Search Results
Journal Article
Nonprime loans: a view from the local level
This article presents information on the location of subprime and Alt-A mortgages ("nonprime" loans) in the five states within the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago?s district (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin). The purpose is to identify the zip codes and communities most affected, or at risk of being affected, by foreclosures. We present a series of maps that show the zip codes with the highest numbers and highest concentrations of subprime and Alt-A loans, as well as the past-due and foreclosure rates in these neighborhoods. For illustration purposes in the print version ...
Journal Article
Alternative small dollar loans: creating sound financial products through innovation and regulation
Low- to moderate-income borrowers need alternatives to payday loans to meet their short-term credit needs. This article provides an overview of consumer demand for smaller loans, and discusses how and why mainstream financial institutions should offer less costly alternatives to traditional payday loans. A two-year FDIC pilot, a smalldollar loan pool in Baltimore, and individual case studies suggest that such lending can be viable and profitable. The article concludes with recommendations for how financial institutions and regulators should support this effort.
Report
Understanding the securitization of subprime mortgage credit
In this paper, we provide an overview of the subprime mortgage securitization process and the seven key informational frictions that arise. We discuss the ways that market participants work to minimize these frictions and speculate on how this process broke down. We continue with a complete picture of the subprime borrower and the subprime loan, discussing both predatory borrowing and predatory lending. We present the key structural features of a typical subprime securitization, document how rating agencies assign credit ratings to mortgage-backed securities, and outline how these agencies ...
Journal Article
Who has the authority to regulate predatory lending?
An investigation of who has the authority to address predatory lending in the Fourth Federal Reserve District. Regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve, are concerned about abusive lending practices that may be corroding some of the positive impacts of CRA-related lending in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods over the last decade.
Working Paper
Predatory mortgage lending
Regulators express growing concern over predatory loans, which we take to mean loans that borrowers should decline. Using a model of consumer credit in which such lending is possible, we identify the circumstances in which it arises both with and without competition. We find that predatory lending is associated with highly collateralized loans, inefficient refinancing of subprime loans, lending without due regard to ability to pay, prepayment penalties, balloon payments, and poorly informed borrowers. Under most circumstances competition among lenders attenuates predatory lending. We use our ...
Conference Paper
The law and economics of remedies of predatory lending
Journal Article
States fight predatory lending in different ways
As the laws vary from state to state, so does their impact. In some states, the high-cost mortgage business appears to have shrunk. But in other states, the opposite has occurred.
Working Paper
Predatory lending in rational world
Regulators express growing concern over ?predatory lending,? which we take to mean lending that reduces the expected utility of borrowers. We present a rational model of consumer credit in which such lending is possible, and identify the circumstances in which it arises with and without competition. Predatory lending is associated with imperfect competition, highly collateralized loans, and poorly informed borrowers. Under most circumstances competition among lenders eliminates predatory lending.
Journal Article
Default rates on prime and subprime mortgages: differences & similarities
For the past several years, the news media have carried countless stories about soaring defaults among subprime mortgage borrowers. Although concern over this segment of the mortgage market is certainly justified, subprime mortgages only account for about onequarter of the total outstanding mortgages in the United States. The remaining 75 percent are prime loans that are made to borrowers with good credit, who fully document their income and make traditional down payments. While default rates on prime loans are significantly lower than those on subprime loans, they are also increasing ...
Journal Article
Lenders and third-party brokers: perspectives on credit scoring and fair mortgage lending: article three in a five-part series
The rise of predatory lending practices has put increasing pressure on lenders to oversee the practices of their third-party mortgage brokers. A lawyer, regulator, consumer advocate, and retired Department of Justice counselor share their perspectives on the subject.