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Lack of info stalls Mexican-American homeownership desires - report shows how housing industry can add 2.2 million Latino homeowners nationwide

National Mortgage Professional
Jul 05, 2005

Rural borrowers fall prey to unscrupulous lenders, new research findsMortgagePress.comPredatory mortgage lending, rural America, sub-prime mortgage loans New research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) finds that predatory mortgage lending is a significant problem in rural America that hinders borrowers from taking advantage of improving credit or interest rate declines. Perceived as an urban problem by many, certain abusive lending practices are more prevalent in rural areas than in cities. Rural borrowers are 20 percent more likely than their urban counterparts to receive a prepayment penalty that remains effective for five years or more on sub-prime mortgage loans. Prepayment penalties of five years or longer are of particular note because they have often been cited as inflicting the greatest harm on borrowers. Prepayment penalties in sub-prime loans create a financial trap that may cost four to seven percent of the loan balance when a refinance is attempted, and provide an incentive for mortgage broker kickbacks (yield spread premiums). Prepayment penalties are common in up to 80 percent of sub-prime loans, while less than two percent of prime loans contain them. This disparity is especially troubling given a homeowners' best interest the ability to refinance from a sub-prime loan into a less costly prime loan as their credit improves. The CRL research shows that a majority of rural borrowers who received sub-prime loans in 2002nearly 63 percenthad a prepayment penalty with a term of two years or longer, and the disparity appears to be widening over time. In 2000, rural homeowners with sub-prime loans were eight percent more likely than similar urban borrowers to receive a prepayment penalty with a term of at least five years. By 2002, the difference jumped to 20 percent. Policymakers have recognized the negative effects of prepayment penalties, with more than 35 states regulating their use in home loans. Although most of the poorest counties in the United States are rural, 75 percent of non-metro residents are homeowners as compared to 67 percent of those who live in central cities. If abusive prepayment penalties continue unchecked, rural families risk severe financial losses or worse, foreclosure. For more information, visit www.responsiblelending.org.
Published
Jul 05, 2005
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