responsible for the loan analysis, and he acts as a connecting link for the lender and the borrower. Mortgage brokers do not deal directly with the public and they are also referred as the wholesale lenders.

About the Author:

Shijina is a SEO copywriter for Cemap Courses .She has written various articles like Home study cemap, CeMAP, Cemap Training , and more. For more information visit our site http://www.cemap-training.com/.Contact her through mail at cemap.course@gmail.com

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Using an 80 20 Mortgage to Avoid Mortgage Insurance

An 80 20 mortgage is also called a zero down loan or no money down loan. It is actually two loans, a regular home mortgage which constitutes 80% of the price of the home and a second mortgage or home equity loan that consists of 20% of the cost of the house. The idea behind this type of loan is avoiding mortgage insurance (PMI) by using the home equity loan as the down payment.

Just about all mortgages require some form of mortgage insurance if you are unable to make a down payment of at least 20 percent. By obtaining a second mortgage or home equity loan for 20 percent of the homes cost you can circumnavigate this requirement by using that second loan as the down payment.

There are variations of this type of mortgage such as an 80-15-5 loan. This means that the borrower got a main mortgage of 80 percent of a home's purchase price, a piggyback loan for 15 percent, and made a 5-percent down payment. This can be a good option if you have some money for a down payment but not enough to cover the entire 20%.

The second mortgage can either be a fixed second mortgage or it can be a line of credit. If it is a fixed second mortgage then the interest rate is normally fixed for the entire length of the mortgage. Most fixed second mortgages are a 30 due in 15 which means that the second mortgage is amortized over 30 years, but is due in 15 years. The benefit of going with the line of credit as the second mortgage is that the interest rate is normally much lower than the fixed second mortgages rate. They can also be an interest only loan which could save you hundreds of dollars in mortgage payments every month.

The 80 percent first mortgage can be a fixed-rate (15-year or 30-year), adjustable-rate (usually 5/1, 7/1 or 10/1fixed period ARM) or interest-only loan. Typically, the interest rate on the second mortgage loan is higher than the interest rate of the first loan. But because the borrower doesn't have to pay mortgage insurance, the overall cost is less than a traditional mortgage even with the higher mortgage interest rate on the second loan.

Plenty of mortgage programs allow borrowers to buy houses with little or no money down, but they usually require private mortgage insurance, or PMI. Getting an 80 20 mortgage can be a good way to avoid the extra cost that PMI will add to your monthly payments.

About the Author:

To learn more about home equity loans and lines of credit please visit the website Home Equity Loans by Clicking Here.

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Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing

By: Jim
Many a times due to some unexpected financial expenses a person may fail to make the repayment of the Mortgage loan and in such case Mortgage Refinancing would be the best option. In case you are credits are suffering then you should apply for Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program. There are many banks and financial organizations that are offering this kind of program.

Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program involves paying the earlier mortgage with the Bad Credit loan amount taken from another lender. This kind of program can be of a real help to the borrowers. It can lower the monthly payments with low rate of interest. When you are applying for this kind of program you must do proper research work in order to find out about the bank's credibility, as not all banks are safe to apply for this kind of program.

When applying for Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program one needs to fill in application form and provide some important documents. All the information given by the borrowers are carefully examined by the lenders. With the coming in of Internet, people can also apply for such program simply sitting at home, i.e. online. People with bad credit history can also go in for this type of program. One should find out about each and every element involved in the mortgage.

Any sort of confusions can lead to lot of problems. Thus if you have any sort of confusion regarding Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program, you should discuss the same with the Mortgage lenders or brokers. This kind of financial program can help the people to save their money and lead a tension free life.

5 Proven Mortgage Refinance Tips For Lower Fees And Costs

By handling these costs wisely, you can make your mortgage refinance tips even more effective and save remarkable sums in your monthly payments.The structure of your mortgage refinance loan, PMI avoiding and an ability to buy lower interest rates are the ways.

1. Mortgage Refinance Tips – Close Credit Card Accounts.

What credit cards have to do with your mortgage refinance tips? A lot! When you close inactive credit card accounts, you can improve your credit score, which means lower interest loans possibilities to you.

