Chapter 07 - Mortgage Markets

Answers to Chapter 7 Questions

1. Mortgage markets are examined separately from bond and stock markets for several reasons.
First, mortgages are backed by a specific piece of real property. If the borrower defaults on a
mortgage, the financial institution can take ownership of the property. Only mortgage bonds are
backed by a specific piece of property that allows the lender to take claim in the event of a
default. All other corporate bonds and stocks give the holder a general claim to a borrower=s
assets. Second, there is no set denomination for primary mortgages. Rather, the size of each
mortgage depends on the borrower=s needs. Bonds generally have a denomination of $1,000 or a
multiple of $1,000 per bond and shares of stock are generally issued in denominations of $1 per
share. Third, primary mortgages generally involve a single investor (e.g., a bank or mortgage
company). Bond and stock issues, on the other hand, are generally held by many (sometimes
thousands of) investors. Finally, because primary mortgage borrowers are often individuals,
information on these borrowers is less extensive and unaudited. Bonds and stocks are issued by
publicly traded corporations which are subject to extensive rules and regulations regarding
information availability and reliability.

2. Four basic categories of mortgages are issued by financial institutions: homes, multifamily
dwellings, commercial, and farms. Home mortgages ($7,770.9 billion outstanding in 2004) are
used to purchase one- to four-family dwellings. Multifamily dwelling mortgages ($581.6 billion
outstanding) are used to finance the purchase of apartment complexes, townhouses, and
condominiums. Commercial mortgages ($1,634.8 billion outstanding) are used to finance the
purchase of real estate for business purposes (e.g., office buildings, shopping malls). Farm
mortgages ($140.5 billion outstanding) are used to finance the purchase of farms. As seen in
Figure 7-1, while all four areas have experienced tremendous growth, the historically low
mortgage rates in the 1990s and early 2000s have particularly spurred growth in the single family
home area (133.2 percent growth from 1994 through 2004), followed by commercial business
mortgages (129.5 percent growth), and multifamily residential mortgages (117.3 percent
growth).

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3. A lien is a public record attached to the title of the property that gives the financial
institution the right to sell the property if the mortgage borrower defaults or falls into
arrears on his or her payments. The mortgage is secured by the lien. That is, until the loan
is paid off, no one can buy the property and obtain clear title to it. If someone tries to
purchase the property, the financial institution can file notice of the lien at the public
recorder=s office to stop the transaction.

4. Federally insured mortgages are originated by financial institutions, but repayment is

guaranteed by either the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or the Veterans
Administration (VA). In order to qualify, FHA and VA mortgage loan applicants must
meet specific requirements set by these government agencies. Further, the maximum size
of the mortgage is limited. FHA or VA mortgages require either a very low or zero down
payment.
Conventional mortgages are mortgages issued by financial institutions and are not
federally insured (but they generally are required to be privately insured if the
borrower=s down payment is less than 20 percent of the property=s value).

6. You will make a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price, or you will make
a down payment of $20,000 (.20  $100,000) at closing and borrow $80,000 through the
mortgage.

a. For your mortgage:

$80,000 = PMT(PVIFA 8.25%/12, 3012)
or PMT = $80,000/(PVIFA 8.25%/12, 3012)
therefore PMT = $80,000/133.1085 = $601.01

Thus, your monthly payment is $601.01.

b. The 25th payment of $601.01 is split as follows: $540.88 to interest and $60.13 to
principal.
c. The 225th payment of $601.01 is split as follows: $364.31 to interest and $236.71 to
principal.
d. The total payments over the life of the mortgage amount to payments of $216,363.60
($601.01  30  12): $80,000 to the repayment of principal and $136,363.60 to the
payment of interest.

7. You will make a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price, or you will make
a down payment of $35,000 (.20  $175,000) at closing and borrow $140,000 through
the mortgage.

a. For your mortgage: $140,000 = PMT(PVIFA 7.75%/12, 1512)

or PMT = $140,000/(PVIFA 7.75%/12, 1512)
therefore PMT = $140,000/106.2388 = $1,317.79

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Thus, your monthly payment is $1,317.79.

b. The 60th payment of $1,317.79 is split as follows: $713.07 to interest and $604.72 to
principal.
c. The 180th payment of $1,317.79 is split as follows: $8.46 to interest and $1,309.33 to
principal.
d. The total payments over the life of the mortgage amount to payments of $237,201.48
($1,317.786  15  12): $140,000 to the repayment of principal and $97,201.48 to the
payment of interest.

8. You will make a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price, or you will make
a down payment of $16,000 (.20  $80,000) at closing and borrow $64,000 through the
mortgage.

a. For your mortgage:

$64,000 = PMT(PVIFA 8%/12, 1512)
or PMT = $64,000/(PVIFA 8%/12, 1512)
therefore PMT = $64,000/104.6406 = $611.617

Thus, your monthly payment is $611.62.

b. The 127th payment of $611.62 is split as follows: $184.40 to interest and $427.22 to
principal.
c. The 159th payment of $611.62 is split as follows: $83.18 to interest and $528.44 to
principal.
d. The total payments over the life of the mortgage amount to payments of $110,091.60
($611.62  15  12): $62,000 to the repayment of principal and $46,091.60 to the
payment of interest.

