Category Archives: Home Mortgage
Lending
The lending of assets such as money, property, or other valuable personal belongings is a time-honored tradition. In the old days of lending, when local banks ran out of money to lend for mortgages, community growth was halted and so was the opportunity for business expansion. The federal government recognized this problem and initiated a plan to restock bank capital by substituting as a mortgage broker.
They set up the department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, as it is commonly known. Many specialized agencies of HUD developed, and you can probably recognize them by their acronyms such as VA, FHA, Fannie Mae, etc.
The federal government ran detailed studies and statistical analyses to determine why loans succeeded or failed. Their studies resulted in a set of guidelines and conditions that loans would need to conform to in order for HUD to purchase them from the banks.
These specialized agencies of HUD then offered to buy loans from the banks, allowing the banks to make a profit. This process has opened doors for investors to pool their capital and form national lending institutions, selling their pools of loans to the federal government.
The government would in turn securitize large groups of these loans and sell them to Wall Street as mortgage-backed securities. Wall Street sells these loans to national and international investors, which helps explain the daily precariousness of interest rates.
Over the years, more Americans began falling out of perfect credit, which created the necessity for lenders who were not as strict as the federal governments agencies. These lenders had the financial strength to purchase large pools of loans, securitize them and sell them directly to Wall Street for even larger profits! They translated higher-risk loans into higher interest rates and therefore higher earnings. Thus began another cycle of lending and mortgaging.
VA Loans
A VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) loan is designed to assist the heroes who served in our armed forces and helped protect our country. Any retired soldier can obtain VA loans, even if they only served during peacetime. There are several eligibility requirements that you should know about when determining of you are eligible for a VA loan.
Retired soldiers who have served a certain span of time are eligible. The required period of time that you must be enlisted varies depending on whether you were active during peacetime or a time of war. During a war, eligibility is given after 90 days of service, but eligibility during peacetime requires 181 continuous days. Wartime and peacetime are actually defined as certain calendar periods. For more information, contact your local VA. Its important to note that if you were dishonorably discharged, you are ineligible regardless of the amount of time you served.
Some spouses are eligible for VA loans, too. If you are the spouse of a POW or a soldier missing in action, you may be eligible. Also, a spouse (who did not remarry) of a soldier who died while serving, or due to a service related disability, may be eligible. Contact a VA loan official to discuss your eligibility.
If you fulfill the requirements, contact a VA loan organization for a copy of Form 26-1800 (request for a Certificate of Eligibility) and fill it out. You local VA may be able to assist you in finding loans, but they wont respond to requests for eligibility forms. That must be handled through the actual loan organization.
You are also eligible if you are still currently on active duty, as long as you have served the required number of days (depending on wartime or peacetime). If you arent in any of the above categories of eligibility, you can become eligible after serving 6 years on Selected Reserve. This six-year requirement doesnt have to be consecutive. Again, a dishonorable discharge from the Reserves will make you ineligible.