MGIC History

In the late 1950s, the national population was growing with the Baby Boom, and everyone expected to have a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage. But before the garage and the car came a home. The average cost of a home at that time was $20,000 and average yearly income was $4,545. Putting the required 20% down payment on a home was difficult.

In 1957, Max Karl, a real estate attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, observed the struggles that people had with saving for a down payment on a home. He also understood the risks that mortgage originators faced in lending the money to potential home buyers. He was frustrated with the process of closing loans with 100% government guarantees, which he believed was rife with red tape and bureaucracy. Why not create a private company that insured only the top portion of a mortgage, rather than 100% of the mortgage? This could be a less costly and easier way to provide low-down-payment financing to borrowers with less than a 20% down payment.

Mr. Karl took his idea to a group of investors, many of whom were Savings & Loan executives. This group, along with his family and friends (even his barber!) contributed $250,000 in capital, and he founded Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation or MGIC.

Today, saving for a down payment is still difficult. And, MGIC is still here, working with mortgage lenders and helping people afford homes with low-down-payment loans.