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I have high credit card debt. Can I refinance my second mortgage to pay it off?

Last Updated: May 27, 2009

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It depends. You would need to contact your second mortgage lender and reapply for a new mortgage. You may or may not qualify depending on your credit history and the amount of equity, if any, that you currently have in your home. Of course, you would also only want to refinance if current interest rates are more attractive than the rate currently being charged on your second mortgage.

There is also another issue, however, and that is the potential for you to become overextended with too much debt. You already have a second mortgage and a high amount of credit card debt. If you refinance, you need to stop charging on credit cards, or you will end up back in the same situation with high monthly debt payments on both a loan and credit cards. You might want to consider seeing a nonprofit credit counseling agency for assistance with repaying your creditors.

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