Reverse Mortgage Closing Costs - Bitter Sweet Indeed

By Mudbrow Vanrock

I wish there were such a thing as a perfect mortgage product. People always ask me, "what is the down side to getting a reverse mortgage? It looks too good to be true".

I believe I'm a poor salesman. As such I dive right in and tell my customers straight away, "The closing costs for your reverse mortgage will be higher than you might think".

Reverse mortgages, which are insured by HUD, have high closing costs for multiple reasons... It starts with the lender charging costs based on the home's value. Forward mortgages charge costs on the actual loan amount, which is going to be less than value.

Also, the lender charges a fee for originating the loan called (no surprise) an origination fee. this can be 1% higher than forward mortgages. Finally, FHA's mortgage insurance premium is 2% of valuation, up to $417,000.

You don't need to pull out the calculator to get the basic gist... Costs are not so customer relations friendly.

One could argue the origination fee is not really higher than a typical mortgage, because forward mortgages simply build the fee into the rate. That's another subject for another day.

Much of the differences in comparing closing costs between forward and reverse mortgages comes down to the FHA upfront mortgage insurance. For a home valued at $417,000 just the MIP is over $8,000. It's no doubt a bundle, but without it, most of the same people griping about costs couldn't use this tool.

To put this into perspective, a seventy year old customer with a two hundred thousand dollar home would be entitled to borrow roughly $130,000 with an FHA insured mortgage.

Non-FHA products are not really in existence anymore. However, Fannie Mae had one prior to dumping it in the fall of '08. Here is one of the reasons why it's gone. The same customer would have been eligible to receive less than one hundred thousand dollars.

The HUD backed product is far more potent than the other products because the insurance covers lender losses. With their bets hedged reverse mortgage lenders could simply lend more money.

Companies are now going out of business because more is owed on mortgages than the home is actually worth. FHA mortgage insurance covers a reverse mortgage company in this circumstance.

Yes, people are going to moan and groan about the cost to get a reverse mortgage. They will do so until doomsday, but remember, these costs are the mechanism that solves financial problems for so many seniors.

About the Author:

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3 Tips for Finding a Consumer Credit Counseling Service

By Steve Collins

Selecting a consumer credit counseling service seems like a fairly straightforward task. However, with the field growing by leaps and bounds, it is in your best interest to take some time and follow a few tips to make sure that the consumer credit counseling service you choose is reputable and offers the best services.

One recent and unfortunate trend in the industry has been a steady rise in the numbers of consumer complaints lodged with various reporting agencies and watchdog groups that keep an eye on the consumer credit counseling service industry. Sadly, whenever an industry sees meaningful growth year after year, the temptation of easy money invites disreputable players who, provide poor service and even actively work to cheat customers. It is particularly upsetting when the business caters to people who are already facing grave financial problems.

One of the best tips when looking for a credit counseling agency is to pass over any consumer credit counseling service that has not been in business at least 8-10 years. An extensive track record in the consumer credit counseling service industry typically indicates a business that is run professionally and that provides good services for the fees they charge.

A second tip is to verify the professional accreditation of each consumer credit counseling service you're considering. Look for agencies that have been formally accredited by either (or both) the Council on Accreditation (COA) or the International Standards Organization (ISO). Note: always make sure that the consumer credit counseling service you choose has a current accreditation with these organizations! Some will have been accredited in the past, but may be operating now on a old certificate.

Finally, due diligence requires verifying with the Better Business Bureau and your State's Attorney General's Office for complaints against the agency. You might be astonished by what you uncover with these simple checks. Many disreputable credit counseling agencies remain in business, even after many complaints have been lodged against them. Take the time to check each one out thoroughly before choosing one and paying them for their services.

About the Author:

Steve Collins is a writer and journalist. In these trying times, he knows the importance of obtaining effective debt solutions if necessary. Read his article about debt solutions here.

Yes, You Can Get Out of Debt

By Eileen King

The world economy has recently gone from bad to worse. Nearly everyone is experiencing economic difficulties. It is not uncommon to pick up a newspaper and read about massive bank and corporate failures. Personal bankruptcy court dockets, as you can imagine, are increasingly crowdwd. But, where do those who want to get out of debt without declaraing bankruptcy turn for help?

As overwhelming as it may seems, it is possible to get out of debt without taking bankruptcy or other extreme measures. Credit repair experts will tell you that the road to financial recovery starts with a debt reduction plan. And, of course, being committed to the plan is equally important.

