A
mortgage is a method of using property as security for the
payment of a debt.
The
term mortgage (from Law French, lit. dead pledge) refers
to the legal device used in securing the property, but it is also
commonly used to refer to the debt secured by the mortgage.
In
most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans secured
on real estate rather than other
property (such as ships) and in some cases only land may be mortgaged.
Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals
or businesses can purchase residential or commercial real estate without
the need to pay the full value immediately.
In
many countries it is normal for home purchase to be funded by a
mortgage. In countries where the demand for home ownership is highest,
strong domestic markets have developed, notably in Great
Britain, Spain
and the United
States.
CHERRY
MORTGAGES LIMITED
Tel:
01323 831727
Mobile:
07905 147709
For
personal and independent advice on your mortgage or re-mortgage,
equity release, or other secured loans contact Cherry Mortgages,
Sussex, England. (sorry not outside the UK)
E-mail:
Cherry
Mortgages
|
Participants
and variant terminology
Each
legal system tends to share certain concepts but vary in the terminology
and jargon they use.
In
general terms the main participants in a mortgage are:
Creditor
The
creditor has legal rights to the debt secured by the mortgage and often
make a loan to the debtor of the purchase money for the property.
Typically, creditors are banks,
insurers or other financial institutions who make loans available for
the purpose of real estate purchase.
A
creditor is sometimes referred to as the mortgagee or lender.
Debtor
The
debtor or debtors must meet the requirements of the mortgage conditions
(and often the loan conditions) imposed by the creditor in order to
avoid the creditor enacting provisions of the mortgage to recover the
debt. Typically the debtors will be the individual home-owners,
landlords or businesses who are purchasing their property by way of a
loan.
A
debtor is sometimes referred to as the mortgagor, borrower,
or obligor
Other
participants
Due
to the complicated legal exchange, or conveyance, of the
property, one or both of the main participants are likely to require
legal representation. The terminology varies with legal jurisdiction;
see lawyer, solicitor and conveyancer.
Because
of the complex nature of many markets the debtor may approach a
mortgage broker or financial adviser to help them source an appropriate creditor
typically by finding the most competitive loan.
The
debt is sometimes referred to as the hypothecation, which may
make use of the services of a hypothecary to assist in the
hypothecation.
Legal
Aspects
There
are essentially two types of legal mortgage.
Mortgage
by demise
In
a mortgage by demise, the creditor becomes the owner of the mortgaged
property until the loan is repaid in full (known as
"redemption"). This kind of mortgage takes the form of a
conveyance of the property to the creditor, with a condition that the
property will be returned on redemption.
This
is an older form of legal mortgage and is less common than a mortgage by
legal charge. It is no longer available in the UK, by virtue of the Land
Registration Act 2002.
Mortgage
by legal charge
In
a mortgage by legal charge, the debtor remains the legal owner of the
property, but the creditor gains sufficient rights over it to enable
them to enforce their security, such as a right to take possession of
the property or sell it.
To
protect the lender, a mortgage by legal charge is usually recorded in a
public register. Since mortgage debt is often the largest debt owed by
the debtor, banks and other mortgage lenders run title searches of the
real property to make certain that there are no mortgages already
registered on the debtor's property which might have higher priority.
Tax liens, in some cases, will come ahead of mortgages. For this reason,
if a borrower has delinquent property taxes, the bank will often pay
them to prevent the lienholder from foreclosing and wiping out the
mortgage.
This
type of mortgage is common in U.S. and, since 1925, it has been the
usual form of mortgage in England
and Wales (it is now the only form
- see above).
In
Scotland, the
mortgage by legal charge is also known as standard security.
History
At
common law, a mortgage was a conveyance of land that on its face was
absolute and conveyed a fee simple estate, but which was in fact
conditional, and would be of no effect if certain conditions were not
met --- usually, but not necessarily, the repayment of a debt to the
original landowner. Hence the word "mortgage," Law French for
"dead pledge;" that is, it was absolute in form, and unlike a
"live gage", was not conditionally dependent on its repayment
solely from raising and selling crops or livestock, or of simply giving
the fruits of crops and livestock coming from the land that was
mortgaged. The mortgage debt remained in effect whether or not the land
could successfully produce enough income to repay the debt. In theory, a
mortgage required no further steps to be taken by the creditor, such as
acceptance of crops and livestock, for repayment.
The
difficulty with this arrangement was that the lender was absolute owner
of the property and could sell it, or refuse to reconvey it to the
borrower, who was in a weak position. Increasingly the courts of equity
began to protect the borrower's interests, so that a borrower came to
have an absolute right to insist on reconveyance on redemption. This
right of the borrower is known as the "equity of redemption".
This
arrangement, whereby the mortgagee (the lender) was on theory the
absolute owner, but in practice had few of the practical rights of
ownership, was seen in many jurisdictions as being awkwardly artificial.
By statute the common law position was altered so that the mortgagor
would retain ownership, but the mortgagee's rights, such as foreclosure,
the power of sale and the right to take possession would be protected.
In
the United States, those states that have reformed the nature of
mortgages in this way are known as lien states. A similar effect was
achieved in England and Wales by the Law of Property Act 1925, which
abolished mortgages by the conveyance of a fee simple.
In
the United States, mortgages became widely used starting in 1934. In
that year, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lowered the down
payment requirements by offering 80% loan-to-value loans. Next, banks,
insurance companies, and other lenders followed the example. The FHA
also lengthened loan terms by first introducing 15-year loans to
supplant 3, 5, and 7-years loans which ended with a balloon payment.
Until the 1930s only 40% of U.S. households owned homes; the rate today
is nearly 70%. In 2003, total U.S. residential mortgage production
reached a record level of $3.8 trillion through record low interest
rates (though these continue to vary according to credit rating.)
Repaying
the capital
There
are various ways to repay a mortgage loan; repayment depends on
locality, tax laws and prevailing culture.
Capital
& interest
The
most common way to repay a loan is make regular payments of the capital
(also called principal) and interest over a set term. This is commonly
referred to as (self) amortization in the U.S. and as a repayment
mortgage in the UK. Depending on the size of the loan and the
prevailing practise in the country the term may be short (10 years) or
long (50 years plus). In the UK and U.S., 25 to 30 years is typical.
