Streamlined Refinancing

Refinancing that omits some of the standard risk control measures and is therefore quicker and less costly.

The rationale for streamlined refinancing is that, while it is an entirely new loan, the information from the previous loan available to the lender retains validity. In addition, valuable information may be available on the borrower's payment history.

The extent to which a lender can offer streamlining depends on how much information and how much discretion the lender has. A new lender that was the original lender and still owns the loan has the greatest leeway. A new lender that was the original lender but is now servicing the loan for someone else has the same information but less discretion. Anew lender that was not the original lender and is not servicing the old loan doesn't have the information needed to justify streamlined refinancing.

See Refinance/Refinancing with the Current Lender.

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References in periodicals archive ?

The availability of streamlined refinancing makes it easier for borrowers to refinance during periods of depressed home prices.

Specifically, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced that starting in late 2018 they will introduce permanent streamlined refinancing programs that will allow borrowers with high LTVs as a result of falling property prices to refinance using an automated appraisal and with no minimum credit score (Federal Housing Financing Agency 2017; Freddie Mac 2017).

PEAS IN A POD? COMPARING THE U.S. AND DANISH MORTGAGE FINANCE SYSTEMS

* standard refinancing and enhanced streamlined refinancing options;

The mortgage default pipeline

Streamlined refinancing, when done through the institution that currently services the loan, relieves the lender from representation and warranties relating to the borrower's creditworthiness and home value, while a different-servicer refinancing requires more extensive underwriting of the new loan.

The rising gap between primary and secondary mortgage rates

A truly streamlined refinancing process would also enable a lender to build note modifications into the mortgage.

Watch these megatrends: what do industry experts see as the big trends that will shape the business in the years just ahead?

More important, their documentation remained fresh, making a streamlined refinancing a slam-dunk.

REFI Roulette

With that developed, "we did do some direct marketing early on in 1998, doing data mining of people in our servicing portfolio," he says, "and offering our streamlined refinancing process to them, and that proved very successful.

The war against runoff

Glory notes that streamlined refinancing guidelines have helped lenders this year.

Streamlined refinancing procedures also "saved us from the train wreck" in the back office, she adds.

Handling the refi boom

2 Streamlined refinancing with a nonrisk-based mortgage insurance premium (MIP)

Thus, it appears that in weak markets, many borrowers may be employing the FHA streamlined refinancing program in a desperate attempt to avoid foreclosure by reducing their monthly mortgage payments.

A white paper on FHA refinancings

The higher premium and closing-cost restrictions imposed on FHA business by the 1990 housing law applies to streamlined refinancings as well, although that is still a sore point between some in Congress and HUD.