Mortgage Insurance

With mortgage insurance, the borrower pays the premiums, but the lender is the beneficiary. The coverage protects lenders against default by the borrower. If a borrower stops paying on a mortgage, the insurance company ensures that the lender will be paid in full.

Mortgage companies pick insurance providers for their customers, but the borrowers have to foot the bill. Usually, they do so in monthly installments. But some lenders offer programs whereby the borrower pays the entire insurance premium in a lump sum at closing.