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Piggyback Mortgages are great to avoid paying the monthly Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) payments which are not even tax deductible.

A piggyback is basically nothing more than a second mortgage closed at the same time with the first mortgage in such a way that the share of the first mortgage drops down to 80% of the total loan.

A common formula is 80-10-10 in which 80% is the first, 10% is the second (piggyback) mortgage, and the last 10% is the down payment.

In many cases, the piggyback is provided as a revolving home equity line of credit (HELOC) to pay for the recurring expenses. Studies show that the number of piggyback mortgages has quadrupled since 2000.

However, piggybacks have a couple of drawbacks.

First of all, you need a higher FICO (credit) score to qualify for the piggyback (about 680) than for the first mortgage (as low as 620 will do).

Secondly, a recent study by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has shown that piggyback loans have a higher default risk than the others.

The study examining the performance of 640,000 piggyback loans secured between 2002-2004 has shown that piggyback mortgages are 43% more likely to default than the conventional first mortgages even when one statistically controls for such factors as the FICO score of the borrowers.

One reason that immediately comes to mind is the fact that, although the most common 30-year first mortgages have fixed rates, piggyback mortgage have variable interest rates that can zoom up and present an unplanned burden for the borrower.

Especially when the piggyback is provided as a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) which is indexed to a floating rate (like the prime rate), the increases in future monthly payments should not come as a surprise.

Piggyback mortgages can save you some money upfront but as always – buyer beware. Check with your mortgage broker before making your final decision. It may be well worth it to get a copy of the original S&P study and read further on the topic.

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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation.

He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.

In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).

He is dispensing million-dollar plot ideas on a daily basis at his screenwriting blog SCRIPT BOILER (http://scriptboiler.blogspot.com).

You are most welcomed to visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com for more information on his multidisciplinary background, writing career, and client testimonials.

While at it, you might also want to check the latest book he has edited, PRIVATE TUTOR FOR SAT MATH SUCCESS 2006:

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Being aware of the fact that there a number of borrowers in the UK who cannot make a downpayment, lenders have crafted 100% mortgage. In case of this mortgage, you do not require depositing the downpayment. The whole of the amount of house purchase is paid by the lender. Therefore, a lot of people find it to be a highly favourable option for buying a home. However, a 100% mortgage has its share of merits and demerits.

Since a 100% mortgage do not require any downpayment, it remains ideal for people living on tight budget and unable to spare extra money. This mortgage also comes handy to the newly employed people. These people can become homeowner in spite of their inability to make a down payment.

A 100% mortgage is not devoid of demerits. For this mortgage, you may be charged a high rate; so, it will cost you more than other kind of mortgages. Then, in case property price falls in future, you will be in a position of negative equity. 100% mortgage also necessities a mortgage indemnity guarantee, it is favourable for the lender only.

Anyway, you need not to be discouraged as there is a way to avail a 100% mortgage with favourable terms. In this connection, it is recommendable to explore the mortgage market extensively and collect quotes from various lenders. Then compare the packages offered by them to find out which one is most suitable. With the mortgage market largely extended, exploring it can be a troublesome work.

To avoid this trouble you can use the Internet and confine your search among the online lenders. It will help you come by a 100% mortgage in a quick and hassle free manner.

About The Author :The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting Adverse-Credit-First-Time-Buyer as a Mortgage specialist.

For more information please visit:http://www.adverse-credit-first-time-buyer.co.uk

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One of the great mysteries of our time concerns the matter of when to refinance. It used to be that borrowers would refinance only when rates fell by 2 full percentage points, a standard which makes no sense in today’s marketplace.

Now you can refinance quickly at almost any time: No less important, refinancing no longer takes a ton of cash.

It was in June 2003 when mortgage rates hit a low not seen in decades: 5.21 percent according to Freddie Mac. In the first quarter of 2006 rates are roughly 1.25 percent higher, a big difference in terms of monthly payments.

Refinancing when rates are falling is easy to understand, but why refinance when rates are rising?

The answer works like this: Some borrowers should refinance in full, some should refinance in part and some should not refinance at all. The trick is to know which option best meets your needs.

If you were fortunate enough to finance or refinance with a fixed-rate mortgage in the summer of 2003 or thereabouts you certainly want to hold onto such debt for as long as it makes sense. However, there are situations where even borrowers with loans at great rates should look at refinancing options.

Cashing-Out

According to the National Association of Realtors, a typical home cost $165,400 in 2003. As of January 2006, that same home was worth $211,000 — an increase of $45,600.

Growing home values tell us two things: First, if you want to refinance you likely have far more equity then even a few years ago. Second, that additional equity means you can get a lot of cash from your home without touching your current loan. This is great news if you have low-rate financing you don’t want to touch.

Go back to that 2003 home. Imagine it was bought with 5 percent down. That means a $165,400 house was financed with $8,270 in cash and a first mortgage worth $157,130. At 5.5 percent interest, two years later the loan balance has been reduced to $152,585. If the house is worth $211,000 today then the available equity is roughly $58,415.

You could get cash out of the house by getting a new loan for $211,000. However, if you refinanced for $211,000 it means the old loan would be paid off and replaced by a new loan at a higher rate. That’s not good.

The better choice is this: Get a fixed-rate second loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a form of financing which usually involves an adjustable interest rate. Such additional financing leaves the first loan in place and untouched. By getting a second mortgage you hold on to the old loan and its low rate plus you get additional cash.

The other attraction of second mortgage loans is that they are often available with little or no cash out of pocket. This is not to say such loans are “free” or nearly free, instead what happens is that the lender pays most or all closing costs.

In exchange for closing help the mortgage lender charges a somewhat higher rate. In addition, loans that require little or no cash up front often have a pre-payment penalty. If the loan is refinanced with another lender or the property is sold within two or three years then a penalty may be due. Ask lenders for specifics.

Safeguarding the Future

It may be that your current financing has a low interest rate or a small monthly payment — for the moment. But borrowers with interest-only loans, option or flexible ARMs, or loans that convert from a fixed rate to an adjustable-rate mortgage after three to five years should be checked for potential payment shock.

In other words, a 5/1 ARM may have allowed you to acquire a property that has appreciated in value — a property that could not be financed at the time with a fixed-rate loan. Because you could get the loan you could get the property. In turn, because the value of most homes has risen substantially in the past five years, getting that 5/1 ARM a few years ago has greatly increased your net worth.

But the loan which was terrific a few years ago, the loan that was the right financing at the time, may soon become overly expensive if rates go higher. In such circumstances, refinancing now to a fixed-rate loan can be the smart move to defend your finances.

Consider a $300,000 two-step ARM made a few years ago. There’s a 5.5 percent start rate that lasts for five years then the loan converts into a one-year ARM for the remaining 25 years of the loan term.

The monthly cost for this loan during the first five years is $1,703.37 for principal and interest. In year six, let’s say the new rate is 6.50 percent and the mortgage balance has been reduced to $276,949.78. The new monthly payment for principal and interest will be $1,869.98.

Is the higher monthly cost a problem? If your income has risen over five years, then no. But what if rates go higher than 6.5 percent? At 7.5 percent — not a high rate by the standards of the past 25 years — the monthly payment will be $2,046.63 for principal and interest. Insurance and taxes are extra, of course.

Like cars, loans are bright and shiny when new but they can become outmoded over time. At the very least, it’s appropriate to see if the loan that worked so well a few years ago is the right loan for today — or for tomorrow.

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Peter G. Miller is a syndicated real estate and personal finance columnist who appears 70 newspapers.

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