It's common for banks to request at least 20 percent down, or the borrower will have to agree to pay for private mortgage insurance. This adds an extra charge of up to half a percentage point to the mortgage. Generally the individual seller requires only a minimum 10 percent down payment, but it is to the buyers advantage to put down as much as possible.
Unfortunately, the mortgage lender bailout has been revealed as a disappointment by the first of these reports. Some of the lenders, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have only extended offers of modifications to between 12 and 13 percent of qualifying homeowners. JP Morgan bank sits at the other end of the scale with modification offers running at around 30% of eligible homeowners.