ARM Adjustable Rate Mortgage
An adjustable rate mortgage has an interest rate that adjusts
periodically according to the financial index it is based on
plus a margin. The financial index is tied to our
economic climate in some way or another. The margin stays
the same, the index may change, and therefore the rate may
change to the point of the index and margin added together,
this is called “fully indexed”.
To limit the borrower’s risk, the ARM (adjustable rate
mortgage) will usually have a payment or rate cap. A
payment cap is a limit on the monthly payment. A rate cap
is a limit on the amount the interest rate can increase.
A periodic cap limits the amount the interest rate can increase
at the time of each periodic adjustment. A life cap
restricts the amount the interest rate can increase over the
entire life of the loan. ARM programs range from models
which adjust monthly to ones that are fixed for 5, 7, or 10
years before adjusting.
The adjustable rate mortgage is right for a borrower who
wants to have a lower than market rate payment for a
pre-determined period of time.
