One of the unfortunate benefits of a slowing economy is low levels of interest rates and hence low mortgage rates.  Mortgage rates have hovered near record lows for well over a year are still sitting near record lows and have continued for far longer than most economists had expected. 

When mortgage rates move substantially lower, mortgage refinance activity generally rises.  In the past year, as mortgage rates have drifted lower and remained low, mortgage refinance activity has changed very little.

Certainly, a share of the diminished refinance activity is brought on by a drop in home values and an increase in unemployment.  While these factors will surely put a damper on mortgage activity, both purchase and refinances, it appears as though it does not explain away the current low levels of mortgage refinancing.

Additional factors weighing on consumers and their ability to refinance debt may include lower credit scores for many potential home loan borrowers and tighter lending standards.  But there still remains a large segment of existing mortgage borrowers that have not taken advantage of the current low rate environment.

A simple procedure to evaluate the possible savings with a mortgage refinance is to utilize the mortgage calculators including the mortgage payment calculator and mortgage refinance calculator. The free mortgage calculators can quickly ascertain the savings with a mortgage refinance based on information about the existing mortgage balance, current mortgage rates and the new mortgage term being evaluated.

With the wide variety of mortgage options and the changing lending environment, the mortgage calculator can be an essential tool to help review all the options and the benefits of a refinance transaction.  By changing the mortgage rate entry in the mortgage calculator as well as the mortgage term, the user can compare several mortgage loan alternatives quickly and efficiently.

A mortgage refinance calculator can not only measure the monthly savings that comes with a lower payment but can also measure the long term cost savings over the life of the loan on a number of different loan choices.  The mortgage calculators can also factor in savings by using a mortgage refinance to consolidate additional debt into the new mortgage loan.

An added surprising, benefit of lower mortgage volume is the increased level of customer service.  With fewer mortgage loans to process and underwrite, mortgage lenders have more time for customer service and assistance with mortgage applications.  Use the mortgage calculators to compare the options and savings and then shop for the mortgage lenders that offer the best rates and service to help with the transaction.

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