Mortgage repayments, which are typically made monthly, contain a capital
element and an interest element. The amount of capital included in each
repayment varies throughout the term of the mortgage. In the early years
the repayments are largely interest and a small part capital. Towards
the end of the mortgage the repayments are mostly capital and a small
part interest. In this way the repayment amount determined at outset is
calculated to ensure the loan is repaid at a specified period in the
future. This gives borrowers assurance that by maintaining repayment the
loan will definitely be cleared at a specified date.
Interest
only
The
main alternative to capital and interest mortgage is an interest only
mortgage, where the capital is not repaid throughout the term. This type
of mortgage is common in the UK, especially when associated with a
regular investment plan. With this arrangement regular contributions are
made to a separate investment plan designed to build up a lump sum to
repay the mortgage at maturity. This type of arrangement is called an investment-backed
mortgage or is often related to the type of plan used: endowment
mortgage if an endowment policy is used, similarly a Personal Equity
Plan (PEP) mortgage, Individual Savings Account (ISA) mortgage or
pension mortgage. Historically, investment-backed mortgages offered
various tax advantages over repayment mortgages, although this is no
longer the case in the UK. Investment-backed mortgages are seen as
higher risk as they are dependent on the investment making sufficient
return to clear the debt.
It
is not uncommon for interest only mortgages to be arranged without a
repayment vehicle, with the borrower gambling that the property market
will rise sufficiently for the loan to be repaid by trading down at
retirement (or for other less well thought-out reasons.)
No
capital or interest
For
older borrowers (typically in retirement), it is possible to arrange a
mortgage where neither the capital nor interest is repaid. The interest
is rolled up with the capital, increasing the debt each year.
These
arrangements are variously called reverse mortgages, lifetime mortgages
or equity release mortgages, depending on the country. The loans
are typically not repaid until the borrowers die, hence the age
restriction. For further details, see equity release.
Interest
and partial capital
In
the U.S. a partial amortization or balloon loan is one where the amount
of monthly payments due are calculated (amortized) over a certain term,
but the outstanding capital balance is due at some point short of that
term. In the UK, a part repayment mortgage is quite common, especially
where the original mortgage was investment-backed and on moving house
further borrowing is arranged on a capital and interest (repayment)
basis.
Option
Arm
An
option arm allows you the option to pay as little as a 1% interest rate.
The catch is, the difference between your payment and the interest on
your loan that month becomes negative am. The option arm gives you four
payment choices each month (1%, interest only, 30 year fixed rate, 15
year fixed rate). The interest rate will adjust every month, depending
on which index the loan is tied to. These loans are great for people who
have a lot of equity in their home and don't want to pay higher monthly
costs. They are also great for an investor, allowing them the
flexibility to choose which payment to make every month.
Mortgages
in the United States
Mortgage
loan types
There
are many types of mortgage loans. The two basic types of amortized loans
are the fixed rate mortgage (FRM) and adjustable rate mortgage (ARM).
In
a FRM, the interest rate, and hence monthly payment, remains fixed for
the life (or term) of the loan. In the U.S., the term is usually for 10,
15, 20, or 30 years. The only increase a consumer might see in their
monthly payments would result from an increase in their property taxes
or insurance rates (paid using an escrow account, if they've opted to
use an escrow). But payments for principal and interest will be
consistent throughout the life of the loan using an FRM.
In
an ARM, the interest rate is fixed for a period of time, after which it
will periodically (annually or monthly) adjust up or down to some market
index. Common indices in the U.S. include the Prime Rate, the London
Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and the Treasury Index
("T-Bill"). Other indexes like 11th District Cost of Funds
Index, COSI, and MTA, are also available but are less popular.
Adjustable
rates transfer part of the interest rate risk from the lender to the
borrower, and thus are widely used where unpredictable interest rates
make fixed rate loans difficult to obtain. Since the risk is
transferred, lenders will usually make the initial interest rate of the
ARM's note anywhere from 0.5% to 2% lower than the average 30-year fixed
rate.
In
most scenarios, the savings from an ARM outweigh its risks, making them
an attractive option for people who are planning to keep a mortgage for
ten years or less.
Additionally,
lenders rely on credit reports and credit scores derived from them. The
higher the score, the more creditworthy the borrower is assumed to be.
Favorable interest rates are offered to buyers with high scores. Lower
scores indicate higher risk to the lender, and lenders require higher
interest rates in such scenarios to compensate for increased risk.
A
partial amortization or balloon loan is one where the amount of monthly
payments due are calculated (amortized) over a certain term, but the
outstanding principal balance is due at some point short of that term.
This payment is sometimes referred to as a "balloon payment".
A balloon loan can be either a Fixed or Adjustable in terms of the
Interest Rate. Many Second Trust mortgages use this feature. The most
common way of describing a balloon loan uses the terminology X
due in Y, where X is the number of years over which the loan is
amortized, and Y is the year in which the principal balance is due. A
contract could be written up so there would be more than one
"balloon payment" required to be paid during the life of the
loan.
Other
loan types:
United
States mortgage process
In
the U.S., the process by which a mortgage is secured by a borrower is
called origination. This involves the borrower submitting an application
and documentation related to his/her financial history to the
underwriter. Many banks now offer "no-doc" or
"low-doc" loans in which the borrower is required to submit
only minimal financial information. These loans carry a slightly higher
interest rate (perhaps 0.25% to 0.50% higher) and are available only to
borrowers with excellent credit.
Sometimes,
a third party is involved, such as a mortgage broker. This entity takes
the borrower's information and reviews a number of lenders, selecting
the ones that will best meet the needs of the consumer.
Loans
are often sold on the open market to larger investors by the originating
mortgage company. Many of the guidelines that they follow are suited to
satisfy investors. Some companies, called correspondent lenders, sell
all or most of their closed loans to these investors, accepting some
risks for issuing them. They often offer niche loans at higher prices
that the investor does not wish to originate.