In making your plan to get out of debt you will need to gather all of the facts. How much do you really owe? What interest rates are you paying on credit cards? Your auto loan? Your mortgage? Write this information down and do not overlook anything.

Secondly, make a list all of your daily living expenditures as well as the financial obligations you incur each month. For example, list the monthly payments you make on credit cards, rents or mortgage, utilities and insurance - absolutely all your expenditure should be included. Your plan to get out of debt requires a thorough and exact understanding of your current financial obligations.

Once you have made a list of your current financial obligations it is time to make an appointment with an approved credit-counseling agency that has the met the requirements of the US Bankruptcy Code. Take the list of your debts and expenses when you meet with your credit counselor the first time. He or she will assess your situation and make recommendations. It is also possible that he or she will contact with your creditors to help you reduce your payments and/or your debts.

There is help for overwhelming debt if you make a plan and commit to it. Whatever you do, do not let feelings of helplessness overpower you. Instead, simply take the necessary steps to get out of debt and achieve financial freedom. It can be done.

About the Author:

Eileen King is a home-based freelance writer whose areas of interest include personal finance, online college education, and professionally and career-focused online degree programs for working adults.

Finding A Right Credit Card

By Michael Benifez

In today's world, it is common for most people to have at least one credit card. It allows for ease and speed, when shopping in a store or online. Merchants will more than likely accept many types of credit cards, allowing you to get what you need.

It does not matter where you happen to be shopping, most stores accept some sort of credit card. It makes for ease of the transactions to be processed. You do not have to worry about not having enough cash, because a credit card will go through as long as you have not breeched your monthly limit. This is a great way for the store to retain customer business and to encourage consumer spending.

You will find that online shopping is made much easier by using a credit card. You can rest assured knowing that it is very easy to use your credit card securely when making an online purchase. You do not have to worry about writing a check or purchasing a money order, your merchandise will ship more quickly when using a credit card.

When traveling throughout the world, a majority of locations will accept credit cards. This can give you peace of mind as a traveler, when you do not have to carry large amounts of cash that can be lost or stolen. It is a good idea when traveling to alert your credit card company, so that they are kept apprised of the apr rates and purchases you will be making in another state or country.

You can travel with confidence knowing that the credit card you carry will be accepted all over the world. You are protected and can purchase freely with confidence when you have a credit card. You will be able to make the purchases you need with no problems.

About the Author:

It is time to remove the clouds of doubt on the topic of credit card apr rates. Visit us for lots of free information at http://www.everlife.com/low-apr-credit-cards.php.

Bad Credit Student Loans

By Dave Davidson

For individuals who would like to get a college education, the cost of tuition can often make or break their decision. Without financial assistance, an education of this type could be way out of reach for quite a few people. If you have bad credit, the process of finding aid can be tricky, but getting a college education is still within reach.

Lots of people ask me if they will need to improve their credit score before they apply for student loans. I almost always tell them that this won't be necessary. The government provides several different types of loans that help people that have bad credit.

There are loans available based on need and there are also loans issued even if there is not a financial need. Most of these loans are backed or issued by the government. If you can prove a financial need, you may be able to qualify for a Federal Stafford loan or Perkins loan. The Stafford loan issued based on financial need is a subsidized loan. With this loan, the government pays the interest on the loan while you are in school and for the first six months after you graduate from college.

If you are a person that has a lot of need for financial assistance, you may be able to qualify for Pell grants and/or Perkins loans. These types of financial assistance are available for people that have bad credit and need to pay for education. Credit actually isn't part of the process of applying for these loans so go ahead no matter what type of credit you have.

With Pell grants, you aren't asked to repay any of the money that you receive. Eligibility for these grants is based solely on the need of the individual. Usually people try to get Pell grants first, and then take out loans as it's necessary.

If you aren't able to qualify for the federal subsidized loan programs, there are still some options out there for you. Take a look at unsubsidized Stafford loans, because they are probably still available to you, even if you have bad credit.

With this type of loan, the government doesn't pay the interest for you, so you will have to start making payments right after you take out the loan. However, interest rates are quite low on these loans so most people can handle the payments without too much trouble.

About the Author:

Dave shows student everywhere how to find student loans bad credit and other bad credit student loans.

