The purpose of having a loan-to-value ratio in a mortgage loan is to make sure that
lenders do not loan money to borrowers for more than the value of the property. This way lenders can protect themselves from potential risks. Another important factor of LTV is that lower the loan-to-value ratio is the more likely the borrower is going to get a lower interest rate and vice versa. Most lenders require 20 percent down payments for conventional mortgage loans. Loan-to-value ratios of 80 percent and below are considered low LTV and lower risk. Lenders consider borrowers with higher LTVs a higher risk; therefore give them a higher interest rate. Also with high LTV ratios where the down payment is less than 20 percent, lenders require borrowers to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI). PMI protects lenders against loss in case borrowers default on their loans. Loan-to-value plays an important role in both the activities of purchasing as well as refinancing an existing mortgage loan.