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Mortgage
Terms
C
Call Option
A provision in the mortgage that gives the mortgagee the right to call
the mortgage due and payable at the end of a specified period for whatever
reason.
Capital Expenditure
The cost of an improvement made to extend the useful life of a property
or to add to its value.
Capital Improvement
Any structure or component erected as a permanent improvement to real
property that adds to its value and useful life.
Cap
A provision of an ARM limiting how much the interest rate or mortgage
payments may increase.
Cash Out
A loan transaction in which the borrower receives funds at the time of
closing.
Cash-out Refinance
A refinance transaction in which the amount of money received from the
new loan exceeds the total of the money needed to repay the existing first
mortgage, closing costs, points, and the amount required to satisfy any
outstanding subordinate mortgage liens.
Certificate of Deposit
A document written by a bank or other financial institution that is evidence
of a deposit, with the issuer’s promise to return the deposit plus
earnings at a specified interest rate within a specified time period.
Certificate of Eligibility A document issued by the federal government
certifying a veteran’s eligibility for a Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) mortgage. Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV) A document
issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that establishes the
maximum value and loan amount for a VA mortgage.
Certificate of Title
A certificate issued by a title company or a written opinion rendered
by an attorney that the seller has good marketable and insurable title
to the property, which he is offering for sale. A certificate of title
offers no protection against any hidden defects in the title, which an
examination of the records could not reveal. The issuer of a certificate
of title is liable only for damages due to negligence. The protection
offered a homeowner under a certificate of title is not as great as that
offered in a title insurance policy.
Chain of Title
The history of all of the documents that transfer title to a parcel of
real property, starting with the earliest existing document and ending
with the most recent.
Change Frequency
The frequency (in months) of payment and/or interest rate changes in an
adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM).
Chattel
Another name for personal property.
Claim
An amount requested of an insurer, by a policyholder or a claimant, for
an insured loss.
Clear Title
A title that is free of liens or legal questions as to ownership of the
property
Closing
The occasion where a sale is finalized; the buyer signs the mortgage,
and closing costs are paid. Also called "settlement."
Closing Costs
Expenses (over and above the price of the property) incurred by buyers
and sellers in transferring ownership of a property. Also called "settlement
costs."
Closing Cost Item
A fee or amount that a homebuyer must pay at closing for a single service,
tax, or product.
Closing Day
The day on which the formalities of a real estate sale are concluded.
The certificate of title, abstract, and deed are generally prepared for
the closing by an attorney and this cost charged to the buyer. The buyer
signs the mortgage, and closing costs are paid. The final closing merely
confirms the original agreement reached in the agreement of sale.
Cloud (On Title)
An outstanding claim or encumbrance, which adversely affects the marketability
of title.
Co-Borrower
An additional borrower on a loan. A co-borrower's obligation on a loan
are the same as all other borrowers.
Coinsurance
A sharing of insurance risk between the insurer and the insured. Coinsurance
depends on the relationship between the amount of the policy and a specified
percentage of the actual value of the property insured at the time of
the loss.
Coinsurance Clause
A provision in a hazard insurance policy that states the amount of coverage
that must be maintained -- as a percentage of the total value of the property
-- for the insured to collect the full amount of a loss.
Collateral
An asset (such as a car or a home) that guarantees the repayment of a
loan. The borrower risks losing the asset if the loan is not repaid according
to the terms of the loan contract.
Collection
The efforts used to bring a delinquent mortgage current and to file the
necessary notices to proceed with foreclosure when necessary.
Co-maker
A person who signs a promissory note along with the borrower. A co-maker's
signature guarantees that the loan will be repaid, because the borrower
and the co-maker are equally responsible for the repayment.
Commission
Money paid to a real estate agent or broker by the seller as compensation
for finding a buyer and completing the sale.
Commitment Letter
A formal offer by a lender stating the terms under which it agrees to
loan money to a homebuyer.
Common Area Assessments
Levies against individual unit owners in a condominium or planned unit
development (PUD) project for additional capital to defray homeowners'
association costs and expenses and to repair, replace, maintain, improve,
or operate the common areas of the project.
Common Areas
Those portions of a building, land, and amenities owned (or managed) by
a planned unit development (PUD) or condominium project's homeowners'
association (or a cooperative project's cooperative corporation) that
are used by all of the unit owners, who share in the common expenses of
their operation and maintenance. Common areas include swimming pools,
tennis courts, and other recreational facilities, as well as common corridors
of buildings, parking areas, means of ingress and egress, etc.
Common Law
An unwritten body of law based on general custom in England and used to
an extent in the United States.
Community Property
In some western and southwestern states, a form of ownership under which
property acquired during a marriage is presumed to be owned jointly unless
acquired as separate property of either spouse.
