Good faith estimate

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The CFPB requires that lenders provide customers with a Loan Estimate to help them understand the full cost of buying a home with a mortgage. [1] The Loan Estimate replaces the Good Faith Estimate, or GFE, that was used prior to 2015.

Contents

Lenders are required to issue Loan Estimates within three days of receiving a complete loan application, per the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID). A complete loan application include at least the following: Name, Income, Social Security Number, Property Address, Estimated Value of Property, Mortgage Loan Amount Sought. When these are received, TRID is considered to be triggered and the three-day clock starts. [2] .

Loan Estimates are considered binding in that the lender's costs cannot change and if the lender's estimates of third-party costs are off by more than 10% the lender must cover the difference (this is called "curing"). [3]

The Loan Estimate covers all the costs associated with buying a home, even if they are not related to the actual mortgage. For example, property taxes are independent of the mortgage but are covered in a Loan Estimate.

Types of costs

Loan Estimates includes three categories of costs: costs that vary across lenders, costs that vary across other providers (e.g., title insurance companies), and costs that do not vary. These categories are explained in this Loan Estimate Explainer.

Fees and charges

The following is a list of the typical charges. Each charge starts with a number – the same number as the number of the charge on a HUD-1 Real Estate Settlement Statement. This makes it easier to compare the charges a loan applicant receives on the good faith estimate to the HUD-1.

800 ITEMS PAYABLE IN CONNECTION WITH LOAN:

This fee is a charge for originating or creating the loan

This is an upfront charge paid to the lender to get a lower mortgage rate – the same as “buying the rate down”

This is the cost of the independent appraisal. It is usually paid by the buyer.

This is the cost of the credit report. The lender does not have to pass this cost along to the buyer.

This is the lender's cost of inspecting a property – some may double check the appraisal provided by an independent appraiser

This is the upfront charge that a mortgage broker charges. Brokers can also earn a “rebate” from the lender which is not listed here

Lender fee, usually small, for handling tax related matters

This is the charge for processing the loan – collecting the buyer's application, running credit, collecting pay stubs, bank statements, ordering appraisal, title, etc. This is often referred to as a "junk fee" and does not need to be included.

This is the cost of the loan underwriter (approver). "No fee" lenders typically do not include this and it is typically considered a "junk fee."

This is the cost of wiring the money around, which is usually done by escrow.

900 ITEMS REQUIRED BY LENDER TO BE PAID IN ADVANCE

This is the prepaid interest for a mortgage loan.

This is the prepaid mortgage insurance premium, if needed. This is the insurance premium some lenders charge for loans with little equity.

This is used to record hazard insurance premiums that must be paid at settlement in order to have immediate insurance on the property. It is not used for insurance reserves that will go into escrow.

This is the Veterans Administration funding fee, which is only applicable if the loan is through a VA program.

1000 RESERVES DEPOSITED WITH LENDER

This is any prepayment of future hazard insurance expense

This is any prepayment of future mortgage insurance expense

This is any prepayment of future school tax expense

This is any prepayment of future tax expenses, such as property taxes

This is any prepayment of future flood insurance expense

This is a credit to the buyer. By law, the lender is not allowed to collect more than the sum of initial payments for reserve items. The aggregate adjustment is the amount the lender must 'credit' the borrower at closing, so that they don't collect more than the law allows.

1100 TITLE CHARGES

This is the cost of escrow. This is the service of a neutral party that actually handles the money between all the different parties in a real estate transaction, including: the lender, the buyer, the seller, the agents, notary, etc. This is often done by the “Title Company” – a related entity in the same office that provides title insurance

This is the charge for preparing the loan documents. Lenders often email the loan documents to the escrow company, which in turn prints them out and reviews them before signing. However, some title companies are owned by an attorney who will also draw certain legal documents for the buyer's closing.

This is the cost of the notary. This is to have all of the legal documents surrounding this transaction notarized. When closing inside the title company office, there is usually no charge for this.

Any legal charges associated with clearing the title to the property.

This is the cost of insuring the title of the property. If there is a question about title (who really owned the property), or if a judgment or lien was really paid off, after the transaction is done then this insurance protects the lender and owner from future problems.

