Piggyback Mortgage

Piggyback Mortgage

A type of mortgage where a second mortgage or home equity loan is taken out by a borrower at the same time the first mortgage is started or refinanced. Piggyback mortgages are frequently used to lower the loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of a first position mortgage to under 80%, thereby eliminating the need for private mortgage insurance (PMI). "80-10-10" is a common form of piggyback mortgage: where 80% of the property is covered by the first mortgage, 10% of the property's value is derived from the second loan and the final 10% is covered by the borrower's down payment.