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Florida FHA Mortgage Refinance, FLorida FHA loan Refinance

Some advantages of using a FHA mortgage for your Florida  mortgage refinance are as follows:

Cash-Out Refinance up to 95% for existing or new FHA mortgages.

Cash-Out up to 95% of your properties value. Consolidate first and second mortgages into single loan. Bill consolidation programs. Easier credit and income qualifications. FHA regulated closing costs.

Rate and Term Mortgage Refinancing up to 97% of your homes value.

Consolidate first and second mortgages into a single loan. No FICO score or credit score requirements Competitive rates for borrowers with a Bankruptcy older than two years. Competitive rates for borrowers with a Foreclosure older than three years. Easier credit and income qualifications. FHA regulated closing costs.

FHA Streamline Refinance for existing FHA loans only.

No Cost Interest Rate Reductions programs. No Income or Credit Qualifications. Zero cost refinance options available. Easily switch amortization for adjustable to fixed or vice versa. Easily shorten or lengthen term of your existing loan. Easier credit and income qualifications.

FHA Secure Refinance with current mortgage lates.

Refinance your mortgage at competitive rates even if you have a mortgage late on your credit that is directly due to adjusting mortgage. Qualify for refinance even if currently in foreclosure. Complete details of FHA Secure loan.

 Apply NOW at

http://www.fhamortgagefhaloan.com/ 

Florida FHA Mortgage Refinance

As a Florida homeowner, eventually, you’ll consider refinancing your Florida mortgage. Before you decide to refinance, you should confer with an experienced Florida  Mortgage Lender. Our licensed mortgage pros work hard to stay current on the best refinance mortgage programs. Our training objectives are to help each of our clients achieve the best combination of interest rate, mortgage terms, and low home loan closing fees for a Florida refinance. Call today at 1-800-570-0448 or use our quick application to learn more!

For over a decade, 1st Continental Mortgage has been the Florida mortgage lender of choice in Florida because we deliver excellent Florida mortgage rates and superb white glove mortgage service to Florida homeowners. 1st Continental Mortgage loan officers are well equipped to make refinancing your Florida Mortgage a smooth and pleasant transaction from application to closing.

After conferring with one of our loan officers, you may find that refinancing your existing mortgage loan isn’t the most suitable way to meet your financial goals. In finance, there are often many ways to achieve a goal, and a conversation with a Florida mortgage expert can save you time in locating the homeowner loan that is going to work the best for your unique set of circumstances.

Why not call one of our friendly experienced loan officers today for a free review your financial situation and objectives. We’re confident that when you complete your phone interview, you’ll be certain you are applying for the best Florida refinance homeowner loan. A loan that will serve your long-term interests and not just the interest of the Florida mortgage originator you’re working with. Call 1-800-570-0448 today or use our quick application for a free, no-obligation consultation.

For most of our clients, getting a Florida refinance on their Florida Mortgage is the most important single financial transaction they will ever undertake. It’s actually more important than when you first decided to purchase your Florida home! It’s not something that most people do every day. In fact, some homeowners may only refinance two or three times in a lifetime.

Nevertheless, differences among Florida mortgage programs for refinancing that appear small can make a huge difference over the life of a typical Florida mortgage. The hard truth is, refinancing your home into the wrong loan can cost you tens of thousands of dollars or even put you at risk of losing your Florida home to foreclosure.

At 1st Continental Mortgage, we’ll listen carefully to your objectives for the refinance loan, ask the right questions, and use our experience to match you with the best program and lender from among the hundreds of Florida debt consolidation refinance programs we offer.

At 1st Continental Mortgage, we’re experts at identifying the small differences in competing refinance mortgage loan programs that can save our clients big dollars. We’ll be glad to share what we know to help you create the best refinance scenario for your situation. Call 1-800-570-0448 or use our secure online quick application to see how simple it is to refinance a mortgage in Collier County or any of the other Florida counties we serve.