1200 GOVERNMENT RECORDING & TRANSFER CHARGES

This is the cost of updating relevant government records

Unavoidable government charge

Unavoidable government charge

Many counties now allow documents to be recorded electronically. This expedites the issuance of a title policy by several weeks.

1300 ADDITIONAL SETTLEMENT CHARGES

Anything 'extra' that is not included in the 800-1200 charges are itemized in the 1300 section. This includes things like the survey, HOA fees, and repairs.

This is the cost of the pest inspector. Their purpose is to document the state of the property that the lender is making the loan on.

See also

Related Research Articles

An escrow is a contractual arrangement in which a third party receives and disburses money or property for the primary transacting parties, with the disbursement dependent on conditions agreed to by the transacting parties. Examples include an account established by a broker for holding funds on behalf of the broker's principal or some other person until the consummation or termination of a transaction; or, a trust account held in the borrower's name to pay obligations such as property taxes and insurance premiums. The word derives from the Old French word escroue, meaning a scrap of paper or a scroll of parchment; this indicated the deed that a third party held until a transaction was completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of real estate articles</span>

This aims to be a complete list of the articles on real estate.

Title insurance is a form of indemnity insurance predominantly found in the United States and Canada which insures against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage loans. Unlike some land registration systems in countries outside the United States, US states' recorders of deeds generally do not guarantee indefeasible title to those recorded titles. Title insurance will defend against a lawsuit attacking the title or reimburse the insured for the actual monetary loss incurred up to the dollar amount of insurance provided by the policy.

A reverse mortgage is a mortgage loan, usually secured by a residential property, that enables the borrower to access the unencumbered value of the property. The loans are typically promoted to older homeowners and typically do not require monthly mortgage payments. Borrowers are still responsible for property taxes or homeowner's insurance. Reverse mortgages allow older people to immediately access the home equity they have built up in their homes, and defer payment of the loan until they die, sell, or move out of the home. Because there are no required mortgage payments on a reverse mortgage, the interest is added to the loan balance each month. The rising loan balance can eventually grow to exceed the value of the home, particularly in times of declining home values or if the borrower continues to live in the home for many years. However, the borrower is generally not required to repay any additional loan balance in excess of the value of the home.

Refinancing is the replacement of an existing debt obligation with another debt obligation under a different term and interest rate. The terms and conditions of refinancing may vary widely by country, province, or state, based on several economic factors such as inherent risk, projected risk, political stability of a nation, currency stability, banking regulations, borrower's credit worthiness, and credit rating of a nation. In many industrialized nations, common forms of refinancing include primary residence mortgages and car loans.

Predatory lending refers to unethical practices conducted by lending organizations during a loan origination process that are unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent. While there are no internationally agreed legal definitions for predatory lending, a 2006 audit report from the office of inspector general of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) broadly defines predatory lending as "imposing unfair and abusive loan terms on borrowers", though "unfair" and "abusive" were not specifically defined. Though there are laws against some of the specific practices commonly identified as predatory, various federal agencies use the phrase as a catch-all term for many specific illegal activities in the loan industry. Predatory lending should not be confused with predatory mortgage servicing which is mortgage practices described by critics as unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices during the loan or mortgage servicing process, post loan origination.

Lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), also known as private mortgage insurance (PMI) in the US, is a type of insurance payable to a lender or to a trustee for a pool of securities that may be required when taking out a mortgage loan. Its purpose is to offset losses in the case where a mortgagor is not able to repay the loan and the lender is not able to recover its costs after foreclosure and sale of the mortgaged property.