If
the underwriter is not satisfied with the documentation provided by the
borrower, additional documentation and conditions may be imposed, called
stipulations. The meeting of such conditions can be a daunting
experience for the consumer, but it is crucial for the lending
institution to ensure the information being submitted is accurate and
meets specific guidelines. This is done to give the lender a reasonable
guarantee that the borrower can and will repay the loan. If a third
party is involved in the loan, it will help the borrower to clear such
conditions.
The
following documents are typically required for traditional underwriter
review. Over the past several years, use of "automated
underwriting" statistical models has reduced the amount of
documentation required from many borrowers. Such automated underwriting
engines include Freddie Mac's "Loan Prospector" and Fannie
Mae's "Desktop Underwriter". For borrowers who have excellent
credit and very acceptable debt positions, there may be virtually no
documentation of income or assets required at all. Many of these
documents are also not required for no-doc and low-doc loans.
-
Credit
Report
-
1003
— Uniform Residential Loan Application
-
1004
— Uniform Residential Appraisal Report
-
1005
— Verification Of Employment (VOE)
-
1006
— Verification Of Deposit (VOD)
-
1007
— Single Family Comparable Rent Schedule
-
1008
— Transmittal Summary
-
Copy
of deed of current home
-
Federal
income tax records for last two years
-
Verification
Of Mortgage (VOM) or Verification Of Payment (VOP)
-
Borrower's
Authorization
-
Purchase
Sales Agreement
-
1084A
and 1084B (Self-Employed Income Analysis) and 1088 (Comparative
Income Analysis) -- used if borrower is self-employed
Predatory
mortgage lending
There
is concern in the U.S. that consumers are often victims of predatory
mortgage lending [1].
The main concern is that mortgage brokers and lenders, operating
legally, are finding loopholes in the law to obtain additional profit.
Costs
Lenders
may charge various fees when giving a mortgage to a mortgagor. These
include entry fees, exit fees, administration fees and lenders mortgage
insurance. There are also settlement fees (closing costs) the settlement
company will charge. In addition, if a third party handles the loan, it
may charge other fees as well.
The
United States mortgage finance industry
Mortgage
lending is a major category of the business of finance in the United
States. Mortgages are commercial paper and can be conveyed and assigned
freely to other holders. In the U.S., Federal government created several
programs, or government sponsored entities, to foster mortgage lending,
construction and encourage home ownership. These programs include the
Government National Mortgage Association (known as Ginnie Mae), the
Federal National Mortgage Association (known as Fannie Mae) and the
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (known as Freddie Mac). These
programs work by buying a large number of mortgages from banks and
issuing (at a slightly lower interest rate) "mortgage-backed
bonds" to investors, which are known as Mortgage Backed Securities
(MBS).
This
allows the banks to quickly relend the money to other borrowers
(including in the form of mortgages) and thereby to create more
mortgages than the banks could with the amount they have on deposit.
This in turn allows the public to use these mortgages to purchase homes,
something the government wishes to encourage. The investors, meanwhile,
gain low-risk income at a higher interest rate (essentially the mortgage
rate, minus the cuts of the bank and GSE) than they could gain from most
other bonds.
Securitization
is a momentous change in the way that mortgage bond markets function
which has grown rapidly in the last 10 years as a result of the wider
dissemination of technology in the mortgage lending world. For borrowers
with superior credit, government loans and ideal profiles, this
securitization keeps rates almost artificially low, since the pools of
funds used to create new loans can be refreshed more quickly than in
years past, allowing for more rapid outflow of capital from investors to
borrowers without as many personal business ties as the past.
Mortgage
in the UK
Mortgage
types
The
UK mortgage market is one of the most innovative and competitive in the
world. Unlike other countries there is no intervention in the market by
the state or state funded entities and virtually all borrowing is funded
by either mutual organisations (building societies and credit unions) or
proprietary lenders (typically banks).
Since 1982, when the market was substantially deregulated, there has
been substantial innovation and diversification of strategies employed
by lenders to attract borrowers. This has led to a wide range of
mortgage types.
As
lenders derive their funds either from the money markets or from
deposits, most mortgages revert to a variable rate, either the
lenders standard variable rate or a tracker rate, which
will tend to be linked to the underlying Bank of England (BoE) repo rate
(or sometimes LIBOR). Initially they will tend to offer an incentive
deal to attract new borrowers. This may be:
-
A
fixed rate; where the interest rate remains constant for a
set period; typically for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 years. Longer term fixed
rates (over 5 years) whilst available, tend to be more expensive and
therefore less popular than shorter term fixed rates.
-
A
discount rate; where there is set margin reduction in the
standard variable rate (e.g. a 2% discount) for a set period;
typically 1 to 5 years. Sometimes the discount is expressed as a
margin over the base rate (e.g. BoE base rate plus 0.5% for 2 years)
and sometimes the rate is stepped (e.g. 3% in year 1, 2% in year 2,
1% in year three).
-
A
cashback mortgage where a lump sum is provided (typically) as
a percentage of the advance e.g. 5% of the loan.
-
A
capped rate; where similar to a fixed rate, the interest rate
cannot rise above the cap but can vary beneath the cap.
Sometimes there is a collar associated with this type of rate
which imposes a minimum rate. Capped rate are often offered over
periods similar to fixed rates, e.g. 2, 3, 4 or 5 years.
To
make matters more confusing these rates are often combined: For example,
4.5% 2 year fixed then a 3 year tracker at BOE rate plus 0.89%.
With
each incentive the lender may be offering a rate at less than the market
cost of the borrowing. Therefore, they typically impose a penalty if the
borrower repays the loan; this used to be called a redemption penalty
or tie-in, however since the onset of Financial
Services Authority regulation they are referred to as an early
repayment charge.
Self
Cert Mortgage
The
high street banks usually use salaries declared on wage slips to work
out a borrower's annual income and they usually lend a multiple of the
borrower's annual income (usually 3.5).
Self
Certification Mortgage better known as "self cert mortgages",
are mortgages that are available to self employed people that have a
deposit to buy a house but lack the sufficient documentation to prove
their income.
Self
cert mortgages have two disadvantages. One is that the interest rates
are usually higher than they normally are and the second is that they
may only finance 75% loan to value of a property (this can go up to 85%
or 90% subject to status and individual lenders).
