Is It Time to Cancel the Mortgage Insurance?
Mortgage insurance benefits the lender if a borrower with less than a 20% down payment defaults on their loan. Most conventional mortgages greater than 80% and all FHA loans require the borrower to have this coverage. Private mortgage insurance on conventional loans can range from 0.5% to 2.25% based on the loan-to-value and the credit worthiness of the borrower. A $350,000 mortgage would have a monthly mortgage insurance premium of $146 a month at the low-end of the scale and over $600 on the high-end. You may request that your mortgage servicer cancel the PMI when the principal balance reaches 80% of the original value at the time the loan was made. You should have received a PMI disclosure form when you signed the mortgage documents stating the date. If you have made additional principal contributions, it will accelerate the date. Other criteria considered to cancel the PMI on your loan is: The request must be in writing. You must be cu...