Biweekly Mortgage
Definition of "Biweekly Mortgage"
A mortgage on which half the monthly payment is paid every two weeks. This results in 26 payments per year, which is the equivalent of 13 monthly payments rather than 12. Because of the extra payment, the biweekly mortgage amortizes before term. For example, a 7% 30-year loan that is converted into a biweekly pays off in 286 months (23 years, 11 months). Benefit of a Biweekly: Borrowers do not need a biweekly to make extra payments. They can do it themselves in a variety of ways described below, but all require self-discipline. Having a third party set up the procedure and legally obligating borrowers to make the additional payments forces the discipline on them. New Biweeklies: Borrowers taking out a new loan who need the discipline provided by a biweekly can usually do better with a straight monthly payment loan carrying a shorter term. A 30-year loan converted into a biweekly carries the 30-year rate, whereas 15 and 20-year loans often carry lower rates. 15-year loans in particular generally carry rates 3/8% to 1/2% below those on 30s. Rolling Your Own Biweekly: Borrowers who already have a 30-year mortgage and are attracted by the prospect of paying it off early, have a number of options. One is to open a new account with a bank that has an automatic payment privilege and arrange for it to make their monthly mortgage payment every month. If they pay half the monthly payment into this account every two weeks, after a year the account will have enough money for a double payment. Increasing the Monthly Payment by 1/12: Another simple method is to divide the monthly payment by 12 and add that amount to the payment every month. Paying an extra 1/12 of the payment every month for 12 months is the equivalent of one full extra payment. This method pays off a loan a little sooner than a biweekly or a double payment at year-end because balance reductions begin with the first extra payment rather than after a year. A 30-year 7% loan will pay off in 285 months rather than 286. Simple Interest Biweeklies: On a simple interest biweekly, the biweekly payment is applied to principal every two weeks, which results in a faster payoff. Again, however, the difference is small. The simple interest version pays off the 7% 30-year loan in 284 months.
Popular Mortgage Terms
A facility offered by some lenders to mortgage brokers where de jure the brokers become employees of the lender but de facto they retain their independence as brokers. One of the ...
The period until the last payment is due. The maturity is usually but not always the same as the period used to calculate the mortgage payment. ...
An upfront cash payment required by the lender as part of the charge for the loan, expressed as a percent of the loan amount; e.g., '3 points' means a charge equal to 3% of the loan ...
A documentation requirement where the applicant's income is not disclosed. ...
The month in which a zero loan balance is reached. The payoff month may or may not be the loan term. ...
A particular computerized system for doing automated underwriting. Mortgage insurers and some large lenders have developed such systems, but the most widely used are Fannie Mae's 'Desktop ...
Using a brokers time and expertise to become informed and creditworthy, then jumping to the Internet to get the loan. ...
A mortgage Web site designed to provide leads to lenders. A 'lead' is a packet of information about a consumer in the market for a loan. Lenders pay for leads, and these sites are an ...
A mortgage that can be moved from one property to another. Ordinarily, you repay your mortgage when you sell your house and take out a new mortgage on the new home you purchase. With a ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.