You don't pick the mortgage insurer and you can't discuss the costs. Simply put, when refinancing a residence or acquiring with a traditional home loan, if the loan-to-value (LTV) is greater than 80% (or equivalently, the equity placement is less than 20%), the borrower will likely be required to carry exclusive home mortgage insurance coverage. It seems unAmerican, yet that's what happens when you get a mortgage that goes beyond 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV).