PMI removal via appraisal with Penny Mac (2024)

FAQs

Does PennyMac drop PMI? ›

Will Pennymac ever cancel my PMI? PMI will be terminated automatically if/when your loan reaches the midpoint of its amortization schedule (halfway through the life of your loan). For example, on a 30-year loan, the midpoint would occur after 15 years have passed.

Yes. If your home value increases — either by housing market trends or by you investing to upgrade the property — you may be eligible to request a PMI cancellation. You'll likely need to pay for a home appraisal to verify the new market value, but that cost can be well worth it to avoid more PMI payments.

PMI is automatically removed when your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio reaches 78%. You can request to have PMI removed from your loan when you reach 80% LTV in your home.

For loans that are less than two years old, there must be substantial improvements made to the home that increased the value in order to use the current market value. “Substantial improvements” are renovations that substantially improved the property value or substantially extended the useful life of the home.

Using a new appraisal to remove PMI involves an appraisal of your home's current value to prove that the LTV ratio has decreased due to an increase in your home's original value. Refinancing is another option, allowing you to secure a lower rate or switch from an FHA loan to a conventional mortgage.

Equity. One path to removing PMI from your mortgage without refinancing is to build up the equity in your home. In this case, your PMI can be automatically removed when you reach a certain amount of equity. Equity is calculated by subtracting the amount you owe on your mortgage from the appraised value of your home.

Get a new appraisal to remove PMI

But before spending $300 to $500 on an appraisal, check your lender's rules. Some lenders require borrowers to use certain appraisers.

You can typically remove PMI if market conditions lead to a significant increase in your home's value. You have to make a request with your lender and order a new appraisal.

Yes, a lender can refuse to remove PMI. For instance, if your property does not appraise as expected or you do not satisfy a requirement, a lender can reject your request. However, if you meet the requirements, you can request the removal of PMI.

You have the right to remove PMI for many mortgages, once you have paid down your mortgage to a specified point. Ending PMI reduces your monthly costs. Some lenders and servicers may allow removal of PMI under their own standards.

How do I ask my lender to remove PMI? ›

To request cancellation of PMI, you should contact your loan servicer when the loan balance falls below 80 percent of your home's original value (the contract sales price or the appraised value of your home at the time it was purchased).

It applied the deduction to policies issued in the 2007 tax year going forward. The measure has been periodically renewed, but expired after the 2021 tax year. Currently, PMI is not deductible for the 2022 or later tax years.

The amount you pay in PMI is a percentage of your principal mortgage loan amount. It is not impacted by appraisal. However, if your home increases in value to the point that you have gained substantial equity, a home appraisal will help prove to your lender that you qualify for PMI removal.

Dear (Servicer Name): I am requesting to cancel my private mortgage insurance. The coverage is with (Mortgage Insurance Company Name) and my mortgage loan number is (loan number). I have included documentation to support why I think the equity in my home has reached or exceeded 20%.

The borrower may submit a written request to cancel PMI as of the date that, based on the amortization schedule(s) and regardless of the outstanding balance of the mortgage, the principal balance is first scheduled to reach 80% of the original value of the mortgaged property or an earlier date that, based on actual ...

You can decrease your PMI expenses by bringing a larger down payment to closing. Your credit score: This number can tell lenders how responsible you are when you borrow money. The higher your credit score, the lower your PMI could be. Your loan type: You'll pay less for PMI if you have a fixed-rate loan.

Yes. Even if you don't ask your servicer to cancel PMI, in general, your servicer must automatically terminate PMI on the date when your principal balance is scheduled to reach 78 percent of the original value of your home. For your PMI to be cancelled on that date, you need to be current on your payments.

To request cancellation of PMI, you should contact your loan servicer when the loan balance falls below 80 percent of your home's original value (the contract sales price or the appraised value of your home at the time it was purchased).

Refinance to get rid of PMI

If interest rates have dropped since you took out the mortgage, you might consider refinancing to save money. Besides getting a lower rate, refinancing might also let you get rid of PMI if the new loan balance is less than 80% of the home's value.