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Amortization
The gradual repayment of a mortgage by installments. As you pay back the loan, an increasing amount of each payment is applied to principal and a lesser amount is applied to interest. Amortization is also a process of spreading a cost that is incurred upfront over the term of the loan or life of the asset. |
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Debt ratio or Debt-to-Income Ratio
The ratio, expressed as a percentage, is calculated by dividing the monthly payment of long-term debts by gross monthly income. |
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Graduated Payment Mortgage (GPM)
A type of flexible-payment mortgage where the payments increase for a specified period of time and then level off. This type of mortgage has negative amortization built into it. |
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Refinancing
The process of paying off one loan with the proceeds from a new loan secured by the same property. The main reasons for refinancing is to better the borrower with a lower interest rates, loan term reduction, switch to or from a fixed or ARM loan, receive cash out, debt consolidation, or to eliminate a balloon payment. |
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