Refinancing Your Mortgage After Bankruptcy

Summary: It is a general conception that getting a refinance loan after filing a bankruptcy is quite difficult. But you can avail a home loan provided you pay the interest at a slightly higher rate. Generally, lenders do not prefer taking the risk of offering mortgages to someone who has filed bankruptcy. But there are the subprime lenders who can offer you loans at higher interest rates, sometimes even after six months of finalizing your bankruptcy.

It is a general conception that getting a refinance loan after filing a bankruptcy is quite difficult. But you can avail a home loan provided you pay the interest at a slightly higher rate. Generally, lenders do not prefer taking the risk of offering mortgages to someone who has filed bankruptcy. But there are the subprime lenders who can offer you loans at higher interest rates, sometimes even after six months of finalizing your bankruptcy. Filing a bankruptcy case affects your credit status as it reflects your inability to pay down your debts. A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy stays in your credit report for at least 7 years whereas Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is featured in the report for 10 years. But this does not mean that you won't be getting credit - the only thing is that you won't qualify for a reasonable rate. Generally, most lenders in the primary mortgage market will consider offering you the loan only after 2 years of filing for bankruptcy. But you need to be current on your bills during this period. You will be able to re-establish a better credit profile with a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, as it requires you to follow a repayment plan to become debt-free within 3 to 5 years. This isn't easier with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy because it allows for the discharge of all your debts, and you don't have to repay any part of your unpaid credit. But Chapter 13 bankruptcy helps you to prove your creditworthiness while you continue to pay for a certain percentage of your debts including the mortgage. One way to establish good credit within 2 years of declaring bankruptcy is to open a credit card account and make payments regularly. This will enable you to improve your credit score. You should also try to build up a savings account, since the more cash you have at hand, the better. You may also look for a secondary source of income so that you can pay down the debts, which are not discharged by bankruptcy. Maintaining a good credit profile thus becomes a necessity if you wish to refinance after bankruptcy. When you have build up a fair credit history, try to look for mortgage quotes that are affordable, although you may get a slightly higher interest rate on account of declaring bankruptcy. You should also consider the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and the loan fees that come along with the refinance loan. Refinancing after bankruptcy helps you to restore your credit profile. You can refinance your existing debts with a home equity loan that is often offered at a better rate than the other kinds of credit. Use of such credit for refinancing will help you to maintain a good payment history. With a refinance loan after bankruptcy you can thus rebuild your credit history and this helps you to qualify for loan programs with lower rates and payments.