Mortgage Protection with Life Insurance (2024)

A life insurance policy can pay off your mortgage and ensure the protection of your family's home. Customize a solution with a New York Life agent today.

Mortgage Protection with Life Insurance (1)

The decision to get life insurance is often influenced by a major life milestone. When youget marriedorbecome a parent, you gain a new dependent who may rely on you. Life insurance also comes into play when you take on a large financial obligation like buying a home.

Life insurance for mortgage protectionis a reliable way to establish financial stability and secure a home for your family. Life insurance helps ensure that the financial debt you owe toward your home can be paid if something happens to you.

Mortgage protection life insurance.

Your home is more than a roof over your head. It’s a place where your family will grow and your life will evolve. It makes sense to have a policy in place ensuring that your family will be able to keep their home no matter what lies ahead. ANew York Life financial professional can helpyou select the life insurance coverage that will best fit your needs.

The benefits of mortgage life insurance:

  • In some cases, a combination of coverage types may provide more benefits than a single product solution, better protecting your home in the event that youpass away unexpectedly.
  • The balance owed on your mortgage would always be covered by the combination of one or two life insurance policies.
  • Using life insurance for mortgage protection can alleviate the risk of someone being left with an unmanageable financial burden. Many people want to protect their home for their loved ones but aren’t sure what kind of life insurance to purchase.
  • Customizing your coverage can provide short-term protection when your mortgage amount is highest and long-term protection to cover the entire duration of the mortgage.
  • The combination approach can work within your budget, provides flexibility and can be designed to cover all mortgage payments.

Using life insurance to cover your home mortgage.

There are times when you may need to combine insurance policies in order to meet your specific needs, such as paying off a mortgage.

Here’s how it works:

  • When you buy a home, you take out two insurance policies: awhole life policythat will provide the amount of long-term coverage that best fits your situation, and aterm policythat will cover the balance of your mortgage for the short-term early period of the mortgage (10 to 15 years), when the amount owed will be highest.
  • The term policy will last for a long enough period and carry a high enough benefit to guarantee that your family will always be able to pay off the mortgage should something happen to you.
  • Your family will be able to use its discretion when deciding how to use the death benefit. They can use it to pay off the mortgage in its entirety, to continue making mortgage payments, or to cover another need.

Bear in mind that you have financial obligations beyond your mortgage, so you will probably want the combined policies to cover additional expenses. Childcare,saving for retirement, andmedical expensesalso need to be considered when you purchase your life insurance policy. Your coverage should take the entire range of your financial needs into account.

Mortgage protection insurance FAQs.

A life insurance for mortgage protection policy is a term life policy designed specifically to repay mortgage debts and associated costs in the event of the death of the borrower. These policies differ from traditional life insurance policies because they are specifically pegged to the mortgage. These policies are also distinct from the mortgage insurance that lenders often insist that you take out. That insurance pays off the amount owed to the lender only; should something happen to you, the money will go directly to the lender. Its premiums are usually part of your monthly mortgage payments. And lenders will allow you to cancel such coverage when you have a certain amount of equity in the house and they know they will be able to recoup the remainder of their loan through a sale.

Whole life insurance and term life insurance can all provide a means of paying off your mortgage. With each type of insurance, you pay regular premiums to keep the coverage in force.

Life insurance can be used to help your dependents pay off your mortgage if you die. This type of strategy involves a life insurance often sold as a decreasing-term policy, so your payout reduces as you gradually pay off your mortgage. A life insurance claim is typically paid out as a lump sum.

If upon your passing no one has been designated to inherit the loan and no one makes mortgage payments, the lender will still need to collect the debt. The lender usually ends up selling the home to recoup the debt. If someone intends to keep the home, they must continue to make mortgage payments.

There are no legal limits as to how many life insurance policies you can own. Many people have life insurance coverage through their employer in addition to their own term life policy or permanent life insurance policy. However, each policy needs to be underwritten and may impose a limit.

A house is more than a home; It’s a place for families.

Learn how mortgage protection can protect more than just your home.

