<prompt> Human: Im trying to figure out when I can legally force PMI to be removed from mortgageI bought my home in 2012, with a fixed rateBeing a first time home buyer, I wasnt aware the importance of the PMI when I bought the joint. Oh well, Ive come to my senses in the last couple years and started hammering away at the principal.For a while, I was under the impression that once I paid the balance down to 78 of the home value, PMI was removed by lawSo Im almost at the crucial 78, and today today I had to call my lender for other reasons, and while I was at it I asked about the process of removing my PMI. They said it can be removed once the balance is down to 78 AND that PMI payments have been made through 2018.WTF? Im about to reach 78 in a few short months, but Im still gonna have to pay the premium for an extra couple years? Ive been dumping 100 my disposable income at this thing, to gain back that 130 worthless payment, and snowball it back into the mortgage.The above link states automatic PMI cancellation on the date the mortgage loan balance is first scheduled to reach 78 of the original value, based solely on the initial amortization schedule, regardless of the outstanding balance of the mortgageThen it also states elsewhere in that pdf for Borrower-Requested Cancellation on the date the mortgage loan balance actually reaches 80 of original value, AND ONLY IF the borrower has a good payment history Ive never been late AND satisfies the lenders requirements that there is no decline in property value and that no subordinate liens exist not sure how to prove it, but I it hasnt dropped in property valueLooking through my loan papers, I cant locate anything that specifically outlines the PMI terms.  <response>: The problem is that the document and text you linked is for PMI Private mortgage insurance, not the FHAs MIP Mortgage Insurance Premium, which is paid to the government, not a private insurer. The side bar information on that page you pulled the text from details this. Note that in general conversation, most people refer to FHAs MIP as PMI, but thats just because the concepts are the same and it helps avoid confusion - but there is a difference - conventional loans have PMI, FHA have MI.The link you want:This document details the changes to the MI structure for FHA loans that occurred in 2013 and also outline the pre-change terms. As you can see, Assuming you had a 30 year loan, you have to meet both 78 LTV based on the original amortization schedule - so, 78 based on if you only ever made minimum payments, and 5 years.So, without knowing the details on your mortgage, you have to pay through 2018 because your down payment and interest rate mean that you would have been scheduled to pay down to 78 based on minimum payments in 2018.It sucks, but the extra payments do NOT help you with an FHA loan as far as MI payments - but they do save you on interest, and you are at a point now where you can refinance out and hopefully get into a better conventional product. Current conventional rates with no PMI are in the 3.5-3.625 with no PMI, so it might be worth looking at a refi regardless depending on what your FHA rate is right now. 