100%
Mortgages
Normally
when a bank lends a customer money they want to protect their money as
much as possible, they do this by asking the borrower to pay a certain
percentage of the loan in the form of a deposit.
100%
mortgages are mortgages that require no deposit (100% loan to value).
These are sometimes offered to first time buyers.
UK
mortgage process
UK
lenders usually charge a valuation fee, which pays for a chartered
surveyor to visit the property and ensure it is worth enough to cover
the mortgage amount. This is not a full survey so it may not identify
all the defects that a house buyer needs to know about. Also, it does
not usually form a contract between the surveyor and the buyer, so the
buyer has no right to sue if the survey fails to detect a major problem.
For an extra fee, the surveyor can usually carry out a building survey
or a (cheaper) "homebuyers survey" at the same time.
Islamic
mortgages
The
Sharia law of Islam prohibits the payment or receipt of interest, which
means that practising Muslims cannot use conventional mortgages.
However, real estate is far too expensive for most people to buy
outright using cash: Islamic mortgages solve this problem by having the
property change hands twice. In one variation, the bank will buy the
house outright and then act as a landlord. The homebuyer, in addition to
paying rent, will pay a contribution towards the purchase of the
property. When the last payment is made, the property changes hands.
An
alternative scheme involves the bank reselling the property according to
an installment plan, at a price higher than the original price.
In
the United Kingdom, HSBC
Bank plc was the first major bank to offer Islamic mortgages.
References
-
Royal
Institute of Chartered Surveyors
External
links
A
to Z TYPES OF UK MORTGAGE
BASE
RATE TRACKER MORTGAGE
These
can get very complicated but in theory they're simply a mortgage that tracks
the Bank of England base rate at an agreed rate.
So
you might have a Base Rate Tracker Mortgage which sets your
mortgage at 1% above the base rate for, say, the first two
years.
BRIDGING
LOANS MADE EASY
What is a Bridging Loan?
This
is a loan that is usually taken out to solve a temporary cash shortfall
that may arise when buying a property or business,
or perhaps paying for a renovation.
A
typical example of when you may need a one would be
if you want to buy a second property before you've sold your
first.
Or
you may need one if you're buying property at auction.
As
they are more risky for the lender than the usual housebuyer's loan,
bridging loans are more expensive and should only be used where
you are fairly certain to repay them within about 6 months.
Depending
on the lender, a Bridging Loan can be obtained by the self employed or
people with bad credit. In other words to those who traditionally have
found it more difficult to get loans and mortgages.
How they work
In
the case of buying property, a Bridging Loan is normally secured by
getting a mortgage on the new property, and taking out a second mortgage
on the property being sold.
In
this case the loan will depend on a positive valuation of the relevant
properties.
Lenders
will usually allow Bridging Loans of up to 65% of the
value of the properties - less any existing mortgage. But this will
depend on the lender so you can shop around for better
deals.
You
can usually borrow between £25,000 to £500,000 as standard.
Larger
loans are possible but may take slightly longer to arrange.
The
process of getting a Bridging Loan
Here's
how our partners operate (ie the lenders we will connect you to if you
apply from here Your application is emailed direct to our partners.
They
will respond to you within an hour (on a normal working day ie between 9
am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday) with an offer in principle.
If
you agree to their offer in principle, the lender will arrange for an
urgent valuation of the property the loan is to be secured against.
Once
they have recieved your payment for this valuation it will take a
maximum of 72 hours.
The
cost of the valuation will vary but an average would be £200. To speed
up payment you would be able to deposit the funds in a High St bank.
Meanwhile
you need to get your solicitor or conveyancer to move very quickly
on all the usual conveyancing tasks ie the
local authority search, checking the deeds of the new property and so
on.
(You
can read more about this in the conveyancing section where there's also
information on a very efficient conveyancing service).
You
should expect the entire process to take 7 to 10 days -
ie from your first application to the money being paid over to you.
It
could be done quicker. It depends on how fast you want
to move and if there aren't any significant hiccups.
The
Cost
You
will normally be charged a set interest rate, which is usually referred
to in terms of a percentage per month.
For
example; say you borrow £100,000 at 1.5%
per month, the loan will cost you £1,500 per month (ie 1.5% of £100,000
for each month).
In
theory you want to shop around for the best rate. But in practice
most people simply use the lender that can act quickest because time is
usually of the essence when a this type of loan is required.
Please
note: If you've got a bad credit history you can expect to pay more.
Bridging Loans for Auctions
If
you buy a property at auction, either for your own occupation or as an
investment you have
to complete within 28 days.
You
could use a specialist bridging lender, whose main business is to cater
for auction purchases.
These
lenders are normally "non-status" (ie they make no enquiries
of the financial standing of the borrower), and have no minimum periods
or redemption penalties.
Where to get a bridging loan
You
may be able to obtain one from a normal bank, or alternatively, from a
specialist bridging lender.
The
latter may well be preferable. Unlike most banks, they're geared to deal
very quickly with your request - which is probably fairly urgent.
They
can normally come up with the money within a few days of your
application. The average would be a week or so - depending on how speedy
the conveyancing
has been done by your solicitor or conveyancing
agent.
However
it could all be done in only be a couple of days.
BUY
TO LET MORTGAGES
Mortgage
providers' traditionally only offered loans for people buying homes. An
increasing number are offering loans for a property you want to "buy
to let", (ie not to live in as your home, but to rent/let
out to tenants).
Getting
income from the rent is seen as a good investment by some and is
becoming more commonplace.
It's
particularly popular for retirement planning because of the growing
concerns about the inadequacies of traditional pensions. The old saying
"There's nothing more solid than bricks and mortar" is more
relevant than ever.
If
you're interested in renting to students in a university town or to
commuters in suburbia, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has
two leaflets 'Buying to Let' and 'Thinking of Buying
a Residential Property to Let' You can order them by phone on 020
7440 2255.
The
fears over the past couple of years that the market was overheated seem
to have been incorrect. However make sure that your buy to let property
is in an area which is likely to have a demand.