Comparables
A abbreviation for comparable properties used for comparative purposes
in the appraisal process; facilities of reasonably the same size and location
with similar amenities; properties which have been recently sold, which
have characteristics similar to property under consideration, thereby
indicating the approximate fair market value of the subject property.
Compound Interest
Interest paid on the original principal balance and on the accrued and
unpaid interest.
Condemnation
The taking of private property for public use by a government unit, against
the will of the owner, but with payment of just compensation under the
government's power of eminent domain. Condemnation may also be a determination
by a governmental agency that a particular building is unsafe or unfit
for use.
Condominium
Individual ownership of a dwelling unit and an individual interest in
the common areas and facilities, which serve the multi-unit project.
Condominium Conversion
Changing the ownership of an existing building (usually a rental project)
to the condominium form of ownership.
Condominium Hotel
A condominium project that has rental or registration desks, short-term
occupancy, food and telephone services, and daily cleaning services and
that is operated as a commercial hotel even though the units are individually
owned.
Construction Loan
A short-term loan for funding the cost of construction. The lender advances
funds to the builder as the work progresses.
Consumer Reporting Agency (or bureau)
An organization that prepares reports that are used by lenders to determine
a potential borrower's credit history. The agency obtains data for these
reports from a credit repository as well as from other sources.
Contingency
A condition that must be met before a contract is legally binding.
Contract
An oral or written agreement to do or not to do a certain thing.
Contractor
In the construction industry, a contractor is one who contracts to erect
buildings or portions of them. There are also contractors for each phase
of construction: heating, electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, road
building, bridge and dam erection, and others.
Conventional Mortgage
Any mortgage that is not insured or guaranteed by the federal government.
Convertibility Clause
A provision in some adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) that allows the borrower
to change the ARM to a fixed-rate mortgage at specified time.
Convertible Arm
An adjustable-rate mortgage that can be converted to a fixed-rate mortgage
under specified conditions.
Coverage
The amount of protection, usually expressed in a percentage of the total
claim amount, an insured receives under a certificate.
Cooperative (co-op)
A type of multiple ownership in which the residents of a multiunit housing
complex own shares in the cooperative corporation that owns the property,
giving each resident the right to occupy a specific apartment or unit.
Cooperative Corporation
A business trust entity that holds title to a cooperative project and
grants occupancy rights to particular apartments or units to shareholders
through proprietary leases or similar arrangements.
Cooperative Housing
An apartment building or a group of dwellings owned by a corporation,
the stockholders of which are the residents of the dwellings. It is operated
for their benefit by their elected board of directors. In a cooperative,
the corporation or association owns title to the real estate. A resident
purchases stock in the corporation, which entitles him to occupy a unit
in the building or property owned by the cooperative. While the resident
does not own his unit, he has an absolute right to occupy his unit for
as long as he owns the stock.
Cooperative Mortgages
Mortgages related to a cooperative project.
Cooperative Project
A residential or mixed-use building wherein a corporation or trust holds
title to the property and sells shares of stock representing the value
of a single apartment unit to individuals who, in turn, receive a proprietary
lease as evidence of title.
Corporate Relocation
Arrangements under which an employer moves an employee to another area
as part of the employer's normal course of business or under which it
transfers a substantial part or all of its operations and employees to
another area because it is relocating its headquarters or expanding its
office capacity.
Cost of Funds Index (COFI)
An index that is used to determine interest rate changes for certain adjustable-rate
mortgage (ARM) plans. It represents the weighted-average cost of savings,
borrowings, and advances of the 11th District members of the Federal Home
Loan Bank of San Francisco.
Covenant
A clause in a mortgage that obligates or restricts the borrower and that,
if violated, can result in foreclosure.
Commitment
A written letter of agreement detailing the terms and conditions by which
the lender will lend and the borrower will borrow funds to finance a home.
Credit
An agreement in which a borrower receives something of value in exchange
for a promise to repay the lender at a later date.
Credit History
A record of an individual's open and fully repaid debts. A credit history
helps a lender to determine whether a potential borrower has a history
of repaying debts in a timely manner.
Credit Life Insurance
A type of insurance often bought by mortgagors because it will pay off
the mortgage debt if the mortgagor dies while the policy is in force.
Creditor
A person to whom money is owed.
Credit Report
A report of an individual's credit history prepared by a credit bureau
and used by a lender in determining a loan applicant's creditworthiness.
Credit Reporting Agency (or bureau)
An organization that prepares reports that are used by lenders to determine
a potential borrower's credit history. The agency obtains data for these
reports from credit repositories (EFX, Experian, TU), as well as from
other sources.
Credit Repository
An organization that gathers, records, updates, and stores financial and
public records information about the payment records of individuals who
are being considered for credit.
Cure
A loan that is removed from a delinquency status with no loss to the insurer.
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