Silent Second Mortgage

A silent second mortgage is a second mortgage placed on an asset for down payment funds that is not disclosed to the original lender on the first mortgage.

Silent second mortgages are used when a buyer can't afford the down payment required by the first mortgage. They allow a borrower to purchase a home that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. Silent second mortgages from undisclosable sources are illegal. However, a number of down payment assistance programs sponsored by government agencies do exist to provide down payment funds from acceptable sources.

When a buyer purchases a home, the arrangement requires the borrower to provide a down payment. A lender will typically request that the borrower completely disclose the sources of down payment funds when completing a mortgage deal. Fraud or illegal actions can occur when a second mortgage is used to fulfill the obligation of the down payment without being reported to the lender. In this situation silence refers to a lack of transparency and disclosure.

For example, let's say that you wish to purchase a house for $250,000. You have secured a mortgage for $200,000, which requires a down payment of $50,000. You don’t have the $50,000 in cash or liquid holdings for the down payment, so you decide to take a silent second mortgage of $40,000. The original lender believes your down payment to be $50,000 when it is actually only $10,000 ($50,000 - $40,000).

A borrower is required to report a down payment second mortgage to a lender since the second mortgage is also secured against the specific collateral. Lenders generally require cash for the down payment which is factored into the overall terms of the first mortgage loan. If a borrower were to obtain a second mortgage against the collateral it would affect the risks and loan term for the first mortgage lender. The second mortgage would increase the risk since it adds an additional form of debt also including new interest payments. Additionally, the first mortgage lender seeks full collateral rights to a specified piece of collateral and a second mortgage would conflict with the first order secured collateral rights given to the initial mortgage lender.

Borrowers do have the option to identify a down payment assistance program for help with paying their down payments. A down payment assistance program can provide funds to the borrower and are allowed for legal disclosure to the lender of a first mortgage. Down payment assistance programs are not as easy to identify as a loan however there are over 2,000 programs across the United States. These programs are funded and offered by government sponsored agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Government sponsored entities support down payment assistance programs as part of community development.

A borrower may be able to be referred to a program from their loan officer. Down payment assistant program funds can also be researched by contacting a local government housing agency. For example, the Depart of Housing and Urban Development has numerous local offices across the United States. Requirements for down payment assistance programs are slightly lower than for standard loans. Borrowers follow similar lending procedures in that an application is required with personal information including income, occupation and credit history.

Down payment assistant program can offer from $1,000 to approximately 20% of a property’s appraisal value. Down payment assistance funds do require repayment with interest. However, generally interest does not compound and is usually lower than a standard loan.