Whether you are motivated to refinance your Florida home by a desire to lower your interest rate, lower your monthly payment, change your terms, or remove a former spouse from a mortgage, we will be happy to help. Over the last decade, we have heard our share of excellent reasons for making changes to an existing Florida mortgage.  We have excellent Florida refi solutions for all kinds of homeowners from interest only refinances for a newly single professional; to refinancing a Mobile Home on land with a low fixed rate FHA mortgage in Wesley Chapel, Florida; to helping a young family avoid the shock of dramatically higher mortgage payments from an ARM.

Florida Debt Consolidation Refinance

Cash Out Refi in Florida

For some Florida clients, the need to refinance is driven by debt consolidation. It’s not uncommon today for borrowers to feel that their credit card debt or other installment debt has taken on a life of its own. We know how to help you get the most for your hard-earned home equity when it comes to doing a cash out refinance for debt consolidation. Refinancing for debt consolidation can help free up hundreds of dollars a month and in some cases, the mortgage interest may be tax deductible. If you have home equity and need a fresh start, call 1-800-570-0448 or use our quick application. We think you’ll be glad you did!

We don’t recommend refinancing a first mortgage to every client as a vehicle to consolidate debt or get cash out. Sometimes a prepayment penalty on the first mortgage makes a Second Mortgage or home equity line of credit a better way to access home equity. In other cases, the first mortgage may have a desirable characteristic, such as a below market interest rate, that makes refinancing simply not worthwhile. We’ll be happy to help you generate a range of refinance program options and to choose the best from among them.

Why not call us today at 1-800-570-0448 or fill out our quick application to get a fast quote on refinancing your Florida mortgage!

Here are just a few of the reasons our past clients have expressed for refinancing their Florida homes:

Lower the interest rate on your present fixed rate mortgage; Convert a high risk Florida ARM to a stable 30 year fixed rate mortgage; Refinance out of a fully indexed Adjustable Rate Mortgage into a FHA fixed rate loan; Consolidate all your high interest credit card debts into a single monthly mortgage payment Refinance to pull cash out for hospital bills, college tuition, or to finance a wedding, honeymoon or exotic vacation; Escape a Florida bad credit mortgage program into a more permanent mortgage; Improve your cash flow with a refinance to an Interest Only mortgage.

With more than 100 lender programs to draw upon, 1st Continental Mortgage loan officers have been delivering the right homeowner refinancing loans for over a decade to thousands of Floridians. Here is a partial list of the mortgage programs that we can help you with:

Fixed rate mortgage refinance with 10 year, 15 year, 20 year, 30 year and 40 year fixed rate terms; Interest only mortgage refi options; Debt consolidation refinance programs; Florida Jumbo mortgage and Super Jumbo mortgage refinancing programs; Bad Credit mortgage programs; Second mortgage, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit options; Specialty mortgage products such as no income verification, no ratio, SISA and no doc mortgage programs.

The mortgage professionals of 1st Continental Mortgage are waiting to hear from you right now about your next Florida homeowner refinance opportunity. Just give them a ring at 1-800-570-0448 or apply securely online using our quick application. With so many excellent refinancing options for Florida homeowners, we’re certain to have a Florida refinancing mortgage program designed for you!

 

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FHA mortgage Florida, FHA Loan Florida
 For first time home buyers and other Florida mortgage applicants the FHA  loan can have key advantages:

 Other FHA Mortgage loan Advantages Include:

Minimal Down Payment and Closing Costs.

Down payment less than 3.5% of Sales Price
Gift for down payment and closing costs allowed.
No reserves or required.
FHA regulated closing costs.
Seller can credit up to 6% of sales price towards buyers costs.

Easier Credit Qualifying Guidelines such as:

Minimum FICO credit score of 540.
FHA will allow a home purchase 2 years after a Bankruptcy.
FHA will allow a home purchase  3years after a Foreclosure. 

