Your
agent may already have explained to you the basics in freezing your cards when
you are a victim of card fraud or is in danger of being one. Your credit
provider may also be able to freeze your card even when you least expect it.
However it may be, there are still different reasons why you should freeze your
credit.

Security
freeze is known to be an effective way to determine or stop the most
complicated identity theft. As mentioned, it can be requested by either the
holder or the company, lest they detect patterns of purchase similar to credit
scams. Whether to put a security freeze to your credit is a highly personal
decision for the owner or a prerogative of your credit provider. However, if you
are susceptible of fraud, you can immediately request for it.

Forbes,
one of the world's leading print and online magazines has recommended it. Business
Funding Axis Capital Group, credit lender for small business owners across
America has also advised it to their clients and bloggers and financiers have
suggested it. Unless you are rest assured that you will not fall as a victim of
fraud, then, it may not be necessary for you to keep your credit frozen.

The
following are the factors that can help you decide whether to freeze your card
or not:

1.      ID
Theft Victim

If you are already a victim of new
identity theft, you might just as well consider freezing your account or
placing a security freeze. Your misused identity can be sold or traded in an illegal
way. Fraudulent scams like these happen in
many developing cities such as Bangkok, Thailand, Jakarta, Indonesia and Hanoi,
Vietnam where authorities and penalties remain lax. You may already have
resolved the issue but after a few months or a year, it can happen again. In many
states, no fee is required if the client request to put security freeze.

2.      Security
Breech Notices

Has your Social Security number been part of a
security breach? If a company or government agency has had a security breach
which included your Social Security number, you may be at higher risk of ID
theft. In less than three years, companies and government agencies announced
security breaches affecting more than 200 million records containing sensitive
personal information about individuals. The security freeze will stop a thief
who has your Social Security number from using it to open new accounts in your
name.

3.       Stolen mail

If your mail has been stolen, this may be an
indication that you've been targeted for ID theft. Get a locked mailbox and
consider a security freeze.

Happy New Year. Should old interest rates be forgot, let us remind you how low jumbos could go: 4.03% for a 30-year, fixed-rate jumbo in December and 2.81% for a five-year, adjustable rate jumbo in October.

But expect more uncertainty in the coming year. Last month, the Federal Reserve hinted at raising interest rates in 2015 but gave no indication of when that might occur. As a result, lenders and mortgage brokers are encouraging their clients to lock in now.

"We're seeing more jumbo loans right now, and the rates are probably the best in years," says Bill Banfield, vice president of capital markets at Quicken Loans. "It's a good time to be in the market for a jumbo mortgage."

To ring in the new year, we asked some mortgage experts for their best tips when getting or refinancing jumbo loans, which exceed limits of government-backed loans, $417,000 in most parts of the U.S. and $625,500 in some high-priced areas.

Get preapproved. To get preapproved, borrowers must provide complete documentation of income, unlike prequalificationl, in which the loan officer may ask just for a stated income. Prequalified buyers in hot markets like New York and San Francisco can prove to sellers weighing multiple offers that they can afford the home, says Brad Blackwell, executive vice president at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. "You want to be confident in your ability to buy that property," he adds.

Prepare for paperwork. Overall documentation requirements are much higher than before the real-estate bust, especially for borrowers with more complicated financial profiles, such as self-employed individuals or people with seasonal bonuses, Mr. Banfield says.

Gather paperwork in advance, including pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements for personal and business accounts and receipts from retirement-account withdrawals, he adds. "Lenders will want to see the source of funds and understand where money is coming from," he says.

Consider an ARM. With interest rates so low, many borrowers may be tempted just to apply for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. But rates can be as much as a quarter to half a percentage point lower for a 10-year, adjustable-rate mortgage.

According to mortgage website HSH.com, average jumbo rates on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan rates were 4.06%, while rates on a five-year ARM were 3.08% for the week ending Dec. 26.

That translates into big savings for jumbo-sized loan amounts, says Alan Rosenbaum, CEO of New York-based Guardhill Mortgage. Seven- and five-year ARMs offer even more rate savings. "Understand and analyze how long you think you're going to be holding your home and select the appropriate program," Mr. Rosenbaum says.

Pay more upfront. The down-payment amount determines the loan-to-value ratio, which looks at the loan amount relative to the value of the home. While 20% down has become the standard for most current jumbo mortgages, "the underwriting flexibility and pricing-rates and fees-are generally much better if you can put down a 30% or more down payment," says Guy D. Cecala, CEO and publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance.