There
is a wealth of information on buying property to let. Just make sure if
you're paying for it that it's been written by someone with direct
experience in the field.
CASHBACK
DEALS
These
deals vary but, as the name suggests, you get cash - in addition
to the money you're going to be borrowing. You may use it to pay for
moving costs and furniture etc.
Cashback
deals are perhaps best seen as a sales technique to get
you to take out a mortgage with a particular lender.
It's
very rarely a genuine gift and is probably used to tie you
in to the mortgage lender - who will eventually more than make their
money back.
If
you need cash it may be an idea to shop
around to look for better deals from your bank, credit card etc. (Best
not try the local loan shark though).
CAPPED
RATE
This
is an interest repayment variation.
Capped
rate mortgages are supposed to offer the best of both variable and fixed
rate deals.
You
agree to have a limit - a cap - on the maximum amount of
interest you will pay over a particular period of time while allowing it
to fall if the variable rate drops.
Good
points: You get the best of both worlds.
If the variable rate goes higher than your agreed capped rate then
you're only paying up to the agreed capped rate.
Whereas
if it falls below your capped rate then you pay less as well.
So
you benefit from falling interest rates but are protected from rate
rises. You know the max you'll be paying.
Bad
points: There's only a limited number of these
deals on the market and they're not thought to be very competitive
because the interest rate you'll be paying is going to be higher than
your average fixed or discounted rate mortgage.
You
pay to get the best of both worlds.
Also
there'll probably be an admin charge by the mortgage
lender of £95 to £200 - though this may not be much compared to the
amount you might have paid if your mortgage wasn't capped and interest
rates went up.
However
some mortgage lenders are now offering good deals which may even be
cheaper than fixed rates.
COMBINED MORTGAGE and CURRENT ACCOUNT
aka
The Offset Mortgage
This
is a relatively new type of product which goes further than the usual
flexible mortgage.
Your
mortgage account effectively becomes your bank account. You get a
chequebook, direct debit facility, credit & cash card and regular
statements etc. Your earnings are paid straight into this
"mortgage/bank account".
This
means that effectively you pay less interest on your mortgage
- because your earnings are being used to "pay back" the loan.
Because
the interest is calculated daily any changes in your balance, no matter
how short the period, will change your interest payments.
You
also avoid paying the tax, which you would
have been liable for if you were putting your earnings into an interest
/bank account because, technically, you are not earning interest.
You
are unlikely to be charged for arranging the mortgage, or for any
redemption penalties or compulsory insurance.
There
is a definite financial advantage to this idea,
in theory saving you thousands over the mortgage term.
The
general criticism of Combined Mortgage and current accounts is that they
don't give you a natural "speedlimit" to your spending (i.e.
you never seem to run out of money).
Most
of us aren't great money managers. And the
problem is if you mess up with this type of account you really mess up
big time.
It's
perhaps too easy to borrow too much from the account - for a holiday
etc. - and before you know it your debt could have doubled.
Are
you disciplined enough to be able to look
carefully at what's happening with your account and to keep up regular
repayments. You could easily be lulled into a false sense of security
and overspend bit by bit till your debt is so big you've had it.
If
you're interested in this type of mortgage, there are now various ones
on offer. The best way to find one is to get a mortgage adviser to help
you.
DISCOUNTED
VARIABLE RATES
This
is an interest repayment variation. To tempt new customers most lenders
will offer a new borrower a discount on their standard
variable rate, for a set period.
Your
payments will go up and down, as with a standard variable mortgage, but
you're paying less.
After
the agreed set period the interest rate will switch into the mortgage
lender's usual variable rate.
So
it may be worth checking what their track record has been for
their variable rate charge because, if they're pricier
than most, they're unlikely to have changed and you may end up as
one of the mugs paying over the odds.
The
rate for new borrowers is usually lower than for existing customers. So
try to shake off that customer inertia and change
mortgage lenders every couple of years - having checked, of
course, that there's no penalty for leaving.
The
penalties for changing to another mortgage lender may last longer than
the agreed discount term. But they're usually less than for a fixed rate
period.
Good
points: You're paying less.
Bad
points: You're locked in for the agreed
term so if the interest base rate goes up you're stuck. However when the
period ends, you can swan along to the next best discount rate.
The
shorter the term the better. You probably
don't want to tie yourself down for longer than 2 years.
EQUITY
RELEASE MORTGAGES
Already
a Homeowner? Want to Release Some Equity?
If
you are already a homeowner - with or without a mortgage - then you
might want to release some equity from your home to give you a cash lump
sum.
This
means that if you have paid off a significant amount of your mortgage
and/or property prices have risen, you can benefit from some of the
"profit" that is locked into your house without having
to sell your home.
Lenders
provide a variety of packages for doing this, but they are generally
described as "equity release" mortgages.
Typically
you will be able to borrow up to 95% of the equity in your home, given
to you in a lump sum which you then pay back like a normal mortgage.
This can be used to pay for home improvements, lifestyle changes, home
repairs – almost anything, really.
WARNING
Be very careful when doing an equity release mortgage. For some reason
they are not regulated by the Government. Many experts
are worried about this new trend and there are concerns it could become
yet another personal finance scandal.
Watch
out for the following
-
Make
sure that your proposed equity release plan has a negative equity
guarantee. This means that should the value of your property
decrease then the debt will also decrease proportionally.
-
Make
sure that you can keep full ownership of your home until your death.
-
Make
sure that you are allowed to move home after taking out an equity
release plan.
-
If
you are living “in sin” with a partner, Make sure that you take
out a joint plan that makes the debt reclaimable only after the
death of the last surviving partner.
-
Make
sure that any outstanding debt after the sale of your property will
not be passed on to your relatives.
-
Watch
out for the extra charges involved, like legal fees, the property
survey and setting up fees or other admin charges
ENDOWMENT
MORTGAGES
These
are basically a mix of savings, investments and life assurance
"wrapped up" into an insurance policy. Got that?
Well
don't waste too much time trying to. They were very popular in the 80s
and 90s but, they've resulted in a lot of trouble because the "side"
or "by product" investments have done worse than
expected and people are looking at a "shortfall" in paying
back the mortgage lender.