Easier Debt Ratio & Job Requirement Guidelines such as:

Higher Debt Ratio’s than other home loan programs.
Less than two years on the job is allowed.
Self-Employed individuals o.k.

www.FHAmortgageFHALoan.com

Other FHA advantages Florida homebuyers should know:

Easy Qualification – The FHA loan insures lenders against loss for loans made to properly qualified FHA home loan borrowers. So you’re likely to find FHA mortgage loans with terms that make it easier for you to qualify.

Minimal Downpayment Requirements – FHA mortgages can work with as little as 3% down and those funds can come from a family member, charity, or your employer. Although the FHA loan does not have a zero down mortgage option yet, you will find that your 1st Continental Mortgage loan officer can point you to many Downpayment assistance programs that work well with Florida FHA home loans.

Less than A-1 Credit is Okay – The Florida home loan program exists to expand the pool of home buyers. Even borrowers with prior bankruptcies or mortgage lates get approved every day for FHA mortgages to buy or Refinance homes in Hillsborough County or any of the other Florida counties we serve. The FHA loan program uses credit quality, not credit score!

Lower Cost Over the Life of the Loan – The Florida FHA home loan rates are extraordinarily competitive. FHA’s lower risk to the lender means a better rate for the borrower.

Safeguards for Borrowers Who Get Behind – The Florida FHA loan mortgages also allow the lender more options in helping borrowers who fall behind keep their homes are get current again: special forbearance, workouts, even free mortgage counseling. Further, HUD can allow the lender to take past due payments and move them to the end of the loan and in some instance will actually pay your past due payments for you. Options to save your home you’ll never get from a conventional loan! In an uncertain world, this is another excellent reason for you to get an FHA mortgage.

Options for Manufactured Housing – Under certain conditions, you can even finance a Mobile Home or manufactured home using a Florida FHA mortgage loan. Call 1-800-570-0448 to get pre-approved for a Florida FHA loan for manufactured housing or just use our quick application to learn more!

FHA Loans Are Fully Assumable – When you are ready to sell your home, you can offer buyers FHA financing! All FHA loans can be assumed by qualified buyers.

These are just seven of the many good reasons to apply for an FHA mortgage. Call 1-800-570-0448 to speak with a friendly Florida FHA loan specialist now!

The FHA program has evolved since it started in 1934 and now has options for HUD insured loans that fit a variety of different borrowers and situations.

Florida FHA Loan Programs

At one point and time many years ago, the FHA loan was the only alternative to local bank financing for home buyers. In the fashion world, there is a saying: Wait long enough, and everything comes back into style. That rule applies just as well to Florida FHA mortgage program. Long-overlooked, the FHA mortgage is becoming popular again with Florida Home Buyers for its low rates and the real security it provides borrowers.

For Florida banks and other mortgage lenders, FHA mortgage loan financing offers the security of a government insured Mortgage. Win/Win! To learn more, call today at 1-800-570-0448 or just use our fast and easy quick application!

FHA Home Loans for Purchasing a Florida Home

Although Florida FHA home loans require additional paperwork, the reality is that applying for an FHA mortgage loan in Florida is not much different from applying for conventional financing. In fact, for many borrowers the small amount of extra time turns out to be an exceptional mortgage bargain because they save thousands of dollars over the life of their Florida Mortgage.

At 1st Continental Mortgage, we have been working with the FHA program for many years. We’re experts at assembling the proper paperwork and presenting your loan application to FHA approved lenders diligently and professionally. It’s one of the ways that we have earned our reputation for closing FHA home loans in Florida on-time.

You may be surprised at how flexible sellers are in the current market and how many programs there are that provide Downpayment assistance to applicants for FHA financing to purchase Florida homes, condos, and townhouses. The fact is, seller can pay up to 6% towards your closing costs. This means, no closing costs for you when negotiated during the purchase contract!

