7 Ways to Cancel Your P.M.I. (Private Mortgage Insurance) (2024)

FAQs

7 Ways to Cancel Your P.M.I. (Private Mortgage Insurance)? ›

To request cancellation of PMI, you should contact your loan servicer when the loan balance falls below 80 percent of your home's original value (the contract sales price or the appraised value of your home at the time it was purchased).

To request cancellation of PMI, you should contact your loan servicer when the loan balance falls below 80 percent of your home's original value (the contract sales price or the appraised value of your home at the time it was purchased).

PMI can be canceled once your loan's principal balance falls to 80% of your home's original appraised value. For homeowners with existing PMI, refinancing can be an effective strategy to eliminate any type of mortgage insurance, provided the new loan amount is 80% or less of the home's current value.

You can remove PMI from your monthly payment once you have 20% equity in your home. You can do this either by requesting its cancellation or refinancing the loan.

Yes. Even if you don't ask your servicer to cancel PMI, in general, your servicer must automatically terminate PMI on the date when your principal balance is scheduled to reach 78 percent of the original value of your home. For your PMI to be cancelled on that date, you need to be current on your payments.

Your mortgage servicer is required to cancel your PMI for free when your mortgage balance reaches 78% of the home's value, or the mortgage hits the halfway point of the loan term, such as the 15th year of a 30-year mortgage.

Dear (Servicer Name): I am requesting to cancel my private mortgage insurance. The coverage is with (Mortgage Insurance Company Name) and my mortgage loan number is (loan number). I have included documentation to support why I think the equity in my home has reached or exceeded 20%.

A borrower can request PMI be canceled when they've amassed 20 percent equity in the home and lived in it for several years. There are other ways to get rid of PMI ahead of schedule: refinancing, getting the home re-appraised (to see if it's increased in value), and paying down your principal faster.

The lender adds the cost of PMI to your mortgage payment each month, in an amount based on how much you've borrowed. The good news is that PMI can usually be canceled after your home's value has risen enough to give you 20% to 25% equity in your house.

Once the home loan's LTV value reaches 80 percent, PMI is usually no longer required and can be requested to be removed from the monthly mortgage payment. Once a mortgage drops to 78 percent, the federal Homeowners Protection Act requires the lender to cancel PMI automatically.

Why is it so hard to get PMI removed? ›

Many lenders (like Fannie Mae) also require a two-year “seasoning requirement,” meaning you can't have PMI removed until you've made two years' worth of on-time payments—even if your equity has grown above 20%. If it's been less than five years, you might even be required to have 25% worth of equity.

When you get rid of mortgage insurance, you also reduce your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, typically to 80% or lower. A lower LTV ratio is beneficial beyond just eliminating PMI. It signifies a lower risk to lenders, which can be beneficial if you choose to refinance your home in the future.

But your lender won't simply remove PMI when you hit the 20% equity mark. You have to ask, and the lender can say no -- for a while. A lender has to drop PMI when you reach 22% equity based on the original purchase price of the home (in other words, when you owe 78% of your home value).

Whether you reach those thresholds by paying down your mortgage or through property appreciation doesn't matter, so yes, you can remove PMI because your home's appraised value increases. MIP is the mortgage insurance you pay on FHA loans.

Get an Appraisal

Many lenders (like Fannie Mae) also require a two-year “seasoning requirement,” meaning you can't have PMI removed until you've made two years' worth of on-time payments—even if your equity has grown above 20%. If it's been less than five years, you might even be required to have 25% worth of equity.

A higher equity stake in your home can lower the perceived risk of your mortgage and, in some cases, speed up the path to PMI removal. And because PMI can add tens of thousands of dollars in housing costs over the life of a loan, it's important to consider taking steps to remove PMI as soon as you're eligible.

What's more, when you've paid down your mortgage to 78% of the original loan, the law says that the lender must automatically cancel your PMI. But don't count on the lender to notice—keep track of the date yourself. Unfortunately, it might take years to get to this point.