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How to

How to remove PMI from your mortgage

A national, step by step guide to removing private mortgage insurance: check loan to value, confirm HPA rights, send a written request, and follow up with your servicer.

Confirm you are actually paying PMI

Look at your monthly statement. PMI appears as a separate line item, sometimes labeled MI or mortgage insurance. FHA MIP, VA funding fees, and USDA fees are different products. Removing the wrong one wastes time. The free check asks for loan type first.

Measure loan to value two ways

Current loan to value is unpaid principal divided by estimated current home value. Original value loan to value is unpaid principal divided by the value used when the loan closed. HPA automatic termination and the 80 percent request use original value. Current value is useful when the home has appreciated and the servicer will review an appraisal.

Gather your papers

Have your latest loan statement, your loan number, and anything that shows original value if you still have the closing disclosure. If you are asking based on a higher current value, plan for an appraisal or broker price opinion. A simple payback check is appraisal cost divided by monthly PMI. If that is many years, waiting for the 78 percent date may be cheaper.

Send a written request

Call notes are not enough. Send a signed letter that cites the Homeowners Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. sections 4901 to 4910, include your loan number, and attach a statement plus proof of value if needed. Certified mail or a portal upload creates a record. Keep a copy. Cancel PMI can fill the letter for $79 after the free check. You still send it.

Follow up and watch your bill

Servicers should answer in writing. If they deny the request, they should explain why. If they approve it, confirm the last PMI collection date and that escrow is updated. Silence is not automatic approval. If they keep charging after they should have stopped, you can later complain to the CFPB. We do not file for you.

Common questions

The 80 percent request and 78 percent automatic tests use original value at origination, not a current online estimate. A new appraisal is a separate request many servicers allow when prices have risen.

Often not until the second lien is released or the servicer accepts extra documents. A HELOC is a common reason for delay. Say so on the check.

Divide the appraisal cost by your monthly PMI. If payback is a couple of years and you will keep the loan, it can make sense. If you are close to the scheduled 78 percent date, waiting may cost less.

It varies. Automatic termination is supposed to track the schedule if you are current. A borrower request can take weeks, longer if they want an appraisal. PMI usually stops on a later billing cycle after they agree. The servicer decides.

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Last updated: September 14, 2026