The FHA program offers excellent fixed rate options and never a prepayment penalty. If other mortgage lenders are quoting you subprime rates, you owe it to yourself to make the call to 1st Continental Mortgage to compare the costs of getting an FHA home loan for your home purchase. Call 1-800-570-0448 to speak with an FHA mortgage expert before accepting any conventional mortgage quote as the best you can do!

FHA Home Loans Offer the Convenience of Streamlined Refinance

An FHA streamline refinance is one of the easiest home loans for Mortgage Lenders and borrowers. Since HUD approved you for the original FHA loan, the paperwork to refinance is minimal and the process is simple.

So long as you have made your FL FHA loan mortgage payments on time for the previous 12 months, you can lower your monthly payment if interest rates go down with minimal out of pocket expense. Even if you have been late on your FHA mortgage, you might still qualify for an FHA streamline refinance in Florida under very specific conditions.

Less documentation and no appraisal are just two of the reasons a FHA streamline refinance is cheaper and faster for the borrowers who qualify.

FHA Mortgage Loan
Streamline Refinance Requirements

When your 1st Continental Mortgage lender helps you get a streamlined FHA refinance on your existing mortgage loan, he or she will make certain that you meet these conditions:

Your current mortgage must be an FHA mortgage.
You must have had your FHA Mortgage for at least 6 months.
You must have paid your mortgage on time for the most current 12 months.
Your FHA Streamline Refinance must lower the principal and interest portion of your mortgage payment by at least $50 or convert the mortgage from an ARM to a fixed rate FHA home loan.
You can’t get cash out on the FHA streamline refi.
You must have an FHA appraisal if you are rolling the closing costs into the FHA streamline refinance.
Any existing liens on your Florida home must be subordinate to the new FHA mortgage.
FHA Mortgage Loan Refinance
Programs for Cashing Out Equity

Although a streamline refinance does not allow you to cash out equity, we have a FHA loan refinance program that is specifically designed for borrowers who want to cash out equity to consolidate debts, make home improvements or to access funds for other purposes.

Unlike many conventional loan programs, the FHA mortgage does not adjust the rate based upon loan to value or credit score. You will find the FHA has very reasonable underwriting guidelines for cash out refinancing.

We have helped many clients borrow up to 85% of the appraised value of their homes and use the funds to consolidate debts or to make home improvements and other purposes. Qualified borrowers will have to look hard to find lower rates and better terms than they can get on Florida FHA cash out refinance right now!

Call 1st Continental Mortgage today at 1-800-570-0448 or use our quick application to apply for an FHA refinance on your home in Sumter County or any of the other Florida counties we offer FHA mortgages in.

FHA Home Loans For Mobile Homes with Land

Although some conventional lenders in Florida shy away from making a loan on Mobile Homes or manufactured homes, many FHA mortgage loan lenders do not.

In fact, mobile homeowners fortunate enough to connect with a Florida mortgage lender, who is well schooled in how FHA loans work for mobiles and manufactured homes, can get a better interest rate, better terms, and a lower monthly payment by going FHA in nearly every case.

If you’re shopping for financing to buy a mobile or manufactured home on land in Sumter County or any of the other 66 counties in Florida that we serve, call 1-800-570-0448 and let us give you a quote for an FHA mortgage loan to purchase your mobile or manufactured home.

It only takes a few minutes to get an FHA loan mortgage quote on your Florida mobile home. We’ll wager that the savings on your monthly mortgage payments will make it some of the highest paid work you’ve ever done.

Few people realize that the FHA loan uses the same underwriting criteria for single and double wide mobile homes and manufactured housing as it does for traditional site built block or stick homes. In addition, FHA is one of the very few programs that can offer up to 97% financing on mobile homes on land. In addition, did you know that the seller can contribute up 6% toward your closing costs on an FHA mobile home loan and that down payment assistance can be used in Florida? It’s true! You could package your mobile home financing to create a real no money down loan with unbelievably low rates.

