Construction Loan A short term interim loan for financing the cost of construction. The lender advances funds to the builder at periodic intervals as the work progresses. | |
Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) A tax-paying corporation created by Congress to support the secondary market in mortgages on residential properties. FNMA sells residential mortgages to lenders (Conventional, FHA insured, and VA guaranteed). FNMA also purchases pools of mortgages from lenders with securities, also know as Fannie Mae, the largest single holder of home mortgages in the United States. | |
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. | |
Underwriting Underwriting involves an analysis of the borrower's creditworthiness (debts and assets, employment history, property evaluation, and other factors to determine an appropriate rate, term & loan amount. | |