Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
Definition of "Private mortgage insurance (PMI)"
The concept behind a Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is pretty simple: it exists to make sure the lender doesn’t lose its money.
What it does is “buy” the possible defaults of a borrower to a lender. Meaning: if the borrower doesn’t pay the premium, the Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) enters in action and pays it on his/her behalf.
The PMI cost is usually included in the monthly mortgage payment in addition to the principal, homeowner’s insurance, property tax and interest, and just like them, it is a separate thing; it doesn’t build equity to your home.
Why do it?
Well, most of the time you don’t have an option; it is a requirement from the Lender that you get Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) in order to be able to borrow the money. However, it truly can be good for both parties: the lender doesn’t lose money and the borrower can get a house even if he doesn’t have the whole 20% of the home’s value to use as down payment, since lenders sometimes waive the need of it because of the safety provided by the Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).
Real estate Tips:
One of the greatest insurances in the world is knowledge! Devour our Real Estate Terms and use our Real Estate Agent Directory to contact a local real estate agent when you're ready to go into the market for/with your house!
Popular Insurance Terms
Statistics (such as health data from physical examination of employees or other insureds) used as a benchmark from which deviations and comparisons of expected losses, as well as future ...
Income paid to a worker who is temporarily disabled by an injury or sickness that is not work related. Compare with workers compensation benefits, which are available only to workers ...
Rating method for commercial fire insurance according to a predetermined schedule. Published by A. F. Dean in 1902, this method was the first comprehensive qualitative analysis procedure to ...
Same as term Coinsurance: ...
Life insurance company or property and casualty insurance company licensed by a particular state to conduct business there. The company is subject to the state insurance code governing such ...
Policy that provides coverage through four parts: Commercial property coverage is provided under the BUILDING AND PERSONAL PROPERTY COVERAGE FORM (BPPCF), divided into three major ...
Coverage following the same structure as group term, the significant difference being that premiums go toward the purchase of permanent insurance instead of term insurance. The employee has ...
Life insurance policy in which the cash value and in some circumstances the death benefit will vary according to the investment performance of an underlying portfolio usually comprised of ...
Contractual agreement between two parties in which they agree to exchange a stream of interest payments on either a fixed rate for a floating rate or a floating rate for a fixed rate. The ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.