Call 1-800-570-0448 or use our secure online quick application for a free no obligation quote on financing your manufactured or mobile home using an FHA mortgage loan.

Target Florida Borrowers for FHA 203K Mortgages

This specialized FHA mortgage is for Floridians who wish to buy a home that needs repairs or renovations. Just as is the case with a conventional construction loan, a single FHA 203k loan covers both purchase of the Florida real estate and renovation. FHA 203K financing can be used to purchase a property on a site and move it to a new foundation on the mortgaged property and rehabilitate it.

In addition, Florida homeowners can also use a 203k FHA mortgage to refinance existing debt when they finance one or more home improvements using the FHA 203k mortgage program.

Many borrowers are finding out what a good deal a Florida FHA home loan really is. Call 1-800-570-0448 today or simply use our quick application to find out more!

 
 
FHA Mobile Home Lending Guidelines

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets forth these guidelines for determining if a mobile or manufactured home qualifies for an FHA mortgage loan in Florida:

The mobile or manufactured home must be constructed in accordance with the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. A red tag is attached to the rear of each section of homes that comply with the standards.
The home must be taxed as real estate by the local tax assessor’s office.
The mobile or manufactured home must have been built after June 15, 1976.
The mortgage must have a term of at least 30 years from when amortization begins.
The mobile home or manufactured home must be on a permanent foundation.
The axles and tongue must be removed from the mobile or manufactured home.
The mobile home or manufactured home must have adequate skirting and insulation, and the crawl space must have adequate ventilation.

If you would like to determine if your mobile or manufactured home meets the guidelines for section 184 financing from FHA, call one of our Florida mortgage pros at 1-800-570-0448. We’ll be glad to help you determine if the property that you are interested in can be used as collateral for an FHA mobile home mortgage.

FHA 203k Mortgages For Florida Homeowners Making Home Improvements

The FHA 203k loan program is nothing more than a specialized FHA home loan designed to help homeowners make home improvements. It is especially popular in neighborhoods with properties in need of rehabilitation.

The FHA 203k loans work in Florida communities in much the same way as Construction loans for home improvement. Eligible borrowers can use the proceeds from these mortgage to renovate and improve their primary residences.

Qualifying for a 203k FHA mortgage uses the same guidelines as a standard FHA mortgage for the purchase of a Florida home.

 

 

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Contrary to what you may think, you don’t manage your credit applications and payments in a vacuum. Your credit behavior (as some have learned the hard way) is tracked by credit bureaus such as Equifax Canada and TransUnion of Canada.

This information is tabulated, and then you are assigned a credit rating. It’s important for you to maintain as high a rating as possible. The following information shows you how you can be sure to earn a good score, and why it’s so important to do so.

Lenders Have Access To This Information.

Think about it. When you decide to apply for a mortgage for a home purchase, or a hefty loan for home renovation – don’t you want A+ right up there beside your good name?

Your Good Name Is Really What It’s All About.

In the financial world, your credit profile is your reputation. If you have a good record, it means smooth sailing ahead for you. If your record isn’t all it should be, you might be in for a bit of rough weather when it comes to acquiring the monies you need — at the interest rates you want.

Your Payment History.

Credit card debt — is one of the most important factors considered when your score is being tabulated. Any missed, late, or neglected payments are duly noted. Not only does a prompt payment history buff your credit image — it saves you money in interest, and assures a quicker retiring of that debt too.

Timeliness Of Payments.

Actual amount of payments, the state of your credit card balances versus credit available, the number of cards you own, the frequency of your requests for more credit – These are just some of the tidbits of personal financial information that make up your credit profile. This comprehensive history is compiled to show lenders how reliable a debt risk you are. To put it simply they want to know whether or not you are credit worthy.

Your credit score is established with a mathematical formula.

