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Facts About ARM's, Adjustable Rate Mortgages  What is an ARM?
An Adjustable Rate Mortgage, called an ARM for short, is a mortgage with an interest rate that is linked to an economic index. The interest rate, and your payments, are periodically adjusted up or down as the index fluctuates.
ARM Terminology
Index
An index ia a guide that lenders use to measure interest rate changes. Common indexes used by lenders include the activity of one, three, and five-year Treasury securities, but there are many others. Each ARM is linked to a specific index.
Margin
Think of the margin as the lender's markup. It is an interest rate that represents their cost of doing business plus the profit they will make on the loan. The margin is added to the index rate to determine your total interest rate. It usually stays the same during the life of the loan.
Adjustment Period
The adjustment period is the period between potential interest adjustments.
• You may see an ARM described with figures such as 1-1, 3-1, and 5-1.
The first figure in each set refers to the initial period of the loan, during which your
interest rate will be the same as it was on the day of closing.
• The second number is the adjustment period, showing how often adjustments can be
made to the rate after the initial period has ended. The examples above are all ARMs
with annual adjustments.
If my payments can go up, why should I consider an ARM?
The initial interest rate for an ARM is lower than that of a fixed rate mortgage, where the interest rate remains the same during the life of the loan. A lower rate means lower payments, which might help you qualify for a larger loan.
More ARM Considerations
• How long do you plan to own the house? The possibility of higher rates isn't as much
of a factor if you plan to be in the home for a relatively short time.
• Do you expect your income to increase? If so, the extra funds might cover the higher
payments that result from rate increases.
• Some ARMs can be converted to a fixed-rate mortgage. However, conversion fees may
be high enough to take away all of the savings you saw with the initial lower rate.
• While you can't dictate which index a lender uses, you can choose a lender based on
the index that will apply to your loan. Ask how each index used has performed in the
past. Your goal is to find a loan linked to one that has remained fairly stable.
• When comparing lenders, consider both the index and the margin rate being offered.
 The Best Mortgage Calculators On the Web! Please try our Java loan and mortgage calculators. They take a minute to load, but they are worth it! Each calculator has dynamic graphs and charts that change - right before your eyes - as you enter different information. Each financial calculator also includes a View Report option. The mortgage repayment schedule and other reports are fully customizable. These reports are designed for you to print out and keep... How Much Can You Afford?
The first step in buying a house is determining your budget. This calculator steps you through the process of finding out how much you can borrow. Fill in the entry fields and click on the "View Report" button to see a complete amortization schedule of your mortgage payments.
Definitions
- Annual income
- Your annual income before taxes. For married couples this is your total combined annual income before taxes.
- Purchase price
- The price of the home you wish to purchase. This is the actual price you'll pay, not including any closing costs.
- Total monthly payment
- Total monthly payment that you can qualify for. This is the total of principal, interest, taxes and insurance paid each month. Often called PITI.
- Cash on hand
- Cash you have for the down payment and all closing costs.
- Interest rate
- The current annual interest rate you can receive on your mortgage.
- Term in years
- The number of years over which you will repay this loan. The most common mortgage terms are 15 years and 30 years.
- Property tax rate
- Your property tax rate. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000 per year in property taxes.
- Home insurance rate
- Your homeowner's insurance rate. 0.5% for a $100,000 home equals $500 per year for homeowner's insurance.
- Monthly car payment(s)
- Total monthly payment for your car loan(s).
- Credit card payments
- Total monthly minimum payments for your credit cards.
- Other loan payments
- Any other installment loan payments, such as student loans or unsecured loans.
- Total closing costs
- Total upfront costs to close your loan. This is the total of your loan origination fee, points paid and other closing costs.
- Loan origination rate
- The percentage the lending institution charges for its origination fee. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000.
- Number of points paid
- The total number of points paid to reduce the interest rate of your mortgage. Each point costs 1% of your mortgage balance.
- Other closing costs
- Estimate of all other closing costs for this loan. This should include filing fees, appraiser fees and any other miscellaneous fees paid.
- Monthly PMI payment
- Monthly cost of Principal Mortgage Insurance (PMI). For loans secured with less than 20% down, PMI is estimated at 0.5% of your loan balance each year. Monthly PMI is calculated by multiplying your starting loan balance by this percent and dividing by 12. When the equity in your home exceeds the percentage required for PMI, your PMI payment drops to zero. Please note that this is only an estimate of your actual PMI. The amount you may be required to pay may be higher or lower than our estimate.
- Monthly PI payment
- Monthly principal and interest payment.
- Total for down payment
- Total funds remaining, after closing costs, for down payment.
- Limit down payment
- Limit your down payment to percentage required to eliminate the need for PMI payments. Even if you have more cash on hand than required for closing costs checking this box will limit your down payment to the minimum amount required to forego PMI.
- Show schedule by month
- Display the payment schedule by month when you press the "View Report" button.
- Show schedule by year
- Display the payment schedule by year when you press the "View Report" button.
- Total annual income debt percentage
- Not shown. This is the percentage of your annual income your financial institution allows you to use for debt installment payments. This includes car payments, credit card payments, other loan payments and your "Principal, Interest, Tax and Insurance" payment for your home. The default rate is 36%.
- PITI annual income percentage
- Not shown. This is the percentage of your annual income your financial institution allows you to use for your "Principal, Interest, Tax and Insurance" payment for your home. The default rate is 28%.
- Qualify amount
- Shown as "Total monthly payment." This is the total amount you qualify for per month. This amount is the total of "Principal, Interest, Tax and Insurance" for your home.
The mortgage calculators are provided by KJE Computer Solutions, LLC and made available to NUMBER1EXPERT as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice. We can't guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance issues. |
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- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
