UBank’s new home loan to waive lenders mortgage insurance for 15% deposits
Saving for a 20% deposit could take more than four years for the average Australian, but online lender UBank is offering a solution to help home buyers get into the market sooner. UBank today announced it will provide home loans of up to 85% loan-to-value ratio (LVR) for owner occupiers, without charging an extra cost known as Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). LMI is usually required if you’re borrowing more than 80% of the property value, and this expense can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. One common way to waive LMI is to have a guarantor - usually that’s your parents or the government via its First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. But if neither option fits your situation, UBank’s new loan will give eligible borrowers with at least a 15% deposit another avenue for avoiding LMI. For customers with LVRs ranging from over 80% up to 85%, UBanks is introducing a variable rate of 2.49% (2.49% comparison rate*), available to owner occupiers making principal and interest repayments. Alternatively, the same borrower group could snag a three-year fixed rate of 2.05% (2.41% comparison rate*).These are ultra low rates compared to the rest of the Mozo database, sitting 78 basis points below the variable rate average (3.27%) and 27 basis points below the three-year fixed rate average (2.32%) for 80% LVR owner occupier loans.
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