Downpayment, Interest Rate, APR: Explained

Edited

What You'll Learn

  • The difference between APR & Interest Rate

  • How down payments are calculated on Ascend programs

    • Examples of down payment calculations

What is the difference between APR & Interest Rate?

  • Interest rate refers to the annual cost of a loan to your insureds and is expressed as a percentage.

  • APR is the annual cost of a loan to the insured — including fees. Like an interest rate, the APR is expressed as a percentage. Unlike an interest rate, however, it includes other charges or fees such as service fees, doc stamp fees, etc.

Here is a sample APR calculator that helps to illustrate the difference between these two values:

APR Calculator

How is the Down Payment Calculated?

The downpayment is either:

  • Minimum Earned Percentage or 20% of the Total Quote Premium + Taxes & Fees

  • Plus Other Fees + Broker Fees + Policy Fees added to the amount above (these fees are non-financeable)

Example A

  • Premium = $10,000

  • Policy Fees = $100

  • Min Earned Rate = 15%

Downpayment =

  • 20% of $10,000 ($2,000)

  • $100 Policy Fees

Total: $2,100

Example B

  • Premium = $10,000

  • Policy Fees = $100

  • Min Earned Rate = 25%

  • Is Auditable

Downpayment =

  • 25% of $10,000 ($2,500)

  • $100 Policy Fees

  • +5% of $10,000 from auditable ($500)

Total: $3,100

Example C

  • Premium = $10,000

  • Policy Fees = $100

  • Min Earned Rate = 15%

  • Taxes and Other Fees = $200

Downpayment =

  • 20% of $10,200 ($2,040)

  • $100 Policy Fees

Total: $2,140

Contact Us

Need more help? Contact us at support@useascend.com for more help.