When a property is damaged by a natural disaster (fire, hurricane, etc.), the insurance company will inspect the property and issue a check to cover damages. This check is made payable to both the homeowner and Onity Mortgage. You must notify us of any such property damage.

Yes, PMI may be canceled in certain circumstances.

Automatic Termination 
If you’re required to carry PMI, we’ll cancel it automatically when your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is scheduled to reach 78%. The LTV ratio is the difference between the loan amount and the original market value of the home.

LTV Example: If you borrow $88,000 to buy a house valued at $100,000, your loan-to-value ratio is 88%. ($88,000 /$100,000 = 0.88, or 88%).

Based on the original home value, we’ll project the date when your LTV will reach 78%, and we’ll plan to cancel your PMI on that date.

Early Cancellation
You can request early cancellation of PMI before the automatic cancellation date. Each mortgage investor has different requirements for canceling PMI early.

• In most cases, the property must reach at least an 80% LTV. 
• If you obtained your loan less than two years ago, your investor may require a list of substantial improvements to evaluate the PMI cancellation request. You must have a description of the improvement, the date it occurred, and the associated cost.
• A home valuation may be required to determine your equity amount. The cost of the valuation will be your responsibility. We will let you know if a valuation is required along with the costs and steps to have the valuation completed.
• You must be current on your loan payments. You cannot have been more than 30 days past due in the last year or more than 60 days past due in the last two years.

No worries – your escrow account will transfer along with your loan. The new servicer will take over managing your tax and insurance payments, so there is no action needed on your part.

There are different types of scams. A couple examples are below.

Imposter Scams
These are usually phone calls from individuals claiming to be Onity Mortgage (Onity) employees demanding payments in the form of a pre-paid debit/gift cards to cover trial loan modification payments, escrow shortages and/or to avoid foreclosure. These imposters may be calling from what appears to be a legitimate Onity phone number. This is called spoofing.

Onity would never require payment via a pre-paid debit/gift card. Onity would never request a Western Union payment to be sent to an individual. Onity would never ask for personal information over the phone, unless you initiated the contact and we are verifying your identify.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a call from Onity, especially if payment is demanded, hang up and call us directly.

If you think you may have been a victim of an imposter scam, please contact us and then file a report with your local police department. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission.

Loan Modification Scams
These are schemes where “Foreclosure Rescue Companies” take your money, often by making a false promise of saving you from foreclosure.

Onity does not charge up-front fees for a loan modification. You should never sign over title to your property or sign papers you don’t understand. Only make payments to your mortgage loan service provider.

If you think you have been a victim of a loan modification scam, please contact us. You can also file a complaint with the CFPB online or by calling 1-855-411-2372 (CFPB).