This is wise to do by a letter to the credit card company. In this way you will have a document, if there is a need to handle the issue later on.

As a second step you have to check your credit report after 30 days to make sure, that it includes the comment that your credit card accounts have been closed by ”Customer`s Request”.

This is important, because this report can be seen by other lenders later on, so they see that you have done the closing and not the company. Remember to correct all the mistakes, which can affect your future possibilities to get a loan.

2. Mortgage Refinance Tips – Avoid Hidden Cost Of PMI:

PMI, private mortgage insurance, can hit you, if you do not do the refinancing right. Why? Around 30 % of the people, who will refinance their home loan take certain part of their home equity as a cash to pay home improvement or paying some other big costs.

By paying off credit cards or improving your home, this can be extremely smart, but if you borrow more than 80 % of the home equity, you must pay PMI, private mortgage insurance, which can be hundreds per every year.

3. Mortgage Refinance Tips – Short Term Loan.

Usually short term mortgage loans offer lower interest rates than the long term ones.This means lighter monthly payments but also shorter payment time.

The result is a larger monthly payment, but you can still save thousands later on.

4. Mortgage Refinance Tips – Ask About Fees.

Every mortgage refinance case includes fees, which are costs you do not necessarily remember to ask. They have several fancy names: document prep fees, courier fees, administrative fees etc. And lenders must disclose these costs, fees, within three business days of a mortgage loan application.

Now you can do the following. Request an official list of these fees from every company, you have asked an offer. When you have them all, add the fees to the interest rate of the mortgage loan. You will be surprised, when you notice that the cheapest offer has not the lowest interest rate.

5. Mortgage Refinance Tips – Pay Points.

When you plan to live in your home for many years, you can save money by paying points for lower interest rates. This happens by paying upfront fees by which you guarantee that the interest rates are lower during the rest time of your loan.

About the Author: Juhani Tontti, B.Sc., Economics.
Mortgage Refinance Tips Are More Than Just Lower Interest Rates Refinance Mortgage Right And You Save A Lot. Visit: LowerMortgageRefinanceRates.com

Second Mortgage a Good First Step

A second mortgage can be the first step to climbing out of debt, especially for homeowners who have bad credit. A second mortgage is a loan taken out in "second position" on a property that already has a mortgage. There are fixed-rate loans, adjustable-rate loans and home equity lines of credit (also known as HELOCs). Fixed-dollar-amount mortgages are the way to go when you need all the money at once. A HELOC is a credit line that can be drawn upon as needed up to the limit of the loan.

"Bad Credit" Second Mortgages
Your right to credit is guaranteed by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. You can't be denied credit based on race, gender, marital status or ethnicity. But how much money you can borrow and how much interest you will be charged will depend on your credit score.

Credit is easy to get and hard to control. Not using it properly will get you a low FICO score from the three major credit bureaus. Generally, a score of 680 or better signifies good credit. Scores in the 680-620 range are still considered good, but will cause creditors to take a second look before lending you money. 620 and lower, and you are in the bad credit range.

Here are some indications that you are in bad credit territory:
You have to apply for new credit cards to pay off old ones, thus rotating but not retiring your debt.
You can only make the minimum payments on your loans and cards each month.
You are at the limit on all your cards and accounts.
You have to get subprime financing when you need to borrow money.
Improving Your Financial Situation
It's a catch 22 that getting a bad credit second mortgage can lower your FICO score initially, but it can also help raise it in the long run-if you use the money to pay off high interest debts. This new loan doesn't reduce your debt; it just restructures it to help you get back on your feet financially. An added bonus is that the interest you pay is tax deductible. The IRS says joint filers can deduct all the interest to a maximum of $100,000 on home mortgages.

It's easy to shop and compare bad credit second mortgages online at reputable sites like www.badcreditsecondmortgages.com. The no-obligation application process is quick and confidential. Interest rates are still relatively low, but might rise in 2006, so now is a great time to see if a second mortgage is a good financial move for you.

