When you are refinancing your primary mortgage and you have an existing second mortgage or HELOC (home equity line of credit), the new lender will require to stay in "first lien position". This boils down to who has first dibs on a property in the event of a foreclosure. Lien position is determined by the date the mortgage was recorded. When you refinance your first mortgage and you have an existing second mortgage, the new mortgage will have a recording date that is after the existing second mortgage. Technically, that would put the second mortgage or HELOC in "first lien" position, which would not be allowed with the new lender.
What are your options when you have a second mortgage and want to refinance? NOTE: please review your options with your mortgage professional before you take any action as there may be certain procedures that need to be followed in order to have a successful refinance.
- Pay off and close the second mortgage with your own assets.
- Pay off and close the second mortgage with the refinance.
- Restructure the mortgages with a simultaneous new first and new second mortgage. (Yes, piggy back second mortgages have returned).
- Request the second mortgage subordinate their lien position with the new first mortgage.
Pay off and close the second mortgage with your own assets. This seems like a pretty straight forward solution assuming you (a) have the additional assets and (b) this is how you want to use those assets. Even if you have a "zero balance" on your HELOC, the lender may have to consider the full line of credit into your debt to income ratios (as if you have maxed out your credit line). If you do select this option, please do consult your mortgage originator.
Pay off and close the second mortgage with funds from the refinance. This may work assuming you have enough home equity to increase your loan amount to include the second mortgage with your refinance. If you obtained the second mortgage after you purchased your home, including it in the refinance creates a "cash out refinance" which has different guidelines and loan to value restrictions than a "rate term refinance". If you are considering a HARP (Home Affordable Refinance Program) refinance, the second mortgage cannot be included in the refinance regardless of when it was acquired.
Restructure your mortgages with a new first and second mortgage (piggy back). Lenders are offering piggy back second mortgages again. If you have enough home equity, this may be an option to consider. The lenders I work with currently offer up to an combined maximum loan to value of 85% and you must have a 720 credit score or higher.
Request the second mortgage subordinate their lien position. If the above options are not available or appealing to you, the new lender will require that the second mortgage (or heloc) subordinate their lien position. This isn't something that the second mortgage is required to do - it is up to the second mortgage lien holder IF they will allow the subordination to take place. With a subordination, the second mortgage still exist and the terms will remain the same (unless the second mortgage requires adjustments to the credit line).
This process generally does not take place until towards the end of the refinance process, when there is a loan approval with the new first mortgage, often times including an appraisal. The request is submitted to the second mortgage, often with a fee ranging from $100 - $300, for review. I have seen subordination request approved with no issues, approved with the HELOC being required to be paid down with the credit line reduced or closed and sometimes subordination request are not approved. It's one of those situations where "we won't know until we get there". Worse case scenario, a home owner could be out their deposits for the appraisal and request for subordination fees.
If a home owner is refinancing with a Home Affordable Refi (HARP 2) and requiring a subordination, assuming their appraisal is waived, if the second lien holder denies the subordination, they've probably only lost their request for subordination fee (and time). It's also possible that the second lien holder may require an appraisal to process the subordination even though the first mortgage (new HARP refi) is not requiring one.
I'm hoping that second mortgages will be more flexible, as are private mortgage insurance companies, with HARP 2 and allow more subordinations without appraisals. It only makes sense to allow the home owner to reduce their monthly payments which reduces the chance of foreclosure. However, banks don't always do what is "common sense". If you qualify for a HARP refi, and you do not have a waived appraisal during this phase, you may want to wait for the next release of expanded guidelines.
If you are interested in refinancing your home located anywhere in Washington, please contact me, I'm happy to help you! Click here for a HARP 2 rate quote and here for all other mortgage rate quotes.
