Insurance – we need it for our life, our car, our house, our health and yes, in some cases, even for our mortgage. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is the mortgage industry term used to describe insurance that protects the lender of your mortgage against any type of default. It’s primarily used when you put down less than 20% of the purchase price of your home.
Each month you will be required to submit a premium payment that is calculated based on how much your down payment is and the total size of your loan. Typically the payment amounts to around one-half of one percent of the total loan value. These payments are usually added to your mortgage payment to make it easier to keep track of and keep paid.
The good news about PMI is that for those who are required to obtain it, they won’t need to keep it through the life of the loan. Typically when you reach the point where you have paid down 20% of the loan amount most mortgage lenders will automatically discontinue the PMI insurance premiums. They are required by law to discontinue it when you your total remaining balance on the loan reach 78% of your original loan amount. For most...