Mortgages for People in Foreclosure - Keep Your Home

Are you need of saving your home from foreclosure? If so, you can simply get a loan modification that will give you a mortgage for people that are in foreclosure.

Learn About Getting A Loan Modification Here

In basic terms a loan modification can save your home from foreclosure because it does a number of things which will enable you to keep the home. There are different options depending on what your biggest needs are but here are a list of the following that can help you save your house.

* Your interest rate may be decreased on your current mortgage
* Your interest rate can be changed from an adjustable rate to fixed rate
* Your time to pay back the loan can be increased by a number of months or years depending on how much time you need.
* Your total loan principal amount can be decreased in overall total to ease payments
* Your late fees or penalties may be waived if you have any at all
* If you have a second mortgage, it could be eliminated altogether.

Start the Loan Modification Process Here by simply answering a few questions to make sure you can qualify for a mortgage for people in foreclosure. There are millions of people that are in foreclosure right now and even families that are not only losing their home but actually filing for bankruptcy.

It's a tough economy right now, but for people that need help with their current mortgage that are in foreclosure, the loan modifications can work to your advantage by saving your home altogether.

About the Author:

Get Your Loan Modification Here to Avoid Foreclosure

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The Right Time for Mortgage Refinancing

If interest rates have dropped by a percentage point or more since you got your first mortgage, refinancing could save you big bucks. And if you have enough equity so that your new mortgage is for less than 80% of your home's value, you'll be able to stop paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), which will save you even more.

Mortgage refinancing could also result in lower monthly payments, depending on factors such as: if any 'points' are paid to lower the interest rate on the new mortgage; how much cash is taken out at the time of refinancing; the duration of the new mortgage and whether the new mortgage is a fixed-rate, adjustable-rate or variable-rate loan.

"A vast majority of people close their loans, make their payments and don't worry about it again," says Bob Cannon of BancMortgage Financial Corp. "They don't refinance when they should be looking at it."

Even if you have bad credit and have to pay somewhat higher interest rates, mortgage refinancing will still cost less than other forms of borrowing because the loan is secured by your home. And if you use the money wisely, you can get out of credit trouble and raise your FICO score. This will qualify you for better rates in the future.

Your FICO score is computed and tracked by the three major credit bureaus: Trans Union, Equifax and Experian. Your score is updated quarterly and is negatively affected by such things as: late or missed loan payments, filing for bankruptcy, having too much debt compared to your income, and credit card balances being too close to their limits.

Fixing Bad Credit
If you are a homeowner, mortgage refinancing can go a long way toward improving your financial situation. Here are a few other positive steps you can take to speed up the process:

Credit card discipline - Reduce the number of cards in your wallet or purse to one. Take it out only when necessary and pay it off each month.

Credit union membership - If you aren't already a member, join a credit union. They're a good source of loans for purchases like a car or a home.

Automatic savings - Have your bank automatically deposit a set amount from your paycheck into your savings account or retirement plan.

Avoid credit repair scams - There's nothing a credit repair company can do that you can't do yourself with a little research and effort.

Many of the homes on your block have probably been refinanced in the last few years. Now it's your turn.
By: Mike Hamel

Cash Out Refinancing

Refinancing is to pay off your existing mortgage with another one at a lower rate.

A cash out refinance is refinancing your existing mortgage and borrowing some of your equity in a lump sum to use for other purposes. Such as home improvement, college tuition, family vacation, etc.

Other reasons people use a cash out refinance is to use the equity in their home to invest in real estate, or start their own business.

Cash out refinances are very good tools when used for the right reasons. It is not wise to do cash out refinancing if you are going to receive a higher interest rate than what you already have on your current mortgage.

If you have a really good rate on your current mortgage, it would be wise to leave it alone.

However, if you are looking to tap into the equity you have acquired in your home without touching your current mortgage, you may want to consider a Home Equity Loan.

With a home equity loan you can borrow the equity you have acquired without touching your first mortgage. The home equity loan is also referred to as a second mortgage.

