ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2018
The federal government requires mortgage lenders to disclose the "annual percentage rate" (APR) whenever they advertise a loan program. But what is APR, and does it really matter to you? Here's the thing: APR lumps all your "finance charges" into your interest rate. As you can see from the list...
12/26/2018
2
Comments
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets at least eight times per year to discuss and vote on US monetary policy. The Fed controls the Fed Funds rate, which is essentially a bank's cost of money. When the Fed increases the Fed Funds rate, short-term interest rates such as the Pri...
12/17/2018
1
Comments
Your balance-to-limit ratio looks at the balance you owe vs. your available credit lines. This has a 30% impact on your score. Keeping your credit balances below 50% of your available limit is very important. Keeping your balances below 30% of your available credit is even better.For instance...
12/10/2018
Here are four questions that can help you make a more informed decision when comparing an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) vs. a fixed rate mortgage. 1 - How do ARMs work? Most ARMs have an initial note rate that is fixed for a period of time... usually 3, 5 or 7 years. See Figure 1 for details...
12/03/2018