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Mortgage Protection with Life Insurance (2024)

FAQs

Is mortgage protection just life insurance? ›

The key difference: MPI coverage pays off the remaining balance on your mortgage, whereas life insurance gives your beneficiaries a death benefit that can be used for any purpose..

Does life insurance help with getting a mortgage? ›

Life Insurance Cash Value

The insurance company also provides a return on your cash value balance. 2 If your life insurance policy has cash value, you could take this money out to help buy your house by putting it toward your down payment or future mortgage payments.

What insurance pays off mortgage upon death? ›

Mortgage life insurance, also called mortgage protection insurance (MPI) or mortgage protection life insurance, is a type of credit life insurance that covers your mortgage if you die before paying off your home loan.

Does mortgage protection insurance require medical exam? ›

Mortgage protection insurance is a kind of life insurance—in fact, it's sometimes called mortgage life insurance or mortgage protection life insurance—but it's generally sold by banks and lenders rather than life insurance companies. You don't need to pass a medical exam to qualify for MPI.

Which is better life insurance or mortgage protection? ›

Term life is often cheaper for the amount of coverage you buy than mortgage life, especially if you're healthy. Most mortgage life insurance policies don't require applicants to go through a life insurance medical exam. This may sound convenient, but you might pay for the privilege of not providing health information.

What is the average monthly cost of mortgage protection insurance? ›

Compare the Best Mortgage Protection Insurance
CompanyCostOnline Quotes
Banner Life Best for Young FamiliesAbout $27/monthYes
USAA Best for VeteransAbout $31/monthYes
Nationwide Best for 15-Year MortgagesAbout $16/monthYes
Protective Best for Reverse MortgagesAbout $91/monthYes
1 more row

What type of life insurance is most appropriate for mortgage protection? ›

Other life insurance types will give your family control over how a payout is used, such as whole life insurance. But for covering specific debts like a mortgage, term life insurance will give you the most value for your money.

How much can I borrow from my life insurance policy? ›

The limit for borrowing money from life insurance is set by the insurer, and it's typically no more than 90% of the policy's cash value. When your policy has enough cash value (minimums vary by insurer), you can use it as collateral to request a loan from your insurance company.

How soon can you borrow from life insurance? ›

How long does it take to borrow against life insurance? It often takes five to 10 years to accumulate enough cash value to borrow against your life insurance policy. The exact length of time depends on the structure of your policy, including your premiums and rate of return.

What happens if a person dies before their mortgage is paid off? ›

Most commonly, surviving family members inherit the property and maintain the mortgage payments while they arrange to sell the home. If no one takes over the mortgage after your death, your mortgage servicer will begin the process of foreclosing on the home.

Are mortgages forgiven upon death? ›

When you pass away, your mortgage doesn't suddenly disappear. Your mortgage lender still needs to be repaid and could foreclose on your home if that doesn't happen. In most cases, the responsibility of the mortgage will be passed to the beneficiary of the home if there is a will.

Is mortgage protection insurance expensive? ›

A regular term life insurance policy allows you to cover your mortgage, plus any other expenses. There are cheaper options available. If you have few or no health issues, MPI will be more expensive than a comparable term life insurance policy. So you'll basically be paying higher premiums for less flexible coverage.

What happens to a mortgage when someone dies? ›

Unless the home has a transfer-on-death deed or is held in a trust, then the mortgage is entered into the unsettled estate. The executor of the estate might use outstanding assets to make mortgage payments until the home is sold or the heir is settled.

What does mortgage protection insurance cover? ›

Mortgage protection insurance

Here are the basics: MPI focuses on assisting your family with your mortgage if you pass away or become temporarily disabled. Home insurance focuses on payments for unexpected weather events, a fire that causes loss or damage to your home or other covered losses.

Why do people need mortgage protection insurance? ›

Mortgage protection insurance can be an attractive option for homeowners looking to protect their investment and keep family members from financial troubles. This type of insurance policy covers your remaining home loan balance if you die.

What type of insurance is most suitable for mortgage protection? ›

The inflexibility of MPI payouts means you're usually better off buying a regular term life insurance policy with enough coverage to pay off your mortgage. Then, when you die, your family has options: They can use the death benefit to pay off the house and keep any leftover cash.

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