For instance, if you have acquired $50,000.00 worth of equity in your home, you can borrow what you need of that equity, without your first mortgage being affected.

The cash out refinance and the home equity loan are very similar and serve almost the same purpose, your situation should determine the right choice for you.

As always, I want to leave you with this reminder. Do your homework, educate yourself, and shop around for the best deal.

Mortgage Modification With our Lender

We can find few techniques to negotiate a mortgage modification with lenders. However, we shouldn’t cover any of the details from the lenders and talk about any of our financial condition with them honestly.


Deciding the position of our finances proceeding to communicate with your lenders. Resolving the amount of income that we’ll make each month, our monthly expenses and the areas where we can decrease our costs. We can easily go for a nonprofit looking credit counseling service that can assist us in implementing our budget lacking cost. The credit counseling experts may also help us in settling with our lenders. Generally credit counseling is constantly a useful decision to begin.



If any of the lender’s asks us how to plan to pay back the loan finally, we must find an answer always. We are in a valuable situation by showing an initial offer. If we imagine that our financial pain wouldn’t stay for long, then we need to request the lender for putting off or forbearance for one or two months before just our finances make progress.

Loan Sharks of the 21st Century

Payday Advance, Payday Loan; there are many different terms used for these “services.” The one thing they all have in common? They are out to Get Your Money. A lot of it.

Over a year, the cost of the loan would typically yield an APR of 500 “Loan Sharking”. Now it’s not uncommon to see this interest rate on credit cards.

Per Wikipedia: “A loan shark is a person or body that offers illegal unsecured loans at high interest rates to individuals, often backed by blackmail or threats of violence. They provide credit to those who are not willing or are unable to obtain it from more respectable sources, usually because interest rates commensurate with the perceived risk are illegal.”

When you walk in to a payday advance store front, they ask proof of income, then inform you what the maximum amount is they will lend to you. Often time, the temptation of $800-1400 in cash is too much to pass up; especially for those who have gotten in over their heads with credit cards.

Sound harsh?

Well, unfortunately, I speak from experience: One takes out a loan for the maximum amount allowable, to pay off whatever emergency or circumstance drove them to such drastic measures, and plan to pay the loan off from their next paycheck.

Guess what?

Next payday rolls around, and if one doesn’t have most of their current paycheck, the electricity will be shut off, there won’t be enough food in the, etc. So, one pays off the loan, horrifying interest included, and take out another loan of the same size. And on it goes, until one finds that he’s actually paying out 400-500 APR (as if that is a deal). It seems, however, payday legislation for civilians is even worse – being left in the hands of the individual states. State legislation varies from regulating payday advance loans, ignoring the subject completely, to banning these loans (but not always with a viable solution to catastrophe or emergency). Contact your state government to find out where your state falls in this respect.

If you are considering getting a payday advance loan, give yourself 24 hours, and then think it over again. You are taking a chance of sending your financial future into a downward spiral that’s not all that easy to climb out of, and could spell financial disaster, and sleepless nights to boot.

If you do have one (or more) of these loans: Cut out all wasteful expenditures,
Get yourself on a budget – don’t spend more than you have and necessities always come first, Stick to your budget, Research out and find ways to generate the additional income you need.

If after all that, (sigh) you absolutely must borrow, then take out a loan for the absolute minimum you need from your credit union and get the lowest rate possible;
Stop the endless cycle of incurring debt.

Don’t let the vested interests of the 21st Century Loan Shark leave you in a plight. Get out while still you can!
Source: Free Articles

Internet-based Closing Means Good Faith Estimates Could Get Better

The Mortgage Banker’s Association’s Tech 09 Conference, held on March 14-18, 2009, saw the announcement of new procedures that could revolutionize the real estate closing as we know it. Tony Farwell, ClosingCorp’s CEO (closing.com), announced that there was a move to standardize closing procedures for real estate and make it more accessible online. Consequently, closing procedures - including good faith estimates - will get clearer, more accurate and less vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous lenders.