Various factors are weighed and balanced and given a certain percentage value towards your final score. Credit bureaus also take into consideration — in addition to factors already mentioned — your existing debt burden, your actual and potential income (remember you do give out these details when you apply for credit), your debt to income ratio, your past financial problems (any bankruptcy or foreclosure remains a long time on record), your job stability -

essentially any piece of public information that helps build an accurate as possible risk assessment of you as debtor.

Your Credit Rating Is A Fluid And An Ever-Changing Thing.

It is dependent upon your present financial circumstances and any actions you make. The credit bureaus always follow your money trail. Because the formation of your profile is an on going thing, it’s vital for you to consistently practice reliable and responsible debt handling. The good news? The ever-changing quality of your credit rating allows you to continually aim for a higher score. Think of your rating — not as a burden — but as a challenge and an opportunity.

Infrequent Requests For Additional Credit?

That’s a really good sign to a lender. Keep in mind that mortgage and loan shopping won’t impact you negatively if it’s done in a concentrated time period. The credit bureaus interpret this flurry of activity positively — as long as it doesn’t occur too frequently. You want to look savvy, not desperate.

How Much Plastic Is Too Much?

Too many credit cards red flag you to potential lenders. Limit your cards to three or four, and try to maintain longtime use of at least one card. This is a key way to build up an excellent credit history. The amount of credit you use, versus credit available, is really telling too. Keep your balances low.

It’s Your Right To Pull Up Your Credit Report Profile.

This is something that is in your interest to do so. (You can do this online at www.equifax.com). Experts advise you to check it out at least once a year. Doing so gives you the opportunity to correct any errors or misinformation that may be there. Practice reliable and responsible debt management.

Then, when you do actually need money for a major undertaking (like the purchase of a home), your credit rating will be an asset, not a liability.

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Contrary to what you may think, you don’t manage your credit applications and payments in a vacuum. Your credit behavior (as some have learned the hard way) is tracked by credit bureaus such as Equifax Canada and TransUnion of Canada.

This information is tabulated, and then you are assigned a credit rating. It’s important for you to maintain as high a rating as possible. The following information shows you how you can be sure to earn a good score, and why it’s so important to do so.

Lenders Have Access To This Information.

Think about it. When you decide to apply for a mortgage for a home purchase, or a hefty loan for home renovation – don’t you want A+ right up there beside your good name?

Your Good Name Is Really What It’s All About.

In the financial world, your credit profile is your reputation. If you have a good record, it means smooth sailing ahead for you. If your record isn’t all it should be, you might be in for a bit of rough weather when it comes to acquiring the monies you need — at the interest rates you want.

Your Payment History.

Credit card debt — is one of the most important factors considered when your score is being tabulated. Any missed, late, or neglected payments are duly noted. Not only does a prompt payment history buff your credit image — it saves you money in interest, and assures a quicker retiring of that debt too.

Timeliness Of Payments.

Actual amount of payments, the state of your credit card balances versus credit available, the number of cards you own, the frequency of your requests for more credit – These are just some of the tidbits of personal financial information that make up your credit profile. This comprehensive history is compiled to show lenders how reliable a debt risk you are. To put it simply they want to know whether or not you are credit worthy.

Your credit score is established with a mathematical formula.

Various factors are weighed and balanced and given a certain percentage value towards your final score. Credit bureaus also take into consideration — in addition to factors already mentioned — your existing debt burden, your actual and potential income (remember you do give out these details when you apply for credit), your debt to income ratio, your past financial problems (any bankruptcy or foreclosure remains a long time on record), your job stability -

essentially any piece of public information that helps build an accurate as possible risk assessment of you as debtor.

Your Credit Rating Is A Fluid And An Ever-Changing Thing.

It is dependent upon your present financial circumstances and any actions you make. The credit bureaus always follow your money trail. Because the formation of your profile is an on going thing, it’s vital for you to consistently practice reliable and responsible debt handling. The good news? The ever-changing quality of your credit rating allows you to continually aim for a higher score. Think of your rating — not as a burden — but as a challenge and an opportunity.

