Will mortgage insurance protect against job loss?

Does mortgage insurance protect me if I'm disabled or lose my job?

No, mortgage insurance protects the lender against loss in the event that you default. You pay the premium, but the lender receives the protection. The sole benefit to you is that, with mortgage insurance, lenders are willing to make loans with down payments smaller than 20 percent of purchase price or appraised value. I should add that a few mortgage insurers have experimented with programs that provide the kind of protection to borrowers that you are asking about, but they have never caught on.

All rights reserved. This article may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.