Transparency & editorial standards
Methodology & Sources
The Mortgage Curve provides independent, educational planning tools for homeowners. This page explains how our estimates are calculated, what information we use, and where the results may differ from your actual loan statements or servicer requirements.
Calculation methodology
Our mortgage projections use standard fixed-rate amortization mathematics. Each modeled payment applies the selected monthly interest rate to the outstanding balance, then applies the remainder to principal. The schedule repeats this process for the selected term, extra principal payments, lump sums, or other scenario inputs.
Recast estimates reduce the modeled principal balance and recalculate the required principal-and-interest payment over the remaining term while keeping the interest rate and remaining term unchanged. PMI estimates compare the modeled loan-to-value ratio with the applicable cancellation or termination threshold selected by the tool.
Results are rounded for display. Small differences from a lender’s figures can result from payment timing, daily interest, rounding conventions, escrow, fees, unapplied funds, rate adjustments, or loan-specific servicing rules.
Inputs and assumptions
The tools use the values entered by the user, including balance, interest rate, term, property value, PMI, taxes, insurance, HOA costs, income, or other scenario assumptions. When a value is unavailable, the interface may provide an illustrative default. Defaults are not a recommendation and should be replaced with figures from your loan documents or current statements.
Unless a tool says otherwise, projections assume a fixed interest rate, regular scheduled payments, no missed payments, and no changes to taxes, insurance, escrow, fees, or loan terms. Home-price appreciation, investment returns, tax treatment, and future rates are not guaranteed.
Lender information and sources
Lender pages summarize information found in public lender websites, servicing pages, fee schedules, FAQs, and other publicly available materials. A lender’s official page is linked wherever practical. If a lender does not publish a complete recast policy, figures are labeled as estimates or reported thresholds rather than presented as universal rules.
Some lender policies are difficult to find in public documentation. In those cases, our research may also include borrower-reported experiences and discussions in mortgage forums to identify recurring fees, thresholds, processing times, or changes worth investigating. These reports are leads, not authoritative lender documentation. Any information derived from them is labeled as reported or estimated until you confirm it with your servicer.
Lender policies may vary by loan type, investor, state, account status, servicing transfer, and the terms of your mortgage. Always contact the company currently servicing your loan to confirm eligibility, fees, minimum principal reductions, timing, payment instructions, and whether a recast is available before sending funds.
Editorial review and updates
We review calculator explanations, assumptions, and lender references periodically. A displayed review date indicates when the page or source information was last checked by our editorial process; it does not guarantee that a lender’s policy remains unchanged after that date.
When a source changes, we aim to update the affected page, relabel uncertain information, or remove a claim that can no longer be supported. We do not accept payment from lenders to determine calculator results or editorial conclusions.
Primary sources we consult
The following sources provide background for the explanations on this site. They are listed here for transparency; a source does not mean that every lender follows the same policy or that a calculator result is an official estimate.
Private mortgage insurance
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: When can I remove PMI?. This covers 80% cancellation requests, 78% automatic termination, and important loan-type limitations.
Mortgage recasting and principal curtailments
Fannie Mae Selling Guide: Principal curtailment and recast and Freddie Mac servicing guidance. These explain general agency treatment of principal reductions and re-amortized payments, but do not determine the policy of every servicer.
Government-backed loans
HUD/FHA and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs home loans. These help distinguish government-backed loan programs from conventional mortgage assumptions.
Lender-specific information
Each lender page links directly to the lender or servicer source used for its published details. When no complete policy is publicly available, the page labels the figure as an estimate and directs you to confirm it with your servicer.
Sources are external websites and may change their content, URLs, or policies. Accessed and reviewed dates are shown on individual pages where applicable.
Important limitations
These tools are not loan offers, underwriting decisions, legal advice, tax advice, investment advice, or a substitute for your mortgage documents. Verify important decisions with your servicer, lender, qualified financial professional, tax advisor, or attorney.
Privacy and corrections
Financial scenario calculations run client-side in your browser. The site is designed so mortgage inputs used by the calculators are not required to be sent to our servers.
If you find an outdated or inaccurate figure, please verify the current information with the relevant lender and contact us with the source. We will review the claim and correct, qualify, or remove it when appropriate.