Infrequent Requests For Additional Credit?

That’s a really good sign to a lender. Keep in mind that mortgage and loan shopping won’t impact you negatively if it’s done in a concentrated time period. The credit bureaus interpret this flurry of activity positively — as long as it doesn’t occur too frequently. You want to look savvy, not desperate.

How Much Plastic Is Too Much?

Too many credit cards red flag you to potential lenders. Limit your cards to three or four, and try to maintain longtime use of at least one card. This is a key way to build up an excellent credit history. The amount of credit you use, versus credit available, is really telling too. Keep your balances low.

It’s Your Right To Pull Up Your Credit Report Profile.

This is something that is in your interest to do so. (You can do this online at www.equifax.com). Experts advise you to check it out at least once a year. Doing so gives you the opportunity to correct any errors or misinformation that may be there. Practice reliable and responsible debt management.

Then, when you do actually need money for a major undertaking (like the purchase of a home), your credit rating will be an asset, not a liability.

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More than a third of homeowners predict they will be nearing retirement before they own their own home, new research suggests.

Responding to a One Account survey, 36 per cent of homeowners predicted they would be at least 60-years-olds before they paid off their mortgage.

A further 20 per cent didn’t expect to fully pay off their mortgage until some time in their 50s, with many also complaining that mortgage commitments were impeding on other areas of their life.

More than two in five claimed not to be able to save because of their mortgage, while nearly one in five 25 to 29-year-olds said it was forcing them to delay starting a family.

However, Debbie Milsom from One Account questioned why homeowners were finding their mortgage such a burden.

Paying off a mortgage should not mean that people have to put their life plans on hold, Ms Milsom said.

She added: It is worrying that homeowners perceive that it will take them until they are in their 60s before they pay it off when they should be spending this time preparing financially for their futures.

Ms Milsom reminded homeowners that there are often flexible solutions for managing payments.

Homeowners with overly expensive payments may also find remortgaging can help to reduce their monthly commitment.

As less people are putting money into pensions, more could begin looking at remortgaging to ensure economic stability during their later years.

Figures released by Moneyfacts have shown that personal pension returns have fallen by as much as a half in the last decade.

The news means that even if Britons are putting the same amount of money into their pension pot every year, their average with-profits pension fund could be half what it would have been in 1996.

These latest figures should serve as a powerful reminder that securing a comfortable retirement will only be possible for those individuals who actively monitor and manage their own pension provision, warned Richard Eagling, editor of Investment, Life & Pensions at Moneyfacts.

The research from Moneyfacts could cause more people to consider other options of financing their retirement, with taking out a remortgaging and downsizing their homes one method to increase the amount of money available in later life.

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Around 3.85 million home owners believe that a non existent state benefit will enable them to keep up with mortgage repayments in the event of losing their income.

Almost one in ten home owners wrongly believe that the government will pay their mortgage if they are unable to do so for reasons such as redundancy or illness, according to new research.

However, the government will not help anyone with mortgage payments for the first nine months of unemployment and after that, unemployment assistance is only offered to a select group of people who have mortgages of less than £100,000.

A further seven per cent of those surveyed by Lincoln Financial Group were not sure whether government assistance is available, and were seemingly unaware that the last Conservative government scrapped state aid in 1995.

Ian Noble, head of strategic partnerships at Lincoln Financial Group, said that the figures were a warning that million of Britons are enjoying a false sense of financial security, believing that the government will provide financial assistance if and when required.

“That is not the case unfortunately. The government is not going to pay for your mortgage if you lose your job, and assuming that it will place people in real danger is a large risk as it suggests they have no other mortgage protection plan in place,” said Mr. Noble.

Indicative of this perhaps is the news that mortgage repossessions are still continuing to rise dramatically, with repossession orders in England and Wales in the first three months of 2006 witnessing a 57 per cent rise.

© Adfero Ltd

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