Mandatory Disclosure

The minimum allowable ratio of down payment to sale price on any loan program. If the minimum is 10%, for example, it means that you must make a down payment of at least $10,000 on a ...

Refinancing for an amount in excess of the balance on the old loan plus settlement costs. When the main objective of a refinancing is to raise cash, the relevant question is whether the ...

Wondering who is this Fannie Mae person that your real estate agent always mentions when the subject about mortgage is brought up? Fannie Mae is not a person, nor a Woody Allen female ...

An agreement between a mortgage borrower in distress and the lender that allows the borrower to sell the house and remit the proceeds to the lender. A short sale is an alternative to ...

A rate lock, plus an option to reduce the rate if market interest rates decline during the lock period. ...

A very large increase in the payment on an ARM that may surprise the borrower. The term is also used to refer to a large difference between the rent being paid by a first-time home buyer ...

The month in which a zero loan balance is reached. The payoff month may or may not be the loan term. ...

The house in which the borrower will live most of the time, as distinct from a second home or an investor property that will be rented. ...

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