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These definitions acquaint you with terms commonly used in the homebuying process. They are intended to be general and brief and are not complete and wholly accurate when applied to all possible uses of each term. Please consult your Sales Associate or Loan Officer for more information.

P
Permanent Loan
A long-term mortgage, usually ten years or more. Also called an "end loan."

PITI
Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance. Also called monthly housing expense.

Pledged account mortgage (PAM)
Money is placed in a pledged savings account and this fund, plus earned interest, is gradually used to reduce mortgage payments.

Points (loan discount points)
Prepaid interest assessed at closing by the lender. Each point is equal to 1 percent of the loan amount (e.g., two points on a $100,000 mortgage would cost $2,000).

Power of Attorney
A legal document authorizing one person to act on behalf of another.

Prepaid Expenses
Money necessary to create an escrow account or to adjust the seller's existing escrow account. Can include taxes, hazard insurance, private mortgage insurance and special assessments.

Prepayment
A privilege in a mortgage which permits the borrower to make payments in advance of their due date.

Prepayment Penalty
Money charged for an early repayment of debt. Prepayment penalties are allowed in some form (but not necessarily imposed) in 36 states and the District of Columbia.

Primary Mortgage Market
Lenders making mortgage loans directly to borrowers such as savings and loan association, commercial banks, and mortgage companies. These lenders sometimes sell their mortgages into the secondary mortgage markets such as to FNMA or GNMA, etc.

Principal
The amount of debt, not counting interest, left on a loan.

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
in the event that you do not have a 20 percent down payment, lenders will allow a smaller one - as low as 5 percent in some cases. With the smaller down payment loans, however, borrowers are usually required to carry private mortgage insurance. Private mortgage insurance will require an initial premium payment of 1.0 percent to 5.0 percent of your mortgage amount and may require an additional monthly fee depending on you loan's structure.

On a $75,000 house with a 10 percent down payment, this would mean either an initial premium payment of $2,025 to $3,375, or an initial premium of $675 to $1,130 combined with a monthly payment of $25 to $30.