A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary who brokers mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses. Traditionally, banks and other lending institutions have sold their own products. As markets for mortgages have become more competitive, however, the role of the mortgage broker has become more popular. In many developed mortgage markets today,, mortgage brokers are the largest sellers of mortgage products for lenders. Mortgage brokers exist to find a bank or a direct lender that will be willing to make a specific loan an individual is seeking. Mortgage brokers in Canada are paid by the lender and do not charge fees for good credit applications. In the US, many mortgage brokers are regulated by their state and by the CFPB to assure compliance with banking and finance laws in the jurisdiction of the consumer. The extent of the regulation depends on the jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second mortgage</span>

Second mortgages, commonly referred to as junior liens, are loans secured by a property in addition to the primary mortgage. Depending on the time at which the second mortgage is originated, the loan can be structured as either a standalone second mortgage or piggyback second mortgage. Whilst a standalone second mortgage is opened subsequent to the primary loan, those with a piggyback loan structure are originated simultaneously with the primary mortgage. With regard to the method in which funds are withdrawn, second mortgages can be arranged as home equity loans or home equity lines of credit. Home equity loans are granted for the full amount at the time of loan origination in contrast to home equity lines of credit which permit the homeowner access to a predetermined amount which is repaid during the repayment period.

The closing is the final step in executing a real estate transaction. It is the last step in purchasing and financing a property. On the closing day, ownership of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. In most jurisdictions, ownership is officially transferred when a deed from the seller is delivered to the buyer.

A home equity loan is a type of loan in which the borrowers use the equity of their home as collateral. The loan amount is determined by the value of the property, and the value of the property is determined by an appraiser from the lending institution.

Closing costs are fees paid at the closing of a real estate transaction. This point in time called the closing is when the title to the property is conveyed (transferred) to the buyer. Closing costs are incurred by either the buyer or the seller.

A commercial mortgage is a mortgage loan secured by commercial property, such as an office building, shopping center, industrial warehouse, or apartment complex. The proceeds from a commercial mortgage are typically used to acquire, refinance, or redevelop commercial property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act</span>

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) was a law passed by the United States Congress in 1974 and codified as Title 12, Chapter 27 of the United States Code, 12 U.S.C. §§ 26012617. The main objective was to protect homeowners by assisting them in becoming better educated while shopping for real estate services, and eliminating kickbacks and referral fees which add unnecessary costs to settlement services. RESPA requires lenders and others involved in mortgage lending to provide borrowers with pertinent and timely disclosures regarding the nature and costs of a real estate settlement process. RESPA was also designed to prohibit potentially abusive practices such as kickbacks and referral fees, the practice of dual tracking, and imposes limitations on the use of escrow accounts.

In relation to a mortgage, PITI is the sum of the monthly principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, the component costs that add up to the monthly mortgage payment in most mortgages. That is, PITI is the sum of the monthly loan service plus the monthly property tax payment, homeowners insurance premium, and, when applicable, mortgage insurance premium and homeowners association fee. For mortgagers whose property tax payments and homeowners insurance premiums are escrowed as part of their monthly housing payment, PITI therefore is the monthly "bottom line" of what they call their "mortgage payment".

Seller's Points are lump sum payments made by the seller to the buyer's lender to reduce the cost of the loan to the buyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage</span> Loan secured using real estate

A mortgage loan or simply mortgage, in civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning "death pledge" and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure. A mortgage can also be described as "a borrower giving consideration in the form of a collateral for a benefit (loan)".

A USDA Home Loan from the USDA loan program, also known as the USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Housing Loan Program, is a mortgage loan offered to rural property owners by the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage Choice Act of 2013</span>

The Mortgage Choice Act of 2013 is a bill that would direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to amend its regulations related to qualified mortgages to reflect new exclusions made by this bill. The CFPB released new regulations regarding the definition of a Qualified Mortgage that took effect in January 2014, a definition that this bill would modify.

In consumer lending, mortgage origination, a specialized subset of loan origination, is the process by which a lender works with a borrower to complete a mortgage transaction, resulting in a mortgage loan. A mortgage loan is a loan in which property or real estate is used as collateral. During this process, borrowers must submit various types of financial information and documentation to a mortgage lender, including tax returns, payment history, credit card information and bank balances. Mortgage lenders use this information to determine the type of loan and the interest rate for which the borrower is eligible. The process in the United States has become complex due to the proliferation of loan products and consumer protection regulations.

References

  1. "What is a Loan Estimate?". CFPB. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  2. "2013 Integrated Mortgage Disclosure Rule Under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z)". CPFB. CFPB. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. "UNDERSTANDING TRID FEE CURES". Black Knight.