WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO LOAN AND WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?

Introduction to Portfolio Loan

When you are looking to buy a home using a mortgage, there are many parameters that a borrower needs to meet to qualify for a conventional mortgage. 

Down payment requirements, loan amount limits, and PMI requirements are a few of the parameters that you need to meet to qualify for a conventional or a government-backed mortgage. 

However, one mortgage loan does not require any such requirement. In this post, we will learn about portfolio loan and how it works.          

What Is A Portfolio Loan?

Unlike a conventional or a government-backed loan, a portfolio loan is generally a mortgage loan originated that is not being sold in the secondary market. 

The lender holds the mortgage and keeps it under its portfolio, hence the name portfolio mortgage loan. 

In this type of mortgage, the lender may follow their guidelines and regulations instead of following Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or any other government-backed securities guidelines.

How Does Portfolio Loan Work?

Portfolio financing standards may differ from those of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and government-guaranteed loans, which may help lenders who have difficulty approving other common types of loans.

Some Common Benefits Are

The size of the loan may exceed the conforming limit set for the state.

Down payment requirements are set by the bank or the lender originating the portfolio mortgage loan.

Private mortgage insurance (PMI) may not be necessary, even if you make a down payment of less than twenty percent

A portfolio loan can be attractive to lenders in certain situations. Let’s say your credit score is not up to the mark due to some unseen hardship – loss of, deduction of job, medical emergency, etc. Such financial hits don’t look good on paper, so you don’t get a typical loan. 

However, if you have a history of strong credit and consistent income, your bank may agree to offer to finance your home with a portfolio loan and have a much faster underwriting.

If you have a local company (such as a doctor or a lawyer), the bank can also offer you a special offer in the form of a portfolio mortgage. 

Why? If you are a business owner, banks want your accounts to be linked to your local business and develop a financial relationship with you. 

For a bank, a portfolio mortgage is a way to create more deals so that it can provide you with a mortgage on your house with an attractive interest rate, a small down payment, or jumbo financing with no conforming limits.

However, portfolio mortgages are complicated to find and qualify in the market. The lender usually lends and sells the mortgage on the secondary market to raise new capital so that he can continue to lend. 

There are no sales with a portfolio loan, so the lender is 100% liable if the borrower fails to repay the mortgage. In addition, the lender does not raise new money to lend many loans.

As a result, portfolio financing is often provided to the lender’s most valuable clients – those who are most likely to generate many future transactions.

Being said that, the elite client should still be required to qualify based on some standards set by the lender. 

Though the borrower may be in good books with the lender, he still needs to verify his ability to repay the mortgage and is completely risk-free.

Conclusion

Portfolio loans are often not advertised – they are a means as an advantage that lenders use to gain a lot of business and reward good customers. 

However, you should shop around and ask your bank and other local lenders if they can offer you portfolio mortgages. 

Portfolio loans are often not advertised – they are a means as an advantage that lenders use to gain a lot of business and reward good customers. However, you should shop around and ask your bank and other local lenders if they can offer you portfolio mortgages.

One of the best ways to increase your chances is to use a local bank or lender for your savings, checking, retirement, and business accounts. 

Meet your local loan originators and bank branch managers and put an effort to build a strong relationship. 

Once you make sure that you meet your end of the business expected by the lender, you might end up getting portfolio financing with that bank or the lender.