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The Casualties of Subprime Lending (Page 1 of 2)
Subprime lending has recently caused over 56 lenders to either go out of business or stop issuing subprime loans because of excessive foreclosure rates. The lending community made decisions in the last few years that dramatically eased a borrowers qualifications with a resultant dramatic increase in foreclosures.
The housing demand was so strong that lenders started to compete for the insatiable mortgage demand by making qualifying very easy. One example was the creation of the stated income loan, or the liars loan. In the loan application, the borrower only had to state his income without showing any proof of that that income. Unfortunately about 60% of borrowers over-stated their income on their loan applications to qualify for their loans. A review of lending practices showed racial disparities in African-American and Hispanic low-income neighborhoods which had 1 ½ times as many subprime loans at higher interest rates and closing costs as compared to low-income white neighborhoods.
The lenders planned to compensate for higher default rates by charging higher interest rates and closing costs. But to make payments as low as possible for the borrowers, lenders developed low-initial interest rate loans (teaser rates) or negative amortization (Neg Am) mortgages. With a Neg Am loan, a borrower would actually owe more than he originally borrowed when he went to sell.
The teaser rates combined with adjustable interest rates caused borrowers to be hit with huge mortgage payment increases. Most borrowers couldnt afford huge monthly payment increases and foreclosure rates began to rise. Lenders gave the loans on the assumption that the homeowner would do whatever necessary to make the payments, or the lender would get the property back in foreclosure and re-sell it for a profit in hot real estate markets.
Overlooked by lenders was the fact that real estate investors had become a major factor in the real estate market that had previously been dominated by the retail buyers or single family homeowners. The actual statistics went from investors owning about 2% of all single family homes in 1990 to almost 28% in 2006. This huge increase in investor ownership caused the tail to wag the dog and sent the real estate market into price advances that exceeded historical stock market gains.
Lenders were not discouraged, and to make loans even more affordable, developed 100% financing loans designed to eliminate PMI or Principal Mortgage Insurance by using an 80% first and a 20% second mortgage. This 80/20 program was so successful that it became the standard loan for most new homeowners for an 18 month period in 2003 2005. Now the borrower had two mortgages, the first at a traditional interest depending on the borrowers credit rating and a second mortgage with a higher interest rate of 3% to 5% above the first mortgage rate.
We are now seeing huge default rates among 80/20 financings because the borrowers saw an opportunity to refinance their properties, cash out an equity profit without having to sell their homes, and just walk away without making any mortgage payments.
Car Loan Market for Consumers with Bad Credit is Booming
Car loans offer lenders a big ticket item with limited risk. While a lender’s risks their entire investment on an unsecured personal loan a car loan represents less risk since the lender can take possession of the car if the loan is defaulted. Divorce often leads to bankruptcy and will impact on a consumer’s credit score long after they have recovered financially. Specialized lenders have recognized that a poor credit score may not reflect on a consumer ability to make payments and have placed less emphasis on credit history and more emphasis on ability to pay.
National and regional lenders have emerged to service the very competitive bad credit car loan market referred to as the “Special Finance” or “Sub-prime” market. These lenders have further divided the “Special Finance” market up into different levels of risks to such an extent that there are lender’s who has specifically targeted the most credit challenged consumer with the highest risk.
The good new is that no matter what your credit circumstances are, there is probably a lender out there for you.
Another phenomenon is the independent credit service that will process your request for credit and forward it to the lender that is most likely to approve the request. These services usually work with a car dealer who have access to both National and Regional lenders.
The Online Credit Application The independent credit service has successfully introduced the online credit application to the market. The online credit application offers a no hassle approach to applying for credit. Anyone who has sat in front of a loans officer and had to explain their credit history will find the online credit application a blessing. If you decide to complete an online credit application make sure that it is secure. Look for a security certificate. Comodo and Verisign are two companies that offer security certificates that I am familiar with. You should also look for a privacy policy to guarantee that your personal information will not be shared or sold.
A car loan is a big ticket item that can help rebuild your credit score. Some lenders will offer programs that will reduce your rate or allow you to renegotiate after a specified length of time if you have not missed or been late on a payment.
There are many lenders who specialize in products and services for consumers that have troubled financial histories including bankruptcy. An independent service will provide an online credit application and will give you access to network of lenders. Simply enter “car loans” in search box of your favorite search engine. Most of these service offer tools like loan and budget calculators.
What You Can Do The first step before shopping for a car loan is to evaluate your financial situation. By determining your income to debt ratio you can see what kind of monthly payment is feasible for you. You do not want to be overburdened by payments and find yourself in trouble again. Next you may want to check your credit rating and clean it up where possible. Your credit score is negatively affected by late payments, high debt to income ratio and past bankruptcy. Close any accounts that are not in use. Too many open accounts are a negative. Pay up any outstanding debts. If you have recently filed for bankruptcy and there are extenuating circumstances such as a lay off or divorce, consider writing a page of explanation to attach to your report.
Regardless of your past credit history there is almost always a lender who is willing to provide you with a car loan. The question is how much are you willing to pay for that loan? A few extra percentage points are worth the opportunity to rebuild your credit. But be sure that your financial house is in order before you apply so that you can qualify for the best rate and terms your current financial circumstance will allow.