Is it good to refinance your home through credit union?
Favorable Mortgage Loan Interest Rates
Here's why you should check out your credit union when considering your options for a home refinance. Lower rates. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions, which means profits are returned to members by way of lower loan rates and other benefits.
Local lenders should be your first choice. Credit unions are a leading choice when picking a mortgage lender, because they offer a wide variety of loans, lower fees, and more flexible terms than traditional banks. Plus, credit unions provide personalized service that online lenders can't match.
Don't refinance if you have a long break-even period—the number of months to reach the point when you start saving. Refinancing to lower your monthly payment is great unless you're spending more money in the long-run.
Refinancing will hurt your credit score a bit initially, but might actually help in the long run. Refinancing can significantly lower your debt amount and/or your monthly payment, and lenders like to see both of those. Your score will typically dip a few points, but it can bounce back within a few months.
As such, refinancing might not be worth it if: You've been paying your original loan for quite some time. Refinancing results in higher overall interest costs. Your credit score is too loan to qualify for a lower rate.
Lower Mortgage Rates
While costs will always vary between institutions, when it comes to mortgage loan rates, credit unions often have much better rates. Credit unions are able to offer low mortgage rates, much lower than banks, because they borrow against themselves, being responsible to their own depositors vs.
In general, credit unions offer an easier approval process than traditional banks. In 2022, credit unions approved 61.23% of home mortgage applications. Credit unions are also more likely to lend to those with less-than-stellar credit and require smaller down payments.
- Best Mortgage Lenders of 2024.
- Chase.
- Flagstar Bank.
- Mr. Cooper.
- PNC Bank.
- Better.com.
- New American Funding.
- Ally.
For decades, bankers have objected to the tax breaks and sponsor subsidies enjoyed by credit unions and not available to banks. Because such challenges haven't slowed down the growth of credit unions, banks continue to look for other reasons to allege unfair competition.
What are the biggest risks facing credit unions?
Liquidity Risk: The risk of not having sufficient liquid assets to meet the credit union's short-term obligations, which could impact its ability to function effectively and serve its members. Interest Rate Risk: Credit unions often have a significant portion of their assets and liabilities tied to interest rates.
Both can be hit hard by tough economic conditions, but credit unions were statistically less likely to fail during the Great Recession. But no matter which you go with, you shouldn't worry about losing money. Both credit unions and banks have deposit insurance and are generally safe places for your money.
If you opt to have the closing costs rolled into the new mortgage, you're augmenting the mortgage balance — the amount you owe — and thus diluting your equity — the amount you own. Similarly, a cash-out refinance can impact your home equity.
In general, lenders expect you to have a minimum of 20% in home equity to refinance. In other words, the loan balance must be 80% or less of the home's value. If you don't have enough equity to meet the lender's requirement—especially if you want to take cash out of the home—you may not be eligible to refinance.
If your goal is to get a lower interest rate, right now isn't the best time to refinance. You're likely to end up with a higher rate, plus you'll need to pay closing costs on your new mortgage. If you can hold off, mortgage rates are expected to slowly trend down over the next couple of years.
Because refinancing involves taking out a new loan with new terms, you're essentially starting over from the beginning. However, you don't have to choose a term based on your original loan's term or the remaining repayment period.
Refinance closing costs commonly run between 2% and 6% of the loan principal. For example, if you're refinancing a $225,000 mortgage balance, you can expect to pay between $4,500 and $13,500. Like purchase loans, mortgage refinancing carries standard fees, such as origination fees and multiple third-party charges.
- Closing Costs. Refinancing your mortgage will come with closing costs of 2% to 6% of the new loan amount. ...
- Potential Negative Impact on Your Credit Score. ...
- Potential for a Longer Loan Term or More Debt.
If you purchased your home or refinanced at that time, you probably have nothing to gain from refinancing in 2023. But if you purchased a home back in 2008 and haven't refinanced since, it's possible you could find a more affordable rate by refinancing now.
As a baseline scenario, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is expected to fall to the low-6% range through the end of 2024, dipping into high-5% territory by early 2025.
What is the current interest rate?
Product | Interest Rate | APR |
---|---|---|
20-Year Fixed Rate | 7.05% | 7.07% |
15-Year Fixed Rate | 6.57% | 6.60% |
10-Year Fixed Rate | 6.45% | 6.48% |
5-1 ARM | 6.06% | 7.15% |
Credit unions tend to have lower interest rates for loans and lower fees. Banks often have more branches and ATMs nationwide. Many credit unions have shared branches and surcharge-free ATMs provided through the CO-OP Shared Branch network. Bank have historically had better technology online and for mobile apps.
Easier qualification: Many credit unions work with customers regardless of their financial circ*mstances. If you think you might not qualify for a personal loan somewhere else, a credit union may be more inclined to give you a chance.
National mortgage lenders provide home loans nationwide and tend to offer a variety of options, but may lack personalized service and charge higher costs. Local mortgage lenders finance properties in a specific geographic location and often provide more personalized service, but may have limited loan options.
The majority of home buyers choose correspondent lenders. Lenders specialize in standard mortgage loans and approve and fund mortgages. Traditional banks work well for standard mortgage loans. While they lack speed and price compared to correspondent lenders, they make up for it in size.
References
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