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Conforming Loan Single-family home loans with a maximum loan amount of $359,650 that is typically higher than FHA and VA loans with lower interest rates. | |
Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) Federal law that requires lenders and other creditors to make credit equally available without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status or receipt of income from public assistance programs. | |
Index rate An index is a widely used published interest rate that lenders use to set the interest rate on loans. 10-year U.S. Treasury securities are often used for 30-year fixed-rate loans. ARM loans are commonly based upon the, one-, three-, and five-year U.S. Treasury security yields; the monthly average interest rate on loans closed by savings and loan institutions; or the monthly average costs-of-funds incurred by savings and loans. Lenders adjust the interest rate up or down on an adjustable rate mortgage by measuring the difference between a current index rate to the ARM interest rate, and adding a margin. | |
Two-Step Mortgage A mortgage in which the borrower receives a below-market interest rate for a specified number of years (commonly seven or 10 years). At the end of the 10 years for example, the interest rate is adjusted (within certain limits) to market conditions at that time. The lender sometimes has the option to call the loan due with 30 days notice at the end of seven or 10 years. also called Super Seven or Premier mortgage. | |