What does this mean for the ordinary mortal? Well, for one, it could make the “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) – the itemized statement of fees and costs associated with a mortgage – better. Right now, the so-called Good Faith Estimate is not really good, nor should you put your faith into it. Many people have found that their final closing costs are a lot more than what they were led to believe from the initial estimate.

The rates oft-quoted in a GFE are what they are at the moment - not what they are upon the signing of the loan papers. The GFE can be manipulated with little difficulty. "Oops, there was an extra fee there! Oh, did we forget to tell you about costs that we don't have to disclose on the GFE?" Ethical lenders will do everything they can to clearly explain the fee structure and interest rates, but as today's struggling market attests, not all lenders are ethical.

What Farwell announced could have a positive effect on these statements – for home buyers, at least. With these standardizations come calls for making the government require more accurate estimates and less leeway for lenders to hide high fees within the financial confusion of a home purchase. It also paves the way for more Internet-savvy buyers to play a greater part in the closing of a real estate deal, something that gives them more access to information and the power to make choices about what they spend their money on and why.

A reform of the Real Estate Procedures Settlement Act by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development requires that lenders provide borrowers with a GFE. Now, the lender must provide the borrower with an estimate that gives them information about the term of the loan, type of interest, penalties, payment structure and total closing costs. While this is an improvement over the previous Act, it still does not require that the GFE in any way represent the terms that the loan will finally settle at. “Uniform Closing Instructions” will help improve this in favor of the buyer, by requiring GFEs to more accurately represent the final costs of closing.

Right now, most real estate services are not set up to fully function on the Internet, but that time is coming, if the vision of the people at Tech 09 is correct. The eventual aim of the movement towards more Internet-friendly real estate transactions may mean that one day we might conduct our entire real estate search, evaluation, loan shopping and transaction from the comfort of our own homes. For now, though, it may just mean that legislation is journeying towards fairer treatment of real estate buyers.

Bloopers And Blunders While Agreeing On A Mortgage

Getting a mortgage need not be love at first sight. So do not rush to the first company your come across. At times this might work out well. Like in the case of any important product or service that you intend to buy, make sure to complete your due diligence. Where money is involved, time is of the essence and other factors such as reliability and credibility need to be assessed. Understanding the whole loan process and the paper work involved can become a little too much. But this must be done to protect oneself from getting into incomplete agreements.

If there wasn't enough thought and effort that went into evaluating a mortgage, you might be in for some surprises down the line. All this is because of lack of preparation and awareness. Some of the other common mistakes made by mortgage buyers are:

1. Consider a mortgage to be a long term commitment - Sometimes buyers do not do this. They look at loans as an option for ending their current dilemma. If one wishes to invest in real estate, they need to think about what the house will fetch if sold and if they will be able to sell it. All this must be discussed with a banker or a real estate agent before signing on the mortgage agreement.

2. Paper work, paper work, paper work - Some buyers relay solely on oral communication. If they are not in possession of the contract, the companies may cheat them or they will lose out on certain benefits that were discussed during the meetings.

3. Is there limit to how much you can borrow? Do you know what that limit is? - Buyers assume they will be eligible for any amount of loan from the mortgage company which is not true. And even if they offer you the same, you will end up paying high rate of interest. This will only add to your financial woes. You will have to work towards repaying your debts as well as struggle to meet your interest payments, so one need to think it through before agreeing to the same.

4. Additional costs -- When closing the mortgage deal, buyers have to make some additional payments such as legal fees and taxes. Redemption penalty might also be charged if the loan is cleared before the stipulated time. Better prepared than sorry! So, it is best to talk to your mortgage company about this before jumping right in.
Source: Free Articles

Avoid Free Instant Credit Reports Scams

I was really kind of surprised when I started researching all of the free instant credit reports sites out there. Over on my blog I've been researching all kinds of consumer deals and I thought that this one would be pretty easy.

A lot of people have written in to me and asked if I could look into this for them, and I was kind of surprised because I always thought it was really very simple to get your credit report online, and to get it for free.