(In
other words the property will not be theirs because they won't have paid
off the loan).
It
looks as if millions will be badly affected. Accordingly
we don't feel it's appropriate to tempt you by going into details of how
they work.
If
you want to see if you can claim that you were mis-sold an
endowment policy call the Financial Services Authority.
(Tel. 0845 606 1234).
Getting
rid of your Endowment
If
you already have an endowment and want to
get rid of it you can "sell" it. This could be to the company
that sold it to you originally. However you might make more by selling
it on the open market. There are a lot of firms who will do this for
you.
We
can put you in touch with a reputable one we know who will be able to
"trawl" the open market and get you the best price.
Further info
MORTGAGES
for UK EXPATRIATES WORKING OVERSEAS
If
you are working overseas and want to buy a property in the UK you will
probably find that many mortgage lenders won't want to know.
The
problem is that the mortgage lender needs security on their loans and if
you're thousands of miles away they'll be more nervous about this. For
example it will be harder to chase you if you start defaulting on the
repayments.
If
you need this type of mortgage they are possible to get but you really
need a specialist mortgage broker to check the market for you and give
you some quotes.
If
you want to buy a property overseas, some
mortgage lenders will have products aimed specifically at you. These
will come and go depending on the marketing cycle, so we can't recommend
one in particular.
If
you want to find one the best thing is to apply to a mortgage broker and
ask them to source the latest overseas mortgage packages for UK citizens
working overseas.
FIXED
RATE MORTGAGES
This
type of mortgage is where you and the mortgage
lender agree to fix the interest rate owed on your loan for
a set period of time.
The
period of time is usually between 1 and 5 years but
could be longer. (That simply depends on the exact mortgage deal you
choose).
After
the agreed period, the interest rate owed on your loan usually reverts
to the lender's Variable Rate.
Good
Points:
You know exactly what you'll owe. No surprises.
Bad
points: If interest
rates drop you may be paying more than you might have done if you'd gone
for the Variable Rate. But interest rates might rise... At least you're
not gambling with your home.
If
you want to leave before the agreed term the early redemption penalty is
usually significant. For example you may be charged six months gross
interest if you leave a five-year fixed rate agreement.
Some
penalties could even go beyond the fixed-rate period. This would be an
"overhanging redemption penalty". Always read the small print
and ask as many "stupid questions" as you feel like. You
must be clear on what everything means.
FLEXIBLE
MORTGAGES
The
details will vary but basically this type of mortgage allows you to be
flexible according to your future circumstances/ needs without having to
pay a penalty.
So
if you need to pay less due to unemployment or whatever, you can take a
"payment holiday".
Or,
if you win the lottery, you can pay more than usual - ie saving on
interest payments in the long run.
(Traditional
mortgages would penalise you for not sticking rigidly to the agreed
repayments).
A truly flexible mortgage allows the
following without penalty:
-
You
can make over and under payments
-
You
can have payment holidays
-
You
can borrow back on payments already made
-
They
should also calculate interest daily
Quite
a few High Street mortgage lenders offer these but some are more
flexible than others.
When you're comparing them make sure there isn't a minimum amount
you have to pay or a limit to the number of any over/under
payments.
Most
people simply want a loan which allows them to "over pay"
their repayment without penalty. It is this aspect of flexible loans
where the greatest savings can be made because the quicker you pay
off your loan the less interest you'll have to pay.
(It's
been estimated that over paying on a loan with an interest rate of 7.74
per cent by £100 a month over 25 years will save you £41,000 in
interest payments).
This
is an arrangement where you're only paying off the interest
on the loan.
Unlike
a standard mortgage you are not paying off the capital debt part of the
mortgage.
So
the mortgage costs you less... which means you can borrow more.
But
this idea that you can pay less is only a short term
solution because you are supposed to set up a side by side investment
because the
capital debt part is supposed to have been repaid by the end of the
mortgage term by your having made simultaneous monthly payments
into a separate investment fund.
The
idea is that this fund has hopefully grown enough to pay off the capital
and leave you with a surplus.
To
do this your mortgage salesperson may offer you an investment
"side" or "by product" (i.e. what they'll claim is a
suitable type of investment to pay off the capital part of the
mortgage).
Before
accepting anything always shop around for other
deals.You may have heard of the endowment mortgage scandal where tens of
thousands of people were left with a shortfall. That was a type of
interest mortgage.
In
our view you'd be best off consulting an IFA.
Make sure that s/he specialises in investments.
The
majority of mortgage providers no longer ask for proof of an investment
side/by product when confirming your mortgage.
You
should be very clear that if the investment is not a success then you
could lose your home - probably at the end of the mortgage term ie when
you're close to retiring.
THE
ISA MORTGAGE
The
ISA mortgage is a relatively new type of interest only mortgage. The
article below should tell you why it may not be the greatest bet for
you.
Out
of the frying pan, into an ISA
Patrick
Collinson issues a warning on the hidden
pitfalls that come with a new range of offers (Guardian)
"The
endowment mortgage is dead, long live the ISA. That appears to be the
refrain from big lenders such as Abbey National and Halifax, which
have recently piled into ISA mortgages. But are ISA mortgages likely
to be a better bet than controversy-ridden endowments?"
MORTGAGES
IN PRINCIPLE
Getting
a mortgage and buying a house are usually very much intertwined.
When you find a house, you'll probably have to move fast
to secure it. To prevent being delayed while sorting out a mortgage you
could first get a "mortgage in principle".
Having
one means you should be able get the actual mortgage quicker when the
race to buy your chosen home begins.
A
mortgage in principle is a conditional offer made by a mortgage lender
that - provided the information you give them is correct - they will
"in principle" give you the loan you have discussed with them.
Knowing what you can afford will also help you narrow your
search.
It's
very useful to have one before you even start looking for a house to
give you the edge over any competition.
You
can get this offer in writing to show to Estate Agents and
sellers who will see you as a serious prospect and not a timewaster
who's interested, for example, in looking around peoples' homes for a
laugh.
To
get a mortgage in principle you have to go through the
same motions as an actual mortgage. That is: Consider what type of
mortgage do you want and then find a mortgage lender you feel can offer
you the best deal.
