Every mortgage company under sun claims to have the lowest rates. But who really has the lowest rates? It’s hard to tell with all the clever ads and fast talking salespeople, but I will break down how it really works in this quick article: Big banks can get away with charging more because some people will always just feel more comfortable doing business in the bank branch atmosphere.On top of them being aware that they can charge more for this service, they also need to charge more to cover the large infrastructure expenses associated with running a nationwide brick and mortar operation.

Mortgage terms : Closed mortgage – A mortgage that cannot be repaid or prepaid, renegotiated or refinanced prior to maturity, unless stated in the agreed upon terms. Closing costs – Costs that are in addition to the purchase price of a property and which must be paid on the closing date. Examples include legal fees, land transfer taxes, and disbursements. Debt service ratio – The percentage of the borrower’s income used for monthly payments of principal, interest, taxes, heating costs, condo fees (if applicable) and debts. GDS is gross debt service – how much you spend on Principal, Interest, Taxes and Heating. TDS is total debt service – GDS plus all other debt payment obligations. Default – A homeowner is ‘in default’ when he or she breaks the terms of a mortgage agreement, usually by not making required mortgage payments or by not making payments on time. Down payment – The money that you pay up-front for a house. Down payments typically range from 5%-20% of the total value of the home, but can be anything above 5%, if you qualify. Early Discharge Penalty – A penalty you may pay your lending institution for breaking the mortgage contract early. This is usually 3 months interest or the Interest Rate Differential (IRD), whichever is larger. See below for IRD.

Paying attention to your financial situation is extremely important. Here are several advices related to finance terms. Charge cards do not have a preset spending limit and balances must be paid in full at the end of each month. Charge cards typically do not have a finance charge or minimum payment because the balance needs to be paid in full. Late payments are subject to a fee, charge restrictions, or card cancellation depending on your card agreement. You typically need to have a good credit history in order to qualify for a charge card.

Payday Loan Interest: Payday lenders charge borrowers extremely high levels of interest that can range up to 500% in annual percentage yield (APR). Most states have usury laws that limit interest charges to less than approximately 35%; however, payday lenders fall under exemptions that allow for their high interest. Since these loans qualify for many state lending loopholes, borrowers should beware. Regulations on these loans are governed by the individual states, with some states even outlawing payday loans of any kind. In California, for example, a payday lender can charge a 14-day APR of 459% for a $100 loan. Finance charges on these loans are also a significant factor for borrowers as the fees can range up to approximately $18 per $100 of loan. More financial calculators at Mortgage refinance.

Terms: A loan shark is a person who – or an entity that – charges borrowers interest above an established legal rate. Often they are members of organized groups offering short-term loans who use threats of violence for debt collection.

Equity: The value of an asset after all debts against it have been calculated. A property may be worth $800,000, for example, but if it has a $500,000 mortgage against it, the equity the owner has is $300,000. More financial info on Mortgage interest calculator.

Plans and Expectations: Even though Hemlock has seen numbers jump in various areas over the past quarter, the fact that it missed analysts’ estimates may not bode well for investor confidence. Earnings estimates are forecast expectations of earnings or revenue based on projections, models and research into the company’s operations and most frequently published by financial analysts. Some companies will provide “guidance” of management’s expectations for future results. Even if a company sees an increase in profitability, if the actual earnings fall below expected earnings, the market will see to it that the stock price adjusts to the new information (read: drop in value.) This is due to the fact that estimates are usually built into the current price of a stock. Thus, when investors hear how a company “missed expectations” in spite of higher revenues being reported, the market corrects the price of the stock accordingly.

Mortgage default insurance – Required if you are contributing between 5% and 20% of the value of the property as the down payment or to satisfy lender requirements, when necessary. More on Reverse mortgage calculator. High ratio mortgage – A mortgage where the borrower is contributing less than 20% of the value of the property as the down payment. The borrower may have to pay a mortgage default insurance premium such as CMHC insurance, usually tacked onto the mortgage amount.