A mortgage loan recast is when you make a substantial ($10,000 minimum) lump-sum payment toward the principal balance of your loan. Your loan will be re-amortized using the reduced balance. Your interest rate and term remain the same, but your monthly principal and interest payments will be lower because your principal balance went down.
Take for example, a loan with a balance of $98,000 and is scheduled to pay off (mature) in May 2055. Based on a 6.25% interest rate, the monthly principal and interest payment is $603. In this example we will assume a $20,000 lump sum to pay down the loan.
A recast would modify the loan to account for the lump sum payment and adjust the principal and interest payment to roughly $480, and the payoff (maturity) date would remain May 2055.
For comparison, if the same lump sum payment were applied but chose not to complete a recast, the monthly payment would remain $603. However, the loan would pay off in June 2043 and yield a reduction of about $65,000 in interest over the loan term.
The example is an estimate for illustrative purposes; individual savings can vary based on timing of paying the lump sum payment. Utilize our online tools by logging into your Servicing Digital account and accessing the loan calculator under My Home tab or contact Customer Service for details on how extra principal payments can save you.
Yes, the fee to recast a mortgage is $300.