But don't let cash flow deter you. In 2014, several lenders offered jumbos with just a 15% or 10% down payment on loans amounts of up to $1 million. Interest rates, however, will be higher, says Tom Wind, executive vice president of mortgage operations at Jacksonville, Fla.-based EverBank.

Some lenders also offer special loan programs for people in certain professions-such as doctors who have high student loan debt but significant income potential, adds John Schleck, senior vice president, centralized sales executive at Bank of America .

Improve or protect your credit score. Minimum credit scores for jumbo borrowers have dropped to as low as 680, but the best rates go to borrowers who score 740 or more, says Mathew Carson, a broker with San Francisco-based First Capital Group. Borrowers with stellar scores in the 780 to 800 range reap the biggest benefits, he adds.

Tap into equity. When rates start to rise, a jumbo borrower who wants to make home improvements should consider a home-equity line of credit or home-equity loan for just the amount needed instead of refinancing the entire loan amount, says Mr. Wind of EverBank.

Leverage existing relationships. Many banks offer relationship discounts to customers who already have substantial accounts, Mr. Schleck says. For example, Bank of America has a rewards program that offers closing cost savings. Wealthy borrowers may find even more flexibility by applying for a jumbo mortgage through a bank's private banking arm, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com, a real-estate financing website.

Still, shop around. Because lenders in today's environment typically hold jumbo mortgages within their portfolios, they have more flexibility in setting rates as well as how they qualify borrowers, Mr. Gumbinger says. "Scour the market, as the savings can be appreciable."

Corrections & Amplifications

An earlier version of this article gave current rates as of Jan. 2. They were as of Dec. 26. Also, the definitions of preapproved borrowers and prequalified borrowers were transposed. (1/5/15)

State-owned lender Bank Mandiri will continue focusing on micro and retail business in the coming years as the two provide the highest margin for the bank compared to other segments, according to its executives.

Mandiri vice president director Riswinandi said the focus on micro and retail was part of its rebalancing plan.

"We want micro and retail to make up 35 percent of total operations from 25 percent in previous years, while we are aiming for wholesale to make up 65 percent from 75 percent," he said in a press conference during the 2014 Investor Summit and Capital Market Expo on Wednesday.

He added that the bigger focus on micro and retail would provide the publicly listed lender with a better income margin as the overall banking industry was facing a margin squeeze due to the tight monetary policy.

Data from Mandiri's first-half financial report shows that the amount of loans channeled to the micro sector reached Rp 30.96 trillion (US$2.6 billion) by the end of June, while those disbursed to the retail or consumer sector stood at Rp 60.3 trillion.

Mandiri claims to control the second-largest share in the domestic micro lending market after state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

Compared to banking statistics published in June by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Bank Indonesia (BI), Mandiri's micro figure was equal to 4.7 percent of outstanding micro loans.

"The segment is also targeted by other banks looking to gain higher profitability, so we need to have a solid foothold in the sector," Riswinandi said.

Mandiri micro and retail banking director Hery Gunardi said that it targeted a 28 to 30 percent increase in micro lending this year. It means that the lender will see the loans surge to between Rp 34.56 trillion and Rp 35.1 trillion, up from the Rp 27 trillion booked in 2013.

"We are planning to open 300 new micro lending outlets and have opened up more than half of the target," Hery said.

In retail, Mandiri senior executive vice president on consumer finance Tardi said that mortgage and auto loans would remain its major growth drivers, even though the mortgage market had been recently affected by BI's down payment regulation.

As previously reported, the regulation requires customers to provide a higher down payment on their second and third home purchases. The homes must have also already been built upon purchase.

"Our mortgage is quite stagnant at the moment because of the new rule, but our automotive financing has bounced back after a slight decline during the Idul Fitri holidays," Tardi said.

Mandiri hopes to achieve a 33 percent increase year-on-year (y-o-y) in automotive financing and a 10 to 15 percent y-o-y mortgage rise in 2014.

Meanwhile, the lender - now the largest lender in terms of assets in Indonesia - is looking to boost retail or low-cost deposits by expanding transaction services, such as electronic banking.

"We cannot rely solely on time deposits because that tends to create price wars among banks," Riswinandi said, adding that it would maintain the portion of low-cost funds at more than 60 percent of total funding.

In the first half, the low-cost deposits figure was already equal to 62 percent of total funding.

Mandiri's shares ended at Rp 10,275 on Wednesday at the Indonesia Stock Exchange, up 1.2 percent from a day before.