Blog
What Is The Debt-To-Income Ratio (DTI)?
Measuring your existing debts against your existing income is one part of a lender’s required assessment of your ability to repay a loan.
Like the video says: debts are existing financial commitments; a car payment is a debt a gro...
What Does Ability To Repay Mean?
What are the “Ability to repay” rules about?
In a nutshell, as this video shows, new laws require lenders to make a good-faith assessment of a borrower’s capacity to pay back their loan over time.
It’s a longer-term view that goes...
What Is A Qualified Mortgage?
As this video explains, Federal laws put into effect in 2014 and supervised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau define lending practices and loan terms for a new category called “Qualified Mortgages.”
They provide stable lo...
What Is A Rate Lock?
Mortgage rates change constantly through an unpredictable combination of government policies and economic conditions. This video explains the common term 'rate lock.'
A “Rate Lock” is a guarantee that a lender will honor a
What Is A Certificate of Eligibility, or COE?
What Is A Certificate of Eligibility, or COE?
The COE is the key document that verifies to lenders that someone is eligible for a VA-backed loan.
Servicemembers, Veterans and National Guard and Reserve members may apply online or through their lender; most lenders...
What Are The Major Types Of VA Loans?
What Are The Major Types Of VA Loans?
Major Veterans Affairs loan programs described in this video include:
1) Purchase Loans.
These help eligible parties buy a home at competitive interest rates with little to no down payment a...
What Are VA Home Loans?
What Are VA Loans?
As the video says, the name is misleading - they’re not loans FROM the VA.
The VA - short for “US Department of Veterans Affairs” - is the Federal military veteran benefit system.
The VA admi...
Understanding Your Loan: Additional Information Can Be Important
Page 4 of your Closing Disclosure is important. It is NOT just standardized form information that is identical for every loan.
Review these terms:
Assumption: can this loan be transferred to another person if you sell or transfer the property?
...
Understanding Your Loan: Closing Disclosure Page 1
The first page of your Closing Disclosure documents:
The Loan Amount - the total you will actually borrow
The Interest Rate - which does NOT include the fees factored into the APR on Page 5
If this loan has a penalty for pre-payme...
When Do I Get My Loan Closing Disclosure?
If an eligible loan proceeds from Estimate to closing, creditors must provide a Closing Disclosure form documenting the actual transaction terms and costs THREE business days before consummation. It must be in writing, whether paper or digital, and disclose ONLY the...