Taking Home Mortgage Loans

By John Bear

If you are looking to refinance your current mortgage, there are several options available for you. Homeowners refinance their mortgage for many reasons and these include eliminating private mortgage insurance, receiving cash out at closing, obtaining a fixed rate, and so forth.

Refinancing a home loan involves getting a new mortgage and thus, you are required to present the mortgage company with various documentations. However, if you prefer privacy, there are also ways to obtain a loan with minimal documents.

Like taking a no document refinance loan, for example. This type of loan wouldn't reveal or require you to state detailed information regarding your finances. But in order to obtain this loan, you must have a good credit report. Unfortunately, not all lenders are equal. There are lenders who grant refinance with little or no documentations, but there are also those hard-to-please lenders who wouldn't just go for that idea. Now, in order to attain a no doc loan, you will have to provide your social security number and loan amount. Then the lender will just check your credit scores to see if you are qualified. Basically, all you need is a very high credit score.

Low document home mortgage loans differ from no document loans. With low document loans, it requires the applicant to state income and employment history. The applicant may also supply recent paycheck stubs or income tax returns for the past two years. These loan programs are advantageous for self-employed or contract employees. Moreover, individuals who also receive cash payments can get a low document refinance loan.

On the other hand, individuals who prefer to keep their privacy, and of course, who have good credit scores, can opt for a no document refinance loan. These individuals would not want to give out detailed information regarding their finances, income, and employment.

Now, why are people with very high credit scores make ideal candidates for a no doc loan? While lenders may not be really happy approving loans with less or no documentations, they find people with good credit reports unlikely to tarnish their perfect records.

When you do opt for a no doc or low doc home mortgage loans, just be prepared to pay a higher interest rate on your home loan. Of course, a higher interest rate may be well worth it if it means getting some privacy and faster processing.

But if the applicant would want to refinance his home mortgage loans just to get a lower interest rate then probably, this no doc loan would not be a good option. The individual should always get a quote from a lender and have the refinance rate of the no doc loan compared with his current interest rate.

About the Author:

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Option Trade With Thinkorswim And Become A Billionaire

By Walter Fox

Due to the rapid growth of internet connectivity and liberal economic policies of individual governments, more and more people from all walks of life are able to invest in stock markets. Banks and other financial institutions started providing financial assistance to individual investors on easy terms and conditions.

As stock option trading has become very popular, new players started flooding the market thus making the trade very challenging one. Trading in the complex, volatile and liquid stock market is a very tough job and also a risky one. A new comer without sound knowledge may not survive in the market for long period.

As the challenges in the market gone up due to the introduction of online option trading, traders realized the need to get advices in the middle of trading sessions. As a result many new broking agencies appeared in the scene and created their own list of option trading tips and started to sell them to the confused traders.

One such firm is the Thinkorswim brokerage from the US. They have an excellent suite of online programs to instruct people on trading. What's more these are live programs to give you real time assistance. Boasting of over seventy thousand institutional and individual customers, Thinkorswim is a dominant player in the futures and options trading domain.

The results from the past few years show that online trading tips that you get at Thinkorswim brokerage are generally reliable. These tips address a wide range of sections under online investments like bonds, equities, exchange traded funds, futures as well as a host of mutual funds. Their customers have had very successful investments in the stock markets. Besides, their valuable tips are highly sought after in the investment circles. These have propelled Thinkorswim to a leading position at NASDAQ and other important bourses worldwide.

In any growing market especially option trading market and forex trading market, one should be equipped with additional knowledge to face the challenges which are arising during trading sessions. The easiest way of acquiring additional knowledge is through a broking agency. You can select a best agency which suits your requirements.

Typical knowledge that you would have to fall back on would be the tips and tricks from brokers, certain tried and tested techniques and expert advice. These can help you trade successfully in the volatile markets. While investing in an un-developed or under-developed market with a higher degree of uncertainty, you must rely more on reputed firms like Thinkorswim for getting this advice.

The silver lining in this high profile cruel and merciless market in the form of trading friend is Thinkorswim who can guide in any difficult situation. With the restricted margin accounts of Thinkorswim, you can trade any complex option strategy. You can treat Thinkorswim as your friend in need.

About the Author:

TheScienceOfTrading.com provides 90 free minutes of videos on stock option investing and provides a complete and detailed option trading course for beginners to experts.

Credit Repair After Bankruptcy

By Matt Douglas

With a bankruptcy mark on your report your score will be lowered considerably. However there is hope, you can remove this mark and by building some positive credit you can create a good score.

