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IRL announces partnership with Argent Mortgage

May 23, 2005

Forward on Reverse: Understanding Reverse-Speaking, Part TwoAtare E. Agbamu, CRMSReverse Mortgage, Reverse Mortgage Terminology In my November 2002 column, Forward on Reverse: Understanding Reverse-Speak, Part One, I introduced and explained some common reverse mortgage terms, such as estimated home value, expected interest rate and initial interest rate. This month, I will continue where I left off, offering you an ever greater understanding of this unique mortgage product. Available Principal Limit (APL) Subtract service set-aside (SSA) from maximum principal limit (MPL), and you get the APL. Borrower-Paid Costs (BPC) Out-of-pocket costs paid by the borrower. Cash Requested (CR) The cash the borrower requests at closing. Credit Line Growth Rate (CGR) The rate at which the unused balance of a reverse mortgage credit line grows. It is usually 50 basis points more than the lender is charging the borrower. If the lender charges you three percent for the funds you receive at closing, the lender will pay your credit line 3.5 percent. Add this feature to the regular home appreciation of four percent and you have a solid cash machine for retirement. Credit Line Requested (CLR) The credit line the borrower wants the lender to set up at closing. Debt Payoff Advance (DPA) The amount of outstanding lien(s) paid off with reverse mortgage cash. Financed Fees and Costs (FFC) The sum of the up-front mortgage insurance premium (IMIP), financed origination fee (FOF) and third-party fees (OFC). For a house valued at $160,000 in the Twin Cities, these fees and costs can easily average $8,300. Financed Origination Fee (FOF) The lender's fee for originating the loan. It is currently the greater of $2,000 or two percent. Initial Mortgage Insurance Premium (IMIP) Currently, the IMIP is two percent of the lending limit. It is waived if the borrower intends to use the proceeds of a reverse mortgage for long-term care insurance. The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association is fighting to broaden the scope of the waiver to include ALL healthcare expenses. For the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, IMIP is actually Up-Front Mortgage Insurance Premium. Maximum Principal Limit (MPL) The largest amount in cash that a borrower can receive, assuming the borrower is paying their closing costs out-of-pocket. For example, a 73-year-old couple with a home valued at $160,000 and a lending limit of the same amount in the Twin Cities could get a maximum principal limit of $105,000, or 66 percent of the home's value. If the borrowers are not paying all closing costs from their pocket, it is the number from which all costs and liens is deducted. Net Available to You (NAY) Simply put, take-home cash. You can take it as a lump sum, as a fixed monthly payment for a fixed period (term), as a fixed monthly payment for as long as you live in your home (tenure), as a credit line when needed, or as a combination of either term or tenure, and credit line. Net Principal Limit (NPL) The available principal limit, minus the initial or up-front mortgage insurance premium, financed origination fee, and other financed costs (OFC). Other Financed Costs (OFC) The sum of third-party fees paid at closing. Percentage The portion of the home value used to decide a borrower's cash advances, expressed as a percent. For example, a borrower's lending limit may be 50-, 60- or 70-percent of their estimated home value (EHV), depending on age, interest rate and marital status. Potential Monthly Payments (PMP) The cash the borrower receives each month. Remaining Cash (RC) The total remaining after cash and requested credit line have been deducted. Service Set-Aside (SSA) A non-cash reduction of the maximum principal limit, reserved to cover servicing. Servicing fees are added to borrower's loan balance each month. Tax and Insurance Set-Aside (TISA) Amount escrowed for taxes and hazard insurance. The reverse mortgage is a new frontier in the mortgage credit arena in the United States, and with it comes many new phrases, as this column has demonstrated. The acronyms in parentheses are, to the best of my knowledge, generated from my own devices. Someday, they will slowly make their way into the lexicon of reverse mortgage credit, and when reverse mortgages become the premier component of retirement planning, we will need some acronyms to facilitate communication: What is your NAY? Can I get a PMP of $9,000 in addition to my social security and 401(k) income? Is my TISA high enough? New Year Resolution for 2003: Get reverse educated! Atare E. Agbamu, CRMS, is a senior mortgage consultant and director of training at Inver Grove Heights, Minn.-based Peoples Choice Mortgage. Headquartered in Erlanger, Ky., Peoples Choice Mortgage is a member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. Atare's reverse mortgage interview has been webcast on Mortgage Mag Live!, and he currently serves on the Board of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in the Twin Cities. He can be reached by phone at (651) 389-1105 or e-mail [email protected].
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