You
should be able to get mortgages in principle offered over the phone.
It's only when applying for the actual mortgage that the mortgage lender
will want to see the proof of your income etc.
PENSION
MORTGAGES
Don't
bother with these. When we asked about them our experts suggested we
think of the words "barge pole" and "don't touch
with".
REPAYMENT
MORTGAGES
(aka
Capital and Repayment Mortgages)
This
is the old fashioned, traditional type of mortgage and remains the only
way the property is actually guaranteed to be yours at the
end of the mortgage term - provided you have repaid the loan.
Your
mortgage debt is divided into capital repayments (ie repayment of the
money you borrowed) and interest
payments (ie repayment of the interest you're
being charged for the loan).
As
you pay off your mortgage every month you're paying off a bit of capital
and a bit of interest until the full debt is repaid.
You
usually pay off mostly interest in the early years and then gradually
more of the capital debt. It may seem as if this is costing more but
that's because unlike the other types of mortgages you're paying off the
capital and not just the interest.
STANDARD
VARIABLE INTEREST RATE MORTGAGES
Here's how these type of mortgages work.
The
Bank of England sets a base rate. This is the
basic interest rate -
which is that bit on the news you've probably ignored for years when
they get all excited about interest rates going up or down.
The
mortgage lender's interest rate is set higher than the base rate - say 1
or 2% above it.
So
if the base rate is 5% and your mortgage lender is charging you 2% above
the base rate, you'll be paying 7% interest.
Now
the Bank of England can change the base rate at any time. So if they
raise it by 1.5% overnight the base rate is now 6.5%.
So
your mortgage is now 8.5% i.e. still 2% above the base rate.
Your
mortgage is variable because it goes up and down ie as
the base rate varies
Each
of the mortgage lenders have their own variable interest rate. They vary
a great deal offering as much difference as 1%. It may not sound much
but on a £100,000 loan that's £1000 per year.
Good
Points: You might get lucky and see
the interest rate drop.
Bad
points: Errm. You might be unlucky
and see the interest rate rise.
BASE
TRACKER MORTGAGE
These
can get very complicated but in theory they're simply a mortgage that tracks
the Bank of England base rate at an agreed rate.
So
you might have a Base Rate Tracker Mortgage which sets your
mortgage at 1% above the base rate for, say, the first two
years.
100%
MORTGAGES
A
100% mortgage is where the mortgage lender lends you the full amount
that the property costs. (So if the house costs £100,000 you borrow
£100,000).
Usually
you'd only get a loan to value mortgage between 75% to 95% (eg
if the house cost £100,000 a 75% mortgage means you would borrow
£75,000).
The
problems with getting a 100% mortgage are:
-
It
will probably cost you a lot more than necessary -
you'll be charged a higher interest rate.
-
You
may get tied in - which you want to avoid.
-
You'll
be relying on property prices continuing to rise. If they fall
you'll be in a right old pickle called negative equity.
-
You'll
very likely have to pay a mortgage indemnity guarantee
policy. This is only good for the lender and doesn't help you.
However
if, like many, you don't have enough spare cash and a 100% mortgage is
your only realistic option, the good news is that there are some
reasonable deals out there.
You've
got to shop around to find one. This may be a drag but shouldn't
be as difficult if you use an expert see ways to find your mortgage.
STANDARD
VARIABLE INTEREST RATE MORTGAGES
Here's how these type of mortgages work.
The
Bank of England sets a base rate. This is the
basic interest rate -
which is that bit on the news you've probably ignored for years when
they get all excited about interest rates going up or down.
The
mortgage lender's interest rate is set higher than the base rate - say 1
or 2% above it.
So
if the base rate is 5% and your mortgage lender is charging you 2% above
the base rate, you'll be paying 7% interest.
Now
the Bank of England can change the base rate at any time. So if they
raise it by 1.5% overnight the base rate is now 6.5%.
So
your mortgage is now 8.5% i.e. still 2% above the base rate.
Your
mortgage is variable because it goes up and down ie as
the base rate varies
Each
of the mortgage lenders have their own variable interest rate. They vary
a great deal offering as much difference as 1%. It may not sound much
but on a £100,000 loan that's £1000 per year.
Good
Points: You might get lucky and see
the interest rate drop.
Bad
points: Errm. You might be unlucky
and see the interest rate rise.
