Pre-Approval
Definition of "Pre-Approval"
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 lender verifies the financial information provided and checks the credit of the potential borrower. Prospective homebuyers seek pre-approvals because they believe it helps them in shopping for a house. Lenders offer pre-approvals in the hope that the homebuyers receiving them will come back to them for a loan after they contract to purchase. The lender's commitment under a pre-approval is usually expressed in terms of the monthly mortgage payment that the prospective buyer has the income to meet. Converting the mortgage payment into a loan amount requires an assumption regarding the interest rate, which is not known at the time of the pre-approval. Since the lender is not committed to an interest rate, an increase in rates could reduce the approved loan amount.
Popular Mortgage Terms
A mortgage on which the interest rate is adjustable based on an interest rate index, and the monthly payment adjusts based on a wage and salary index. Dual index mortgages are not written ...
The period over which the interest due the lender is calculated. The interest accrual period may or may not correspond to the payment period. On the annual accrual mortgages in the UK, ...
A second mortgage offered at preferential (subsidized) terms to those who qualify. For example, a labor union may offer members who are first-time home buyers a silent second to finance ...
A mortgage broker who sets a fee for services, in writing, at the outset of the transaction and acts as the borrower's agent in shopping for the best deal. Customers of UMBs pay the ...
The form that lists the settlement charges the borrower must pay at closing, which the lender is obliged to provide the borrower within three business days of receiving the loan application. ...
A clause in the note that allows the lender to demand repayment of the balance in full. A demand clause is even better (for the lender) than an acceleration clause. An acceleration clause ...
A multi-lender Web site that offered borrowers the capacity to shop among multiple competing lenders. ...
The frequency of rate adjustments on an ARM after the initial rate period is over. The rate adjustment period is sometimes but not always the same as the initial rate period. As an example, ...
A term that small lenders sometimes use to distinguish themselves from mortgage brokers. ...
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