fixed-rate mortgage

Fixed-Rate Mortgage

A mortgage on real estate with an interest rate that does not change over the life of the loan. As a result, payments on a fixed-rate mortgage do not change. This carries the least risk for the borrower, but it can make it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage in the first place. See also: Adjustable-rate mortgage.

---

Fixed-rate mortgage. A fixed-rate mortgage is a long-term loan that you use to finance a real estate purchase, typically a home.

Your borrowing costs and monthly payments remain the same for the term of the loan, no matter what happens to market interest rates.

This predetermined expense is one of a fixed-rate loan's most attractive features, since you always know exactly what your mortgage will cost you.

If interest rates rise, a fixed-rate mortgage works in your favor. But if market rates drop, you have to refinance to get a lower rate and reduce your mortgage costs.

Typical terms for a fixed-rate mortgage are 15, 20, or 30 years, though you may be able to arrange a different length. With a hybrid mortgage, which begins as a fixed-rate loan and converts to an adjustable rate, the fixed-term portion is often seven or ten years.

---

fixed-rate mortgage

See fixed-rate loan.

---

Fixed-Rate Mortgage (FRM)

A mortgage on which the interest rate and the monthly mortgage payment remain unchanged throughout the life of the mortgage.