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What is an APR
What is an APR? What is the difference between regular interest rate versus APR? How do you calculate APR on my mortgage interest rate? Is there a formula to calculate APR? Can we go over case scenarios calculating APRs?
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4 Replies
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Great question, Tina. The APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate. It is the yearly cost of borrowing money and is broader in scope than the regular interest rate. Allow me to explain.
Regular Interest Rate vs. APR:
Regular Interest Rate: This is the basic rate charged on the principal of a loan.
APR: This includes not only the interest rate but also other costs associated with a loan, such as broker fees, discount points, and some closing costs.
Calculation of APR:
Though it can be quite complicated to calculate exactly, here’s a simplified formula:
APR = ((Fees + Interest) / Principal) / n) × 365 × 100
Whereby:
Fees = All fees charged on this loan
Interest = Total interest paid over the life of the loan
Principal = Amount borrowed
n = Number of days in term of loan
APR Formula for Mortgages:
Mortgage loans are more complex because they have longer terms (often 30 years) and include additional costs. The formula usually requires software or financial calculators to handle such calculations accurately.
Case Scenarios:
Let’s do an example:
Scenario: You’re taking out a one-year $10,000 loan with a 10% interest rate and a $300 origination fee.
Step 1: Calculate total interest
- Interest = $10,000 × 10% = $1,000
Step 2: Add fees to interest
- Total cost = $1,000 + $300 = $1,300
Step 3: Divide by principal
- $1,300 / $10,000 ≈0.13
Step 4: Convert to percentage
- 0.13 ×100 ≈13%
So, in this scenario, the annual percentage rate is approximately thirteen percent (higher than ten percent, which was just an interest rate due to the extra fee).
In the case of a mortgage or any other complicated loan, you will need to know things like loan terms, payment schedules, and various fees to calculate this. Therefore, such calculations are usually performed using professional financial software.
Tina, this is a great question. Would you like another example, or do you want to talk about some specific kind of loan?
Here is a blog I wrote about annual percentage rates.
https://gustancho.com/apr-versus-interest-rate/
gustancho.com
APR Versus Interest Rate Quoted By Mortgage Lenders
APR Versus Interest Rate: APR is different than the actual mortgage rate of a loan. This is because it reflects all the costs of the loan in terms of rate
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I would like more case scenarios and examples of calculating APR on mortgage loans. I am still confused and cannot grasp the concept of Annual Percentage Rates.
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Absolutely, Tina. Comprehending the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on mortgage loans can be challenging. Let’s make it easier to understand by using examples and situations. The APR is a wider measure of the cost of borrowing money, including interest rates and additional charges. Below are some instances that will help us understand how APR works out.
Scenario 1: Simple Fixed-Rate Mortgage
Loan Details
Loan Amount: $200,000
Interest Rate: 4% per annum
Term: 30 years
Upfront Fees: $3,000 (origination fee, closing costs, etc.)
Calculation:
Monthly Payment Calculation:
Monthly Payment= (1+r)^n/(1+r)^n-1 * P * r
- Where P = Loan amount ($200,000).
- r = Monthly interest rate (0.04/12).
- n = Total number of payments (30 years × 12 months = 360 payments)
\text{Monthly Payment} = \frac{200,000 \times 0.003333 \times (1 + 0.003333)^{360}}{(1 + 0.003333)^{360} – 1} \approx $954.83
Total Interest Paid:
Total Payments=954.83×360=343,738.80 Total Interest=343,738.80−200,000=143,738.80.
APR Calculation: The APR considers these upfront fees or treats them as part of the total loan cost when we calculate an effective interest rate on this broader basis. Effective Loan Amount=197,000 For simplicity, we assume the same monthly payment so that the new monthly payment in this situation would be approximately equal to the old monthly payment. New Monthly Payment ≈$954.83. Thus, APR ≈4.1%.
Scenario 2: Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)
Loan Details
Initial Loan Amount: $200,000
Initial Interest Rate: 3% for the first five years
Adjusted Rate: After five years, adjusts to 4.5%
Term: 30 years
Upfront Fees: $2,000
Calculation:
Monthly Payment for Initial Period:
Monthly Payment (Initial) = (1+r)^n/(1+r)^n-1 * P * r Where, P = Initial loan amount ($200,000) r = Monthly interest rate (0.03/12) n = Total number of payments in initial period (5 years × 12 months = 60 payments)
\text{Monthly Payment (Initial)} = \frac{200,000 \times 0.0025 \times (1 + 0.0025)^{60}}{(1 + 0.0025)^{60} – 1} \approx $843.21
Monthly Payment After Adjustment:
Recalculate the loan balance after five years (60 payments): Remaining Balance≈181,363.15 \text{Remaining Balance}\approx181,363.15.
Adjusted monthly payment: Monthly Payment (Adjusted) = (1+r)^n/(1+r)^n-1 * P * r Where, P = Remaining balance after adjustment ($181,363.15) r = Monthly interest rate after adjustment (0.045/12) n = Total number of payments in remaining period (25 years × 12 months = 300 payments)
\text{Monthly Payment (Adjusted)} = \frac{181,363.15 \times 0.00375 \times (1 + 0.00375)^{300}}{(1 + 0.00375)^{300} – 1} \approx $917.63
Total Payments and Interest:
Total Payments (Initial 5 years)=843.21×60=50,592.60 Total Payments (Remaining 25 years) =917.63×300=275,289.00 Total Payments=50,592.60+275,289.00=325,881.60 Total Interest = 325881.6 – 200000 = $125,881.6.
APR Calculation: The A, PR includes the up fees and the change interest rates. Effective Loan Amount=198000 Using the payments calculated above gives us a slightly higher value for APR than the nominal interest rates because it averages between two different rates plus fees caused by a change in rate. APR≈3.6%.
The annual percentage rate (APR) accurately represents the loan’s actual cost, including interest and fees. It is higher than nominal interest rates, which only account for this one component. Calculating it can be complicated because different lenders charge various additional costs, such as fees or points, along with varying interest rates throughout timeframes; however, here are some simplified examples that should help clarify things.
Please let us know if there are any other problems or if calculations need to be made based on more complex situations!
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Marga, heres the answer to your question. @sapna Can Sapna merge your question to this thread.