When/how to remove private mortgage insurance (PMI) from a loan…
To remove private mortgage insurance (PMI) that you pay on your mortgage loan, you must be up to date with your monthly payments. These rules apply to mortgages closed on or after July 29, 1999. Federal law generally provides two ways for you to remove PMI from your home loan: canceling PMI or PMI termination.
Request PMI cancellation
The Homeowners Protection Act gives you the right to request that your lender cancel PMI when you have reached the date when the principal balance of your mortgage is scheduled to fall to 80 percent of the original value of your home (based on an amortization schedule). This date should have been given to you in writing on a PMI disclosure form when you received your mortgage. If you can’t find the disclosure form, contact your lender.
You can also make this request earlier if the principal balance of your mortgage is below 80 percent of the original value of your home.
There are other important criteria you must meet if you want to cancel PMI on your loan:
- Your request must be in writing.
- You must have a good payment history (24 months on time) and be current on your payments.
- Your lender may require you to certify that there are no junior liens (such as a second mortgage) on your home.
- Your lender can also require you to obtain an appraisal to determine the current value of your home.
- If you meet these requirements your servicer generally must cancel your PMI when you request it.
Automatic PMI termination
Even if you don’t ask your lender to cancel PMI, your lender still must terminate PMI on the date when your principal balance is scheduled to reach 78 percent of the original value of your home. You also need to be current on your payments on the anticipated cancellation date. Otherwise, PMI will not be terminated until shortly after your payments are brought up to date.
Final PMI termination
There is one other important requirement that some homeowners need to be aware of: your lender must terminate PMI if you reach the midpoint of your loan’s amortization schedule before the 78 percent date. The midpoint of your loan’s amortization schedule is halfway through the life of your loan. Most loans are 30-year loans, so the midpoint would occur after 15 years have passed.
If your loan is guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), these rules generally won’t apply. If you have questions about mortgage insurance on an FHA or VA loan, contact your servicer.
If you have lender-paid mortgage insurance, different rules apply or if you paid your mortgage insurance in a one-time fee, you may not be eligible to remove the mortgage insurance