Paying Off That Dream House When Evelyn and Paul Peters were "house hunting" five years ago, the mortgage rates were pretty high. The fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage was 8.75% while the 15-year fixed rate was at 8%. After walking through many homes, they finally reached a consensus and decided to buy a $200,000 two-story house in an up and coming suburban neighborhood in the Midwest. To avoid prepaid mortgage insurance (PMI) the couple had to borrow from family members and come up with the 20% down payment and the additional required closing costs. Since Evelyn and Paul had already accumulated significant credit card debt and were still paying off their college loans, they decided to opt for lower monthly payments by taking on a 30-year mortgage, despite its higher interest rate. Currently, due to a worsening of economic conditions, mortgage rates have come down significantly and the "refinancing" frenzy is under way. Evelyn and Paul have seen 15-year fixed rates (with no closing costs) advertised at 5% and 30-year rates at 5.75%. Evelyn and Paul realize that refinancing is quite a hassle due to all the paperwork involved but with rates being down to 30-year lows, they don't want to let this opportunity pass them by. About 2 years ago, rates were down to similar levels but they had procrastinated, and had missed the boat. This time, however, the couple called their mortgage officer at the Uptown Bank and locked in the 5%, 15-year rate. Nothing was going to stop them from reducing the costs of paying off their dream house this time! 5. If the Peters had chosen the original 15-year, 8% mortgage proposal, how much tax shelter would they have lost (over the last five years) as compared to the 30-year, 8.75% mortgage? Assume the Peters' tax rate is 30%.