Cost-of-Savings Index (COSI)

A loan eligible for purchase by the two major federal agencies that buy mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Conforming mortgages cannot exceed a legal maximum amount, which was $322,700 ...

The interest rate that is fixed for some specified number of months or years at the beginning of the life of an ARM. ...

A lender commitment to make a mortgage loan to a specified borrower, prior to the identification of the property that will be mortgaged. On a pre-approval, unlike a pre-qualification, the ...

Administering loans between the time of disbursement and the time the loan is fully paid off. Servicing includes collecting payments from the borrower, maintaining payment records, ...

A mortgage loan for 125% of property value. Since such loans are only partly secured, they have many of the characteristics of unsecured loans, including relatively high interest rates. ...

A mortgage Web site that shows mortgage prices posted by participating lenders, in some cases hundreds of them. ...

Housing expense plus current debt service payments. ...

A contribution to a borrower's down payment or settlement costs made by a home seller, as an alternative to a price reduction. ...

When a borrower has difficulty making the scheduled payment. Position of the Lender: A good place to start is by understanding the position of the lender. A game plan for survival ...