BankHeadOffice.com         Bank Head Office Worldwide   ♦ Loan Calculators ♦ Mortgage Guides ♦ Banking FAQs ♦ Banking Institutions ♦ Central Banks Worldwide       Home  »  Mortgage Guides  »  Mortgage Underwriting Mortgage Underwriting Mortgage underwriting is the process a lender uses to determine if the risk (especially the risk that the borrower will default) of offering a mortgage loan to a particular borrower is acceptable. Most of the risks and terms that underwriters consider fall under the three C’s of underwriting: credit, capacity and collateral. To help the underwriter assess the quality of the loan, banks and lenders create guidelines and even computer models that analyze the various aspects of the mortgage and provide recommendations regarding the risks involved. However, it is always up to the underwriter to make the final decision on whether to approve or decline a loan. There are two types of risk facing a borrower in a residential mortgage. The first one concerns the size of the cash flow to service the mortgage and the other concerns the size of the balance owing on the mortgage. Respectively related with those two risks are the concepts of liquidity and net worth.     Liquidity risk occurs when a borrower is required to pay higher amounts than what he currently can afford to pay in a mortgage. This can happen for various reasons. For example, option mortgages popular at the crux of the financial crisis, offered low teaser rates, which enticed borrowers, but then, according to contract, reset to higher interest rates, hence higher mortgage payments, which put many financially pressed homebuyers behind with their mortgage dues. Depending on a mortgage contract, negative liquidity scenarios can eventually cause default on the mortgage, and foreclosure on the lien property, or, in other cases a "workout" with the lender that will allow the borrower, often with some penalties, to come up with make up payments later on.   Even if a payment growth does not trigger a default or insolvency, it is still worthy to the borrower to know if they could be required by the mortgage they undertake to pay an amount that will squeeze out of the budget many other important necessity expenditures. For these reasons, clearly, it is important to know how big a mortgage payment can potentially get and compare with borrower's income. The other type of risk involves a significant increase (or minimal decrease) of the size of the balance owing on the mortgage over time. This again can happen for various reasons, the major one of which is again an increase of the interest rate of an adjustable-rate mortgage. A spike in the interest rate, combined with a capped mortgage payment (which can also appear when interest rate vs. payment rate are different) can lead to negative amortization or a reduced loan principal repayment, which, when accumulated over time, would support a very high level of outstanding principal. The level of the loan balance has a significance when a borrower is required (or has decided for various reasons) to move out of the property, e.g. due to a job relocation, i.e. when he needs to sell the property that could had potentially moved in price under its associated loan amount. This situation is colloquially known as "underwater mortgage". Even if a the loan amount does not increase more than a property value, the reduced difference of the two would mean a lesser in-pocket cash flow for the borrower/seller at the time of the sale of the property. This, although on a lesser scale, is also an ostensible risk.   Mortgage Guides Mortgage Basics Mortgage Underwriting Mortgage Repayment Islamic Mortgages Mortgage Types Mortgage Calculator Mortgage Insurance Mortgage Amortization Mortgage Refinance Fixed Rate Mortgage Adjustable Rate Mortgage Foreclosure   Mortgage Tools Download Home Loan Calculator Mortgage Amortization Schedule                 DISCLAIMER The content comes from Internet, reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy of information published. However, information could contain errors or inaccuracies and is presented without warranty and statutory means. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. Viewers are advised to consult their banker or financial consultant for complete information and their professional advise. All trademarks, logos, brand names and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2011 - 2022 BankHeadOffice.com ® All Rights Reserved