The
following is a selection of United Kingdom Building Society websites to assist
borrowers:
A-Z
of Mortgage Lenders -
Abbey
National
www.abbeynational.co.uk
Alliance & Leicester
www.alliance-leicester.co.uk
Barclays Bank
www.personal.barclays.co.uk
Barnsley Building Society
www.barnsley-bs.co.uk
Bath Building Society
www.bibs.co.uk
Beverley Building Society
www.beverleybs.co.uk
Bank of Scotland
www.bankofscotland.co.uk
Birmingham Midshires
www.birmingham-midshires.co.uk
Bradford & Bingley
www.bradford-bingley.co.uk
Bristol & West
www.bristol-west.co.uk
Britannia Building Society
www.britannia.co.uk
Britannic Money
www.britannicmoney.com
Britannic Money
www.britannicmoney.com
Buckinghamshire
Building Society
www.bucksbuildingsociety.com
Catholic
Building Society
www.catholicbs.co.uk
Chelsea Building Society
www.thechelsea.co.uk
Cheltenham & Gloucester
www.cheltglos.co.uk
Chesham Building Society
www.cheshambsoc.co.uk
Cheshire Building Society
www.thecheshire.co.uk
Clay Cross Building Society
www.derbyshire.org/clay-cross/mortgage.htm
Clydesdale Bank
www.clydesdalebank.co.uk
Coventry Building Society
www.coventrybuildingsociety.co.uk
Darlington
Building Society
www.darlington.co.uk
Derbyshire Building Society
www.thederbyshire.co.uk
Direct Line
www.directline.com
Dudley
Building Society
www.dudleybuildingsociety.co.uk
Dunfermline Building Society
www.dunfermline-bs.co.uk
Egg
www.egg.com
First Direct
www.firstdirect.com
First National Mortgage Company
www.fnmc.co.uk
Furness Building Society
www.furnessbs.co.uk
Hanley Economic Building Society
www.thehanley.co.uk
Harpenden Building Society
www.harpenden-bs.co.uk
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society
www.hrbs.co.uk
Holmesdale Building Society
www.holmesdale.org.uk
HSBC
www.banking.hsbc.co.uk
igroup
www.igrp.co.uk
Intelligent Finance
www.if.com
Ipswich Building Society
www.ipswich-bs.co.uk
Kensington
Mortgage Company
www.kmc.co.uk
Kent Reliance Building Society
www.krbs.co.uk
Lambeth Building Society
www.lambeth.co.uk
Leeds & Holbeck Building Society
www.leeds-holbeck.co.uk
Leek United Building Society
www.leekunited.co.uk
Legal & General
www.landg.co.uk
Loughborough Building Society
www.theloughborough.co.uk
Manchester Building Society
www.themanchester.co.uk
Mansfield Building Society
www.mansfieldbs.co.uk
Market Harborough Building Society
www.mhbs.co.uk/mortgages.html
Marsden Building Society
www.marsdenbs.co.uk
Melton Mowbray
www.mmbs.co.uk
Mercantile Building Society
www.mercantile-bs.co.uk
Mortgage Express
www.mortgage-express.co.uk
National Counties Building Society
www.ncbs.co.uk
Nationwide Building Society
www.nationwide.co.uk/mortgage
NatWest Mortgage Services
www.natwest.com
Newbury Building Society
www.newbury.co.uk
Northern
Bank
www.nbonline.co.uk
Northern
Rock
www.northernrock.co.uk
Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
www.npbs.co.uk
Nottingham Building Society
www.thenottingham.com
Paragon
Mortgages
www.paragon-mortgages.co.uk
Penrith Building Society
www.penrithbuildingsociety.co.uk
Portman Building Society
www.portman.co.uk
Principality Building Society
www.principality.co.uk
Prudential
www.pru.co.uk
Royal Bank of Scotland
www.rbs.co.uk
Saffron Walden Herts & Essex BS
www.swhebs.co.uk
Sainsbury's Bank
www.sainsburysbank.co.uk
Scarborough Building Society
www.scarboroughbs.co.uk
Scottish Building Society
www.scottishbldgsoc.co.uk
Scottish Widows Bank
www.scottishwidows.co.uk
Skipton Building Society
www.skipton.co.uk
Stafford Railway Building Society
www.srbs.co.uk
Standard Life Bank
www.standardlifebank.com
Stroud & Swindon Building Society
www.stroudandswindon.co.uk
Sun Bank
www.sunbank.co.uk
Tipton & Coseley Building Society
www.tipton-coseley.co.uk
UCB Home Loans
www.ucbhomeloans.co.uk
Universal Building Society
www.theuniversal.co.uk
Virgin
www.oneaccount.com
Wesleyan Homeloans
www.wesleyan.co.uk
West Bromwich Building Society
www.westbrom.co.uk
The Woolwich
www.thewoolwich.co.uk
Yorkshire Bank
www.ybonline.co.uk
Yorkshire Building Society
www.ybs.co.uk
MONEY
FINDER
SOLAR
COLA as an INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY?
The
soft drinks market is a tough place to do business, unless you have
something different to offer and the marketing muscle to match.
For
nearly 100 years Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have dominated the
marketplace with similar products. Each company spends around
$600-800 million dollars a year on advertising to maintain its market position. The
advertising centers around sport and music, with a scattering of
irregular television campaigns. Each company launches (or attempts to
launch) new brands every year. So far, they have not proved as
successful as their regular cola brands.
Red
Bull, although in a different drinks category, spends not quite as
much on advertising, but has managed to acquire instant status and
volume sales from sponsoring formula one, the Darpa Desert Challenge,
and now the New Jersey MetroStars football team.
Solar
Cola, apart from it's contemporary name, is a healthier cola based
drink. Just as refreshing, it contains a unique blend of added
ingredients as an aid to good health and energy levels. The
company contributes to and sponsors alternative projects, to include
this website, featuring movies, music and several thousand pages of
general information, which generates in excess of 3 million visits a
month already. Recent acquisitions include the rights to the
Solar Navigator World Electric Challenge, and also the new Bluebird
Electric land speed record car for 2007. The company may also
sponsor the London to Brighton Solar Car Run in 2008 (dependent on the
number of university entries received).
It
is thought that this marketing strategy will equal several hundred
thousand dollars of conventional Ad Agency spending. As an
example of the kind of media coverage such nautical antics generate,
you have only to look at the newspapers when Ellen Macarthur completed
her world circumnavigation - front page on every national paper. The same holds true for Sir Francis
Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in their hey day.
The
design of the Solar Cola can is copyright protected, with trademark
applications in the USA, Australia and Europe pending in Class 32 and
granted rights in the UK. Introduction of the drink is held in
abeyance pending official launch of one or other sponsored projects,
which will be activated when the time is right, such activation to
coincide with the market introduction of the drink.
Solar
Cola PLC is shortly to be activated for online investment as their
trading arm. The company is forecast to produce excellent
results for investors, with sustained growth to be followed by an
eventual flotation on the Stock Markets of the world in the next few
years. At this point estimates suggest investors will reap
substantial gains - in line with international Licensing expectations.
Solar
Cola Ltd is managing the funding requirement for the trading company.
They are looking for medium term or seed investment between £4-5
million to kick start phase two of the venture.
If
you are a Business Angel, or Equity House, looking for an opportunity
with the potential for good returns, please contact SOLAR COLA LTD for
details. Please ask for the funding project manager: Nelson
Kruschandl
+
44 (0) 1323 831727
+44
(0) 7905 147709
Or
email us: cola @ solarnavigator.net
(spaces
are an anti-spam measure)
This
material and any views expressed herein are provided for information
purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an endorsement
or inducement to invest in any specific program. Before investing in any
program, you must obtain, read and examine thoroughly its disclosure
document or offering memorandum.
A
taste for adventure capitalists
Solar
Cola - a healthier alternative
|