Subprime Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs)
The National Association of Realtors ( NAR ) website in the realtors own words is “the voice of real estate”. No doubt the NAR website does contain a great deal of information related to the US housing market and real estate market.
The website also contains articles that are of interest to anyone who is an investor or homeowner in US real estate. One article about unsavory and unwise subprime lending practices that have been carried out by some lenders is quoted below.
The subprime leading market will be in the news this year and next as many ARM loans are reset to higher interest rates. The potential is there for a severe negative impact on the entire US real estate market as well as the US economy as borrowers find themselves unable to pay the higher mortgage payments.
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WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 - The National Association of Realtors® welcomes today’s statement issued by the federal regulators of banks, thrifts and credit unions that prescribes strong underwriting and consumer protection standards in connection with certain subprime adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). Those mortgages can impose an unaffordable “payment shock†on borrowers when the interest rate resets. They include “2/28†mortgages that have a two-year “teaser rate†that adjusts as often as every six months based on a high margin.
Until recently, escalating home prices have masked problems with such mortgages since families have been able to refinance into another subprime mortgage with low initial rates, but incur another round of high costs and fees. NAR urges lenders to act promptly to help borrowers at risk of losing their homes and, at the same time, minimize the loss to the lender.
“NAR has long been concerned about abusive lending by some irresponsible lenders. In response, NAR has adopted strong policies urging Congress and the federal regulators to set high standards to prevent abusive lending with strong underwriting and other pro-consumer lending standards,†said NAR President Pat V. Combs, vice president of Coldwell Banker-AJS-Schmidt in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“Starting with its first consumer mortgage education brochure in 2005, NAR has worked to do its share to educate consumers about how to avoid predatory lending and find fair and affordable mortgages. For families that now find themselves trapped in an abusive loan, we recently published our newest brochure called ‘Learn How to Avoid Foreclosure and Keep Your Home.’ To help families avoid predatory lenders altogether, last fall we released a brochure on ‘How to Avoid Predatory Lending,’†Combs said.”
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The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,†is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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