[quote author="lendingmaestro" date=1209718796][quote author="Joe33" date=1209710494][quote author="halfnote19" date=1209704581]The prime rate dropping does not mean mortgage rates will drop.
There is another thread that talkes about this.
If you search for interest rate (my search is not working) you will find more than enough info on this topic.</blockquote>
I think what the first poster is talking about is that when the initial fixed term on an ARM expires, it moves to a floating rate. Usually those floating rates are based on a spread over an index.....usually Libor. The Fed lowering rates can definitely have an impact on Libor.
I think when my loan resets at the end of 2009 it moves to a 225 bps spread over Libor. Last I checked, 30 day Libor was at 2.75%. So if my fixed rate period were to expire today, my current rate would be 5.0%, which would actually be a decline from my fixed rate that I am currently paying.
A year ago, 30 day Libor was at 5.25%. So an ARM that came out of its fixed period a year ago was re-set at 7.5%....today it is at 5.0%. That is what he is referring to...if your ARM expires today, you may actually be better off in the short term.</blockquote>
First of all, the Prime rate is not 2%. The Prime rate is 5.0%.
Second, the FED lowering the discount rate will NOT put downward pressures on LIBOR, it will have the opposite effect. In fact LIBOR has been screaming upwards the last few weeks.
Most 5, 7, and 10 year fixed rate ARMS use either the 6 month or 1 year LIBOR as their index, not the 1 month or 3 month. The current 6 mos LIBOR is 2.965% and the one year is 3.08%. A 2.25% margin is very good. The problem was that banks paid brokers a higher YSP(yield spread premium) if they gave the borrower a higher margin. From my experience the average margin is between 2.5 and 2.75%.
Another factor to keep in mind is the loss of the interest only option on these fixed rate arms. Any 5 year ARM that adjusts this year, whether interest only or not, was originated in 2003. This means they probably have a ridiculously low rate. Let's say they have a rate of 5.5% and there is no difference in rate when the loan adjusts. The monthly IO payment on a 500k loan @ 5.5% is only $2,291.67. Their new P&I;payment will now need to be AMORTIZED OVER THE REMAINING 25 YEARS. Not 30. This puts the payment @$3,070.44 a month.
<strong>$779 more a month! And this is with NO increase in interest.</strong></blockquote>
OK. One year ago, the Fed Funds Rate was 5.25% and Prime was 8.25%. Today, Fed Funds are at 2% and Prime is at 5%...
One Year ago, the Fed Funds Rate was 5.25% and (1-yr) LIBOR was 5.4%. Today, Fed Funds are at 2% and (1-yr) LIBOR is at 3.1%...
In both cases, I see a 3% drop in Fed Funds, joined by commensurate drops in both the Prime and the LIBOR... of course the individual loans are governed by the respective margin agreements... but yes, the drop in Fed Rates will draw-out the pain of the resets... and is giving anyone with a pulse a good opportunity to either stabilize their situation OR get ready for the carnage to follow an aggressive Fed Increase to stave off inflation in a year or two.