Commercial Mortgages

October 7th, 2009 |

Moreover, only businesses can get commercial mortgages, be it a partnership firm, an incorporated business or a limited company. Hence, the paperwork and the assessment of the creditworthiness of the borrower are quite complex and extensive as compared to with residential mortgages where an individual applies for the loan against his/her property.

Important aspects of commercial mortgages

As is the case with any kind of loan, the two most important aspects of a commercial mortgage are the interest rate and the repayment schedule. Both can be structured according to the needs of the borrower and the assessment of the borrower by the lender.

Interest rates

Generally there are two interest rate options given to the borrower.

• Fixed Rate : In this case the interest rate payable on the outstanding principal remains the same through out a predetermined period. The rate is arrived at by examining the risk involved and the current market rates. The higher the risk as seen by the lender, the higher the interest rate payable. The main advantages are freedom from fluctuating payments and the resulting ease in budgeting. On the downside, a fixed rate regime does not let the business benefit from any fall in the prevailing interest rates.
• Variable Interest Rate: In this case the applicable interest rate varies with the prevailing interest rate. This means that with every fluctuation in prevailing interest rates the amount of repayment will be affected. The applicable interest rate will be the current market rate plus a premium determined on the basis of market conditions, type of borrower’s business and the credit worthiness of the borrower.