Refinancing transitions can alter both the long-term cost and the sustainability of a homeownership tenure. However, because few datasets allow researchers to follow homeowners from one mortgage to the next, little research exists regarding the extent and nature of refinancing transitions. This...

<title>Abstract</title> There are growing concerns about the way predatory mortgages erode housing equity. We examine another potential impact: the relationship between abusive loan terms and foreclosure. Do predatory characteristics increase the likelihood of foreclosure once other risk factors are taken into...

<title>Abstract</title> This article documents the growing importance of preventive servicing—business practices that emphasize early intervention in delinquency and default management practices that also help financially troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure. We suggest that the loan servicing side of the...

The financial crisis can be measured in many numerical ways. It can be measured by the 8 million homeowners delinquent on mortgage payments, the $7 trillion in lost household wealth, the 30 percent decline in house prices, the 15 million homeowners underwater, or the doubling of the unemployment...

In this study, we develop and test a methodology to assess the impact of affordable lending efforts on homeownership rates. More narrowly, we examine the impact of using flexible underwriting guidelines, primarily changes in the downpayment and housing burden requirements, on the affordability...

Considerable research has suggested that homeownership imparts a variety of positive individual, family, neighborhood, and community effects. Yet, much of the research to date has failed to examine such effects by level of income [Dietz, R.D., & Haurin, D.R. (2003). The social and private...