Key an Eye on Your Mortgage PaymentsIn previous decades, when a borrower missed a payment on a mortgage, the lender would often consider them one month behind until they eventually caught up. Most lenders would impose a late fee and other interest or penalties, tacking them onto the back end of the loan as long as the lender stayed current with the rest of their payments. With the number of bankruptcy filings creeping higher each year, and with increasing pressure on lenders to return dividends to shareholders, mortgage companies have quietly resorted to creative accounting practices to put pressure on slow payers. Under new rules, a mortgage lender can ding your credit report every month that you are behind on a payment. In addition, they can impose penalties and late fees during the month you missed your payment. To add insult to injury, if you neglect to catch up with your payments the following month and you don't pay all of your late fees, the lender can impose late fees - on your late fees. You might miss a payment for any number of reasons. It could be something as innocent as a check getting lost in the mail. Or it could be a symptom of a bigger problem like a divorce or a job loss. Either way, you receive equal treatment. And the news gets worse. Many mortgage lenders have added clauses to their agreements that stipulate they can initiate a foreclosure on your home if you miss a predetermined number of consecutive payments, or if you miss too many payments in a given period. Therefore, you may only be a few hundred dollars behind on your mortgage, but you could find yourself in the same situation as someone who has not made payments on their home in six months. For example, if your March payment arrived one day late, you incur a $50 late fee. Because you use a coupon book to track your loan, you might not even know you were assessed that fee in the first place. Although your next five payments arrived on time, your lender could charge you a late fee in April for failing to pay your March late fee. They could then charge you two late fees in May, for missing your March and April fees. Before long, the late fees snowball out of control and you have to take drastic measures to save your home. T herefore, experts recommend that you use secure online banking to make mortgage payments that can be independently traced and verified. Call your lender's automated customer service line at least once each month to confirm that your payment has been received, and that you are current on all outstanding installments and past late fees. A little extra care and recordkeeping on your part can prevent much frustration. Kevin Adelsberg is a writer for FasteMortgage.com. For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about mortgages, please visit us at http://www.FasteMortgage.com
MORE RESOURCES updated Wed. April / 24 / 2024 Should You Refinance Halfway Through Your Mortgage? Bankrate.com 10-year refinance rates: What to know about the current market CNN Underscored Only Half Of Black Seniors Approved For Home Repair Or Refinance Loans To Age In Place Block Club Chicago 15-Year Mortgage Refinance Rates: Compare Current Rates Business Insider How to Refinance Your Mortgage NerdWallet Will Interest Rates Go Down in May 2024? | Mortgage Rates Forecast The Mortgage Reports Average Mortgage Interest Rates: Mortgage Rates by Credit Score, Year, and Loan Type Business Insider Loan Modification Vs. Refinance Bankrate.com Mortgage Rates This Week NerdWallet 30-Year Mortgage Refinance Rates Business Insider Mortgage Interest Rates Today, April 22, 2024 | The Still-Hot Economy is Keeping Rates High Business Insider Mortgage Interest Rates Today, April 21, 2024 | Rates Remain Near 7% Business Insider Mortgage Interest Rates Today, April 19, 2024 | High Rates Make for a Challenging Homebuying Season Business Insider The best mortgage lenders for refinancing in April 2024 CNN Underscored How To Choose The Right Kind Of Refinance For You Bankrate.com Mortgage Interest Rates Today, April 20, 2024 | Rates Remain Elevated, but They Could Fall Later This Year Business Insider Should You Refinance Your Mortgage In 2024? Bankrate.com How To Refinance A Rental House Bankrate.com Best Mortgage Refinance Lenders In 2024 Bankrate.com Current mortgage refinance rates CNN Underscored Best Mortgage Refinance Lenders of April 2024 Business Insider When to Consider Refinancing Your Mortgage Business Insider How To Get A Home Equity Loan With Bad Credit Bankrate.com Mortgage Rates Chart | Historical and Current Rate Trends The Mortgage Reports Refinance Requirements: What You Need to Refinance Your Home in 2024 The Mortgage Reports Mortgage Rate Forecast February 2024 Bankrate.com How Soon Can You Refinance a Mortgage? NerdWallet Refinancing a Home Equity Loan (2024 Guide) MarketWatch Conventional Refinance Rates and Guidelines for 2024 The Mortgage Reports Mortgage Rate History: 1970s to 2023 Bankrate.com 30-year refinance rates: What to know CNN Underscored Current 15-year refinance rates — and lenders that offer them CNN Underscored When should I refinance my mortgage? To determine if a refinance is the right move for you, you’ll need to know the ... The Wall Street Journal Best Refinance Lenders of April 2024: Refinance Your Mortgage The Motley Fool With property values strong in 2023, many homeowners tapped home equity lines of credit, pushing total HELOC ... Miami Herald Pros and Cons of a Cash-Out Refinance Bankrate.com Should I Refinance My Mortgage Now? When to Refinance As Rates Drop Business Insider What Credit Score Do I Need To Refinance? Bankrate.com Office of Research blog: A look at cash-out refinance mortgages and their borrowers between 2013 to 2023 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Sales Pitch for an 8% Mortgage: Buy Now, Refinance Later—for Free The Wall Street Journal Will Mortgage Rates Go Down in 2024? What Homebuyers Should Expect Business Insider Mortgage Interest Rates Today, April 16, 2024 | Rates Remain Elevated After Last Week's Spike Business Insider Mobile Home Refinancing | Loans & Rates 2023 The Mortgage Reports Mortgage Refinance Demand Pops UrbanTurf Current mortgage interest rates: Mortgage rates today CNN Underscored CFPB Releases Study of Refinance Mortgage Loans Between 2013 and 2023 Consumer Finance Monitor
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