Home Equity Loans Versus HELOCS and a Personal Loan

Rob — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:31:05 +0000

In this article, we’ll cover the benefits and disadvantages of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) and personal loans. Whether you’re looking for funds to finance a major expense or simply pay down consumer debt, this article can help you decide what type of financing is best for you.
Home Equity Loan
* Best for: Major, unexpected expenses or large investments.
* Not for: Ongoing or smaller expenses.
How it works: A home equity loan is like a mortgage – the borrower is given a lump sum of money up front and begins paying interest and principal payments right away to work off the debt. The amount of the loan extended to the borrower is based on how much equity has increased in the home after appreciation and mortgage payments.
* Pro: Home equity loans typically offer a lower, fixed interest rate than HELOCs and personal loans. This benefits the borrower over the term of the loan as well as in the short term.
* Con: Borrowers have to pay interest on the full balance right away.
Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
* Best for: Ongoing expenses like major renovations, college tuition or having a baby.
* Not for: Single, major expenses.
How it works: A home equity line of credit is secured by the equity in your home, and you can draw on it as you would using a credit card or savings account. Typically, the rate is adjustable – meaning it can be changed periodically depending on financial market trends – and you’ll make interest payments on what you borrow until the term of the line of credit is over.
* Pro: You only pay for what you borrow, and these loans are often easier to qualify for and faster to obtain than home equity loans.
* Con: The interest rate is adjustable and often higher than a home equity loan. When shopping for a home equity line of credit, look for a low permanent rate.
Personal Loan
* Best for: Small single expenses like a new car or small business investment.
* Not for: Ongoing living costs, major projects like home renovations.
How it works: A personal loan is a one that is offered by the lending institution and is often secured by the piece of equipment (e.g. a car) or property (e.g. business) that you’re using the loan to purchase. Typically, personal loans are smaller and can often be obtained in the form of a line of credit.
* Pro: Simple application process without sacrificing home equity or risking the home itself.
* Con: Without the security of home equity, the interest rates on a personal loan are often higher, so it is advantageous to pay off the loan as quickly as possible.
In short, whether you obtain a home equity loan, a HELOC or a personal loan will depend on why you need to borrow the funds, the kind of interest rates you can afford and your own current financial situation.
Remember, always shop around for the lowest interest rate! Doing so can save you hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars over the life of the loan.

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Mortgage Loan Approval Sometimes Need a Human Touch

Rob — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:38:39 +0000

In the mid 1990’s, the mortgage industry saw the credit score and its predictive power to assess a borrower’s ability to repay a mortgage step into the limelight as one of the most indicative factors for loan approval. After conducting statistical test after statistical test, Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie, the 3 big lending institutions, mandated that the credit score should be used in conjunction with manual underwriting to assess loan approval. Not too long after, automated underwriting systems (AUS) were developed that expedited and streamlined the underwriting process even further for lenders. A loan officer today simply inputs a borrower’s key information into the preferred underwriting automatic engine, such as his/her credit score, income, amount being borrowed, cash reserves, employment and housing history, and the value of the property. A response is returned by the underwriting engine recommending approval or denial for the loan.
If your loan receives a denial from an AUS, the buck doesn’t necessarily stop there. Life happens to people, and oftentimes it’s going to take a real live person understanding the nuances of a file to make an underwriting decision. That’s when your lender may suggest submitting your file to underwriting for a manual review. After all, not everything in life can be automatic, right?
A perfect scenario for a manually underwritten file would be someone who has no credit scores. No credit scores? Yes, it is possible. I’ve had customers who, being old school and always having paid for everything in cash, had never established traditional credit lines that reported to credit reporting bureaus. In a case such as this one, I had to submit non-traditional lines of credit to underwriting, something a machine can’t assess. This means I had my customer bring in bills he had paid on time for the past year to create a credit history. Typical ones used are car insurance, utility bills, cell phone bills and cable bills. You can expect to have to provide 3-4 different trade lines if you haven’t established a traditional credit history and score.
“The most typical reason we see a file submitted to us for manual underwriting is for either no credit score or an error reported on a credit report,” reflects Patricia Haynes, onsite Government Underwriter at Mortgage Investors Group. “For instance a judgement that doesn’t really belong to the borrower. Maybe it’s really Dad’s judgement reflected on the son’s report because Junior and Dad have the same name. That’s when I can overwrite an AUS decision because I have the documentation to support my decision to do so in front of me.”
Another very common reason to submit a loan for a manual underwrite is when your customer’s credit score is below 620 and gets an AUS denial. If this is the case with your loan, be prepared to provide more than average documentation about your credit history, as well as written explanations as to why your credit score has suffered recently. Maybe two years ago you had a financial meltdown due to a medical illness, but in the last twelve months, you can prove you are back on your game and have been repaying debt. However, your credit scores haven’t exactly caught up with your actions. An underwriter is going to piece together the different aspects of your file and see if it makes sense. Your home lender should be able to review your file and guide you as to what documentation an underwriter will want from you to grant you loan approval.
Naturally, if your credit score is really low and you have very little explanation for your state of credit affairs other than you failed to pay your bills on time, don’t hold your breath for loan approval. An underwriter can see through smoke and mirrors. After looking at files as long as they have, they can basically sniff out a loan that has merit from the ones that are too risky.
So, even as our world gets more and more automated every day, it’s nice to know that you can’t replace genuine common sense, even in the mortgage industry. And it’s nice to know that you can plead your case for credit worthiness to a real live human being.

Kristin Abouelata / Mortgage Investors Group/Loan Officer
1-800-489-8910Kristin.abouelata@migonline.comLet My Experience Work For You!
Email your home loan financing questions to Kristin Abouelata, Home Loan Specialist, at question@kristinmortgage.com or call direct: (865) 567-0113 Toll Free: 1-800-489-8910. For more information visit her website at www.kristinmortgage.com Home Loans Plain Talk.
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Home Equity Loans Versus HELOCS and a Personal Loan

Mortgage Loan Approval Sometimes Need a Human Touch