Topic 13.1: Conventional mortgages
Learning Objective
After successfully completing this topic, you will be able to describe the characteristics of conventional mortgages.
Neither Government Insured nor Guaranteed
A conventional mortgage is not insured (like FHA mortgages) or guaranteed (like VA mortgages). FHA mortgages and VA mortgages are called nonconventional mortgages. The lender of a conventional mortgage has the full risk of loss from default on the loan.
Down payment and Loan-To-Value ratio
Conventional mortgage lenders usually require larger down payments from borrowers, typically 20% of the purchase price or the appraisal, whichever is lower. If a borrower makes a down payment of 20%, the loan amount will be 80%. 80% would be called the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio.
| For example: Assume the purchase of a home priced at $200,000. If the borrower makes a down payment of 20%, that would be $40,000 ($200,000 x .20). The mortgage amount would be $160,000, or 80%. |
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
Conventional loans can be a maximum of 80% of the property’s value unless the borrower buys private mortgage insurance (PMI) to protect the lender against loss from default. In that case the borrower can borrow up to 98% of the property value. Borrowers who pay at least 20% down don’t pay for mortgage insurance. PMI can be canceled when the home equity reaches 20%.
Qualifying Ratios
Conventional lenders use a debt-to-income (DTI) ratio to decide whether a borrower is qualified to make the payments on a loan. The debt in the formula is the total of the borrower’s monthly payments of mortgage payment (PITI), the private mortgage insurance (PMI), and other monthly installment debt. The income in the formula is the borrower’s monthly gross income.
Generally, the maximum debt-to-income ratio for conventional loans is 43% for high credit score borrowers. In some cases, lenders will allow a DTI ratio of up to 50% if the borrower has high credit scores and lots of cash reserves. See example on next page.
Interest rate
Interest rates on conventional mortgage loans are negotiated between the borrower and the lender. Interest rates on conventional loans are typically a little higher than FHA or VA loans.
Assumption
Conventional mortgage loans are not assumable without the lender’s permission because of a due-on-sale clause in the mortgage loan documents.
Prepayment
Conventional mortgage loans may be paid off at any time without penalty.
Example of Debt-to-Income Ratio The borrower’s monthly debt payments are
| Mortgage payment (PITI) | $1.345 |
| Private mortgage insurance (PMI) | 37 |
| Credit card minimum payments | 275 |
| Student loan payments | 850 |
| Total debt payments | $ 2,507 |
| Borrower’s monthly gross income is $7,145. Solution: To find the debt-to-income ratio, divide the total debt payments by the monthly gross income ($2,507 ÷ $7,145) The answer is 35%. The borrower will qualify for the loan. |