Graduated Payment Mortgage (GPM) - Back To Mortgage Programs
A graduated payment mortgage loan, often referred to as GPM, is a mortgage with low initial monthly payments which gradually increase over a specified time frame. These plans are mostly geared towards young men and women who cannot afford large payments now, but can realistically expect to do better financially in the future. For instance a medical student who is just about to finish medical school might not have the financial capability to pay for a mortgage loan, but once he graduates, it is more than probable that he will be earning a high income. It is a form of negative amortization loan.
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GPMs are available in 30 year and 15 year amortization, and for both conforming and jumbo mortgage. Over a period of time, typically 5 to 15 years, the monthly payments increase every year according a predetermined percentage. For instance, a borrower may have a 30-year graduated payment mortgage with monthly payments that increase by 7 % every year for five years. At the end of five years, the increases stop. The borrower would then pay this new increased amount monthly for the rest of the 25-year loan term. [1]
The graduated payment mortgage seems to be an attractive option for first-time home buyers or those who currently do not have the resources to afford high monthly home mortgage payments. Even though the amounts of payments are drawn out and scheduled, it requires borrowers to predict their future earnings potential and how much they are able to pay in the future, which may be tricky. Borrowers could overestimate their future earning potential and not be able to keep up with the increased monthly payments.
Eventually, even if the graduated payment mortgage lets borrowers save at the present time by paying low monthly amounts; the overall expense of a graduated payment mortgage loan is higher than that of conventional mortgages, especially when negative amortization is involved.
The GPM is another alternative to the conventional adjustable rate mortgage, and is making a comeback as borrowers and mortgage companies seek alternatives to assist in qualifying for home financing
Unlike an ARM, GPMs have a fixed note rate and payment schedule. With a GPM the payments are usually fixed for one year at a time. Each year for five years the payments graduate at 7.5% - 12.5% of the previous years payment.
GPMs are available in 30 year and 15 year amortization, and for both conforming and jumbo loans. With the graduated payments and a fixed note rate, GPMs have scheduled negative amortization of approximately 10% - 12% of the loan amount depending on the note rate. The higher the note rate the larger degree of negative amortization. This compares to the possible negative amortization of a monthly adjusting ARM of 10% of the loan amount. Both loans give the consumer the ability to pay the additional principal and avoid the negative amortization. In contrast, the GPM has a fixed payment schedule so the additional principal payments reduce the term of the loan. The ARMs additional payments avoid the negative amortization and the payments decrease while the term of the loan remains constant.
The scheduled negative amortization on a GPM differs depending on the amortization schedule, the note rate and the payment increases of the loan. GPM loans with 7.5% annual payment increases offer the lowest qualifying rate but the largest amount of negative amortization.
On a loan of $150,000, with a 30 year amortization and a note rate of 10.50% with 12.5% annual payment increases, the negative amortization continues for 60 months. The qualifying rate is 5.75% and the negative amortization is 11.34% (approximately $17,010).
The note rate of a GPM is traditionally .5% to .75% higher than the note rate of a straight fixed rate mortgage. The higher note rate and scheduled negative amortization of the GPM makes the cost of the mortgage more expensive to the borrower in the long run. In addition, the borrowers monthly payment can increase by as much as 50% by the final payment adjustment.
The lower qualifying rate of the GPM can help borrowers maximize their purchasing power, and can be useful in a market with rapid appreciation. In markets where appreciation is moderate, and a borrower needs to move during the scheduled negative amortization period they could create an unpleasant situation.