Your Team Lender

Generally, a property is deemed “commercial” if it is either non-residential or residential with five or more units; and for our purposes commercial mortgage lenders include any entity that originates mortgages on commercial properties. Commercial mortgage lenders range in type from large commercial banks to private individuals who invest in trust deeds. The distinctions between these different types of commercial mortgage lenders are less than clear at times, but we can generally split commercial lenders into the following categories:

Portfolio Lenders

So-called “portfolio” lenders make commercial mortgages with the intention of retaining the generated asset as part of the company’s portfolio. The two most common types of portfolio lenders are commercial banks and life insurance companies; but this category also includes such entities as pension funds, REITs, and savings and investment funds.

CMBS Conduit Lenders

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) arose in the late ’80s following the savings and loans crash as a way of enabling investors to participate in commercial mortgage lending within a managed context. Commercial mortgage loans that the conduit originates become part of a standardized pool of such assets, shares of which are then sold to investors. As such, the conduit lender may service the loan, but the interest payments are collected on behalf of the investors. Also see the article CMBS Conduit Lenders

Sub Prime Lenders

Sub prime Lenders may be owned by banks, and the notes they generate may sometimes also be securitized; so the distinction between this type of lender and those above is not due to the source funds or the use of the lender’s asset, but simply the circumstances under which the lender will make a loan: sub prime lenders specialize in making loans to people whose low credit scores prevent them from obtaining financing through conventional commercial mortgage lenders.

Private Investors and Funds

A more diverse and fluid category of commercial mortgage lenders includes so-called “Private” or “Hard Money” lenders. The main distinctions between these types of lenders and the above “institutional” lenders are: (i) that the loaned funds generally come from a private individual or a group of private individuals, rather than from a company’s assets, and (ii) that private lenders are willing to take on loans with higher levels of risk and even profound irregularities in return for a higher return on the investment. Private investors are generally even more flexible than sub prime lenders when it comes to property condition and borrower qualifications.

Generally…

Conduit loans often have fairly strict property condition and term requirements due to the fact that the asset must be homologized for purposes of securitization. For example, the defeasance clause type of pre-pay penalty is particularly popular with conduit lenders: according to this type of penalty, the borrower must replace the value of the lender’s return with other appropriate securities if he wishes to pay the loan off before the term expires.

Nevertheless, banks and life insurance companies are not particularly competitive for term loans currently. Many banks have either developed a conduit section, through which they can originate conduit loans for term purposes; or they actually refer term loan requests to an associated conduit lender. Banks generally do remain competitive for short- to mid-term construction loans, mini-perm loans, smaller term loans (under $2 million), and are still the exclusive source for SBA loans.

Sub-prime lenders and private money lenders offer loans for projects that do not fit into the strict guidelines of the conventional programs, including bridge loans, loans on unconventional properties, and low credit loans.

How can you choose the right refinancing lender online with so many of them competing for your business? It may seem impossible, but if you want to be sure of getting a low cost loan with a low interest rate and great customer service you need to find the best refinancing lender. These three things are such important parts of refinancing your mortgage that they are they keys to getting a good loan refinance. Here are the three things to look for when choosing a refinancing lender:

Excellent reputation

This is the top quality to look for in a refinancing lender. You need one with a great history of online lending and customer service. Look them up on the Better Business Bureau website and make sure that they’ve been in business for several years and have good reviews. You want to make sure that they aren’t going to close down in the next year and trust me, online lenders have a habit of coming and going quickly so find one that has been in business for several years and is likely to stick around. Those companies that have been in business for several years give you a better chance of finding a quality refinancing lender.

Good rates and fees

Ask the lending company that you are considering refinancing with for a complete list of their costs and fees. Any reputable lending company should be happy to provide you with this list and it will make it so much easier for you to compare your refinancing options. Of course you want to find a low interest rate, but pay attention to the other fees and costs as well since they can add up quickly making your loan more expensive. Some fees to look for are closing costs, prepayment penalties and document preparation fees. If any of these strike you as being excessively high then you’ll probably want to continue your search for a refinancing lender.

Great customer service

While we all want to find that great deal on a mortgage refinance, customer service is equally or even more important than the overall cost. Poor service can add stress and costs to the loan and if you feel slighted by the company you’re working with or the loan officer is impossible to contact then you may want to continue your search for the right refinancing lender too. Great customer service from a lending company means that the loan officer will be available and willing to answer any questions you might have, he or she will answer them clearly and will do everything they can to help you meet your refinancing needs. You really don’t ever want to work with a refinancing lender who makes you feel uncomfortable or pressured. The refinance company should make you feel like your loan is the top priority to them at all times.

And perhaps most importantly, make sure you do your research and compare several lenders before agreeing to an offer. I would suggest getting a minimum of three quotes before making your decision. Remember that you are free to choose any refinancing lender at all and are under no obligation until you actually sign the paperwork. Don’t rush into anything and make sure you’ve checked out several refinancing lenders before choosing the right one for you.

America is going through tough financial times; it is no secret that many Americans have fallen victim to unscrupulous lending practices and that the most important terms and conditions were not disclosed during the negotiation of a home loan.  We are going through a financial bubble and because of reforms to lending practices home owners are desperate because they no longer qualify for readjustments with their current lender.

As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures but, that measures that most people are taking are definitely not the best ones.  A few years ago property owners counted with their home equity to bail them out of any financial problem but because of the current situation properties have partially lost value and there might not be enough equity to refinance a loan; unfortunately for home and property owners, credit card companies know that the average American no longer counts with equity in their properties so they are constantly bombarding people with ephemeral offers which later on turn into enormous headaches.

But the solution to a tight financial situation is not to turn to credit cards because their interest rate can go as high as 30% (compounded daily) and they will just add to the problem.  Hard money loans on the other hand, are better financial instruments which provide affordable interest rates and terms that will help any property owner sail through this economic recession.

Hard money loans can go as high as 70% LTV (loan-to-value) but, the best case scenario would be to keep the LTV below 65% in non-owner occupied homes, hard money loans can also be issued on an owner occupied property to relieve financial stress.  These types of loans can be amortized over a period of 30 years according to the borrower needs

Stopping Foreclosures with Hard Money Loans

Because of the banking crisis more and more home owners are losing their properties to foreclosure, the sad part is that many of those foreclosures can be stopped or avoided only if the note holder deals with a knowledgeable hard money lender.  In California alone foreclosures have been up 260%, this figure is based on market analysis performed on July, 2008 by housing authorities.

Hard money loans can be used in order to salvage a property and avoid foreclosure.  However, a property owner needs to act as fast as possible in order to avoid interest and penalties from accruing and worsening the situation.