Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
Definition of "Private mortgage insurance (PMI)"
The concept behind a Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is pretty simple: it exists to make sure the lender doesn’t lose its money.
What it does is “buy” the possible defaults of a borrower to a lender. Meaning: if the borrower doesn’t pay the premium, the Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) enters in action and pays it on his/her behalf.
The PMI cost is usually included in the monthly mortgage payment in addition to the principal, homeowner’s insurance, property tax and interest, and just like them, it is a separate thing; it doesn’t build equity to your home.
Why do it?
Well, most of the time you don’t have an option; it is a requirement from the Lender that you get Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) in order to be able to borrow the money. However, it truly can be good for both parties: the lender doesn’t lose money and the borrower can get a house even if he doesn’t have the whole 20% of the home’s value to use as down payment, since lenders sometimes waive the need of it because of the safety provided by the Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).
Real estate Tips:
One of the greatest insurances in the world is knowledge! Devour our Real Estate Terms and use our Real Estate Agent Directory to contact a local real estate agent when you're ready to go into the market for/with your house!
Popular Insurance Terms
Type of trust used to remove assets from a surviving spouse's estate, thereby excluding such assets from federal estate tax upon the death of the surviving spouse. This type of trust allows ...
Property owned by two or more parties in such a way that at the death of one, the survivors retain complete ownership of the property. ...
Coverage for a bank in the event of loss due to dishonest acts of its employees or individuals external to the bank. For example, if a teller goes to Mexico with the bank's money, the bank ...
Coverage for the perils of burglary, theft, and robbery. ...
Insurance company that is not a member of a rating bureau or is not under common ownership or management with other companies. The insurance company is said to stand alone. ...
Separate trust established by a charitable entity whose purpose is to receive contributions from numerous donors. All the donors' contributions are commingled. Each donor can retain a ...
Stealing small amounts of property. Insurance coverage is available under a number of policies. ...
Endorsement attached to property insurance coverage that provides additional limits of protection on a merchant's inventories during specific time intervals. The time intervals generally ...
Endorsement to the special multiperil insurance (smp) policy that provides all risks damage coverage for real property. This special form provides only minimum cover, leaving the option for ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.