Mortgage rates are all based on risk. The lower of a risk the loan is the lower the rate will be. Second mortgages are riskier loans. In the unfortunate event of a foreclosure the second mortgage holder gets paid second, not first. If there's not enough money to payoff the second mortgage often they take a loss. Since they are higher risk loans to investors the carry higher rates of return (so investors will purchase them).A mortgage is considered a lien on your property. A first mortgage is in the first lien position and is the least amount of risk because they are the first to get paid should the borrower default and the home be sold through sheriff's auction or through some other type of sale. A second mortgage is in the second lien position and is at a considerably higher risk than the first so a 2nd mortgage usually has more strict lending guidelines and credit requirements and will also charge a higher interest rate to make up the difference of this greater risk. If you also had a third lien on your property, they would have the greatest risk and even much worse terms than the first and 2nd liens.
If a homeowner files for BK the second mortgage is not guaranteed to be paid off. So the lender who makes a loan in the form of a second mortgage vs a first mortgage assumes a higher risk. The lender offsets that risk by charging a higher rate.
Most second mortgages are also held in the lenders own loan portfolio rather than being sold to FannieMae, etc. Given that, there is considerable variation in rates, terms, qualification criteria, etc. from lender to lender.
When you take out a 100% one loan you will pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI). When a loan is sold on the secondary market to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac they will only insure 80% of the value of the home. This insurance covers the other 20% of your loan in the event that you don't' pay and the property goes to foreclosure.
Second mortgages, when used on an 80/20 combo loan program are self insured and for this reason carry a higher rate. Meaning you don't have to carry PMI.
Rates on second mortgages will always be higher because the risk to the lender is higher. The rates will vary as with a first mortgage, depending on your credit worthiness, ability to pay and combined loan to value ratio. Combined loan to value ratio is the combination of the first and second mortgage compared to the sale value of your home. The lower the ratio is, the better rate you will get.
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