Index Rate for Treasuries and Mortgage Rate Information - The Bills.com Blog

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Index Rate for Treasuries and Mortgage Rate Information

Friday, Dec 26, 2008

Question: I have a mortgage that is set to adjust and the new rate will be the index rate +3.75%. What will my new rate be?

I have a mortgage that is set to adjust on Feb 15, 2009. The new rate will be the index rate +3.75%. Index rate shall mean the rate of interest set and announced by the Federal Reserve Board as the weekly average yield on United States Treasury Securities adjusted to a constant maturity of 5 years. What will my new rate be?

Answer: The Five year treasury rate is currently at 1.54% (a historically VERY low base rate for your index rate) - so your rate is 5.29%. That is a VERY low rate, by historical mortgage standards.

I would guess that you are on a five year ARM, that is adjusting for the first time. You could try to apply for a 30 year fixed, which is also at a historic lows - but you have a very good and low rate.

Bills.com makes it easy to compare mortgage offers and different loan types. Please visit the loan page and find a loan that meets your needs at:
Mortgage Refinance Quote

If you would like to read more about mortgage refinance loans, I encourage you to visit the Bills.com Home Refinance Resources page at http://www.bills.com/home-refinance

Here are the main considerations that a lender will consider:

First, your credit history is a major consideration when you are shopping for a new mortgage. A favorable credit score will increase your chances of finding a loan that will lower your monthly payments, since you will qualify for better interest rates than those available to people with credit problems. Currently, the
average interest rate for a new 30 year fixed-rate loan is 5.5%, and the average FICO credit score is 723. So, if your credit score is better than 720, you should expect to qualify for an interest rate of around 5.5% on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. However, if you have had credit problems in the past, you could be forced to pay a significantly higher interest rate, which could make your monthly payments much higher. For example, the monthly payment on a $100,000 30 year mortgage at 6.5% is approximately $630, plus insurance, taxes, etc. If the interest rate on the loan increases to 9.5%, the monthly payment increases to $840, an increase of over $200 per month. As you can see, your credit score, which is one of the major determinants of your interest rate, is extremely important when shopping for a new mortgage.

The amount of equity you have in your home, and the length of time you have been paying on your current mortgage will also be major considerations, since you are looking to pull money out of the home and lower your monthly payments. In order to lower your payments, you must either obtain a loan with a lower interest rate than your current mortgage, find a mortgage with a longer
repayment term, or borrow less than the original balance of your current mortgage. For example, if you have $60,000 left to pay on a $100,000 mortgage, you could cash out $40,000 in equity and keep the same monthly payment as the old loan, assuming the interest rate and loan term remain the same. However, if the balance of your new mortgage will be more than that of your old mortgage, you must either find a lower interest rate or take a loan with a longer repayment term, if you want to keep your monthly payments the same.

As I mentioned before, you need to shop around with different lenders and brokers to find the loan that best suits your needs. I encourage you to start your search by visiting the Bills.com Home Refinance Resources page at http://www.bills.com/home-refinance where you will find a wealth of information about home refinance programs. If you enter your contact information in the Bills.com Savings Center at the top of the page, we can have several pre-screened mortgage brokers contact you to discuss the options available to you.

I wish you the best of luck in your search for a refinance loan. I hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.

Best,
Bill
www.bills.com
Mortgage Refinance Quote


Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!

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