The truth is that this mark does not have to remain on your credit for 10 years. To remove it we suggest:

1. Dispute the mark with each bureau.

You can do this yourself or by hiring a service, a dispute letter must be sent to each bureau disputing the accuracy of the mark. Upon receipt the bureaus will investigate, however because bankruptcies are recorded in public records which the bureaus will not check during an investigation, the mark will not be verified.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that a listing that in not verified must be removed from your report. Additionally this act says that you can dispute any item you feel is inaccurate on your report. It is a common concern about the legality of repairing your credit; you will never have any legal consequence for disputing a listing.

Before you dispute the bankruptcy it is a good idea to make sure that all other negative marks read "included in bankruptcy." The reason is once the initial bankruptcy mark is removed you will dispute all the other negative items because you do not have a bankruptcy mark on your report. There are rumors that it is much easier to remove this mark after two years.

2. When your bankruptcy mark is erased, you can start to dispute each negative account.

You can dispute it on the basis that it says "included in bankruptcy", but you do not have a bankruptcy on your report. Thus each negative mark should be erased once investigated. Doing this will give you a clean slate on your report.

3. Open a new revolving line of credit such as a credit card. This will help you build some positive credit on your report.

By making your on time monthly payments you will create a positive payment history. Additionally keep your monthly balance at 25% of your available limit because this will show the bureaus that you do use your card and use it responsibly. This will improve your ratio of available credit to debt, a very important factor when your score is calculated.

It might not be the most ethical to dispute items you know are accurate on your report. However is it ethical for lender to charge you 30% interest rate for missing a payment, no matter how long you have been a model customer?

In sum you can remove a bankruptcy and all the negative marks on your credit report. If you build some positive credit and remove the negative credit you can achieve a very high score. This will improve your quality of life by; lower interest rates, more purchasing power, and extra money.

About the Author:

For a free credit repair letter used to dispute your credit report or for more online credit repair tips visit us.

The Essentials of First Time Home Mortgage Loan Borrower

By Matthew Sanz

Property ownership and buying a home for the first time can be an exciting yet mind-boggling experience. Before you make a decision, it is important, therefore, that you know your options as well as the basics of home mortgage loans.

What is a mortgage?

Home loan mortgage is the loan you make to pay off your home. If you are a first time home mortgage loan borrower, you may be asked to deposit a down payment and pay for the rest (i.e. monthly) through a mortgage loan. Establishments that can offer mortgages are mortgage specialists, building societies and banks.

What are the types of mortgage?

-Repayment mortgage type - monthly payments are made within an agreed term until loan and interest are paid off.

- Interest-only mortgage - monthly payments are made for a period of time as agreed in the contract, except payments cover only the loan's interest within the initial term. Afterwards, you are asked to make interest payments in full every month.

-The fixed-rate mortgage - requires you to pay for a fixed interest rate over the whole term. Interest rates do not change and therefore offers a feeling of certainty for most borrowers.

-Adjustable rate mortgage type - has rates that adjust after an initial term containing a fixed rate. Rates could adjust depending on the rise and fall of other economic rates. This could sound daunting for first time home mortgage loan borrowers, but those who want a lower initial rate can benefit from this type of mortgage.

What are the requirements?

1. Good credit report:

From your credit report, lenders will be able to determine whether they can grant your application or to increase the interest rates for your loan. Lenders especially want to make sure that a first time home mortgage loan borrower has the ability and willingness to make his or her payments.

2. Insurance:

Insurance can be used to pay off your mortgage if you have just been in an accident, lost your job or become sick. You might be required to use life insurance to pay off your mortgage should death occur. What are some tips I can use before purchasing property?

- Improve your credit report - Avoid applying for more credit and pay on time. - Review and correct credit information - Contact the credit bureau to correct inaccuracies - Get the best program - Choose a plan that is most suitable for your situation. - Research - Jot down your price range and find out how much you can borrow. - Do it online - Using the Internet could save you more time and money. Lenders now offer mortgage calculators online that you can use to predict which mortgage program is most suitable for you. - Choose the best mortgage specialist - Determine if the specialist works in a company that is likely to stay in business whenever rates fluctuate. - Ask for advice - Look for recommendations so you are familiar with what kind of mortgage plan you are getting into.

This is only a guide and should not be used in legal matters.

About the Author:

Read more facts as a first time home mortgage loan borrower. Use an online home equity mortgage calculator now.