Haha, funny how mentioning refinancing suddenly makes them fluent in English again. But honestly, lenders dragging their feet on PMI removal isn't exactly shocking—it's easy money for them. Still, to be fair, sometimes it's just bureaucracy rather than intentional stonewalling. I've had lenders who genuinely seemed clueless about the process until I pushed a bit. Either way, always pays to know your options and remind them you're not stuck with them forever...
"Either way, always pays to know your options and remind them you're not stuck with them forever..."
Exactly. I remember when I hit the 20% equity mark, my lender acted like they'd never heard of PMI removal before. Kept getting transferred around until I finally mentioned refinancing elsewhere—funny how quickly they found the right paperwork after that. Honestly though, sometimes it's less about intentional foot-dragging and more about internal chaos. Just keep tabs on your home's value and equity yourself, because no one else will do it for you...
Had a similar experience myself a few years back. When I reached out to my lender about dropping PMI, they gave me the runaround—multiple calls, vague answers, the whole nine yards. Eventually, I had to get an appraisal on my own dime just to prove my home's value had gone up enough. Even then, they dragged their feet until I casually mentioned refinancing with another lender who'd been sending me offers. Suddenly, it was like magic: paperwork appeared, and things moved along pretty quickly.
I think you're spot-on about internal chaos rather than intentional stalling, though. Mortgage companies can be surprisingly disorganized behind the scenes. Best advice I ever got was to stay proactive and document everything yourself—dates, conversations, home values—because no one else is going to care about your money as much as you do. Sounds like you're already on top of it, so hang in there... it'll pay off eventually.
Had a similar hassle myself. Honestly, lenders aren't exactly rushing to drop PMI since it's easy money for them, intentional or not. Best way I've found is to clearly document your home's value increase—recent comps, appraisal reports, whatever you've got—and submit a formal written request. If they're still dragging their feet, mentioning refinancing (like you did) usually lights a fire under them. It's annoying, but persistence and paperwork usually win out eventually...
Yeah, lenders can definitely drag their feet on PMI removal—I see it all the time. Curious, has anyone here had luck getting PMI dropped early without refinancing, just by hitting that magic 20% equity mark naturally?