Well, I was basically half right. It is very, very easy to get a free credit report online. That much is true. But what I didn't realize is that it is still pretty hard to know which site is actually offering a true and accurate picture of your credit -- you know, the one that the lenders will see.

One of the things you need to avoid are the sites that are giving you a free report, but one that doesn't really give you all of the information you need to make an assessment about where you stand in the eyes of a lender.

A lot of the problems with this comes from sites that offer a credit score, but one that isn't really taken from an official source. The best this kind of information can do is to give you an idea of what your true credit score looks like. And when you're talking about your credit, the one thing you want is an exact answer, not a made up estimate.

So that's the first thing that you need to look for.

Important Note: We're going to get to the only sites that I recommend for getting your free instant credit report in just a second. But first, I just wanted to go over some other things you need to be aware of. So just hang tight, I'll be giving you the links in a second.

Now, the other thing I want you to be aware of is that 99.9% of the sites that you're going to find online will ask you to try out a free trial period of a credit monitoring service in exchange for getting the free credit report. There's really nothing wrong with this kind of arrangement, and it actually may wind up being really beneficial to you depending on what your situation is.

For example, if you were right in the middle of doing some shopping around for a major purchase then it's going to be vital for you to keep close tabs on your credit score. You don't want any last-minute surprises that could scuttle any deal that you've worked out because some random thing suddenly shows up on your credit report that shouldn't be there.

It's totally up to you what you decide, I just wanted to bring this up so that you were aware of the fact that these things can actually be helpful. If you're not into it, or you don't think you need it, no sweat. All you have to do is just cancel the trial and you're good to go.

So, at this point we've gone through all of the different factors you need to consider when evaluating free credit report sites. The only thing missing so far are hands-on reviews so that you can know for sure what you're getting is the real deal.

You can find info on the only free instant credit report sites I recommend right here: Free Instant Credit Reports reviews. It's constantly up to date and offers video reviews of the best free credit report sites out there.

Home Equity Credit Lines Provide Quick Access to Cash

By: Colin P
If you need to borrow money, home equity credit lines can be one of the options available to you. This line of credit home equity is a loan granted to the borrower with his home as collateral. Home equity per say is the difference between the worth of your property and the amount you owe on your mortgage.

Of late many people are opting for home equity lines of credit because of its ease of acquisition and flexibility. If you use the equity of your home as collateral in a loan, you have access to a large pool of funds which you can use to expand existing business or undertake a new one whilst still owing your home. If you negotiate well, you can obtain line of credit home equity far exceeding the current price of your home. Again, you have the advantage over other kinds of borrowed funds because you enjoy low interest here. The biggest advantage for home equity for small businesses owners especially is that the interest on home equity credit lines is treated as tax deductible. This simply means you can take out the interest payments as an expense before you declare profits, thus leaving you with more money as net income.

Line of credit home equity is the best option for a business with homes which needs long term capital. As the homes increase in value, the loan interest decreases in value with the effect that businesses gain over the long term.

Home equity loans need to be contracted with great care. Look around for the best plan or terms so you don't risk defaulting on the loan. If you default on the loan, your home may be foreclosed. Foreclosure is the process of offsetting a debt with the sale of a borrower's home. The forced sale comes about because you have irreversibly used the home as collateral in the agreement and have authorized the lender to take over the house in the event you are unable to pay up on the interests.

When it comes to using your home as collateral for a loan, there are two major options: home equity line of credit and a home equity loan.

Home Equity lines of credit are used for any kind of expense at all such as home improvements, educational and medical expenses and small business expenses. You make monthly payments at varied interest rates. If you are not the type that worries about changing payments and interest rates, then you may go for this option.

On the contrary, home equity loans gives you access to funds which need to be expended in a lump sum such as the expenses in connection with buying a new car or starting a new business. In this type of loan, interest payments are fixed. If you want a predictable payment, then this is the option for you.

Home equity credit lines have helped many businesses and individuals get access to large pools of funds for business expansion or acquisition of another home. This ease of access must be balanced with the fact that persistent default in payments can result in the loss of your home.

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