9. EXCEL Problem: Payment = $1,245.62

Payment = $1,286.13
Payment = $1,390.52
Payment = $1,521.40

10. EXCEL Problem: Payment = $875.36

Payment = $923.58
Payment = $1,048.82
Payment = $1,206.93

11.You will make a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price, or you will make
a down payment of $23,000 (.20  $115,000) at closing and borrow $92,000 through the
mortgage.

a. If Option 2 is chosen you pay $92,000  .02 = $1,840 in points and receive $90,160 at
closing ($92,000 - $1,840), although the mortgage principal is $92,000. To determine the
best option, we first calculate the monthly payments for both options as follows

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Option 1: $92,000 = PMT (PVIFA 9%/12, 3012)  PMT = $740.25

Option 2: $92,000 = PMT (PVIFA 8.85%/12, 3012)  PMT = $730.35

In exchange for $1,840 up front, Option 2 reduces your monthly mortgage payments by
$9.90. The present value of these savings (evaluated at 8.85 percent) over the 30 years is

PV = $9.90 (PVIFA 8.85%/12, 3012) = $1,247.08

Option 1 is the better choice. The present value of the monthly savings, $1,247.08, is less
than the points paid up front, $1,840.

b. If Option 1 is chosen you pay $92,000  .01 = $920 in points and receive $91,080 at
closing ($92,000 - $920), although the mortgage principal is $92,000. If Option 2 is
chosen you pay $92,000  .025 = $2,300 in points and receive $89,700 at closing
($92,000 - $2,300). The difference in savings on the points is $1,380.

To determine the best option, we calculate the monthly payments for both options as
follows

Option 1: $92,000 = PMT (PVIFA 10.25%/12, 3012)  PMT = $824.413

Option 2: $92,000 = PMT (PVIFA 10%/12, 3012)  PMT = $807.366

In exchange for $1,380 up front, Option 2 reduces your monthly mortgage payments by
$17.047.

The rate of return (or IRR) that makes you indifferent between the two mortgages is
14.635%. Thus, unless at least 14.635% can be earned on an alternative investment of the
money used to buy down the mortgage rate from 10.25% to 10%, Option 2 is the better
choice.

12. Graduated-payment mortgages (GPMs) allow mortgage borrowers to make small

payments early in the life of the mortgage. The payments then increase over the first 5 to
10 years and finally payments level off at the end of the mortgage period. GPMs are used
by households that expect their incomes to rise along with the GPM payment. GPMs
allow borrower=s to qualify for a larger loan than they could get with a conventional
mortgage. The risk to the borrower and the financial institution is that, if the expected
income increase does not occur, the borrower may default on the mortgage.
Growing-equity mortgages (GEMs) are mortgages in which the initial payments
are the same as on a conventional mortgage and they increase over a portion or the entire
life of the mortgage. In contrast to GPMs which do not affect the time until the mortgage
is paid off, the incremental increase in monthly payments on GEMs reduces the principal
on the mortgage more quickly. This reduces the actual life of the mortgage. Thus, GEMs
are used by borrowers who want to pay off a mortgage in a shorter period of time than
stated in the mortgage contract and, like GPMs, borrowers who expect their incomes to
rise over the life of the mortgage.

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13. A shared-appreciation mortgage (SAM) allows a home buyer to obtain a mortgage at

an interest rate below current market rates in exchange for a share in any appreciation in
the property value. Thus, the borrower=s monthly mortgage payments are smaller.
However, if the property is eventually sold for more than the original purchase price, the
financial institution is entitled to a portion of the gain. That is, the financial institution has
bought a call option on the value of the house compared to its purchase price (with the
house buyer being viewed as the seller of that option). SAMs are used mainly when
interest rates are high because they allow borrowers who would not qualify for high
interest rate (high monthly payment) mortgages to do so.
An equity-participation mortgage (EPM) is similar to a SAM except that an outside
investor shares in the appreciation of the property rather than the financial institution that
issues the mortgage. The investor either provides a portion of the down payment on the
property or provides monthly payments.

14. The secondary mortgage markets were created by the federal government to help
boost U.S. economic activity during the Great Depression. In the 1930s, the government
established the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) to buy mortgages
from thrifts so that these depository institutions could make more mortgage loans. The
government also established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Veterans
Administration (VA) to insure certain mortgage contracts against default risk. This made
it easier to sell/securitize the mortgages. Financial institutions originating the mortgages
and secondary market buyers did not have to be as concerned with a borrower=s credit
history or the value of collateral backing the mortgage since they had a federal
government guarantee protecting them against default risk.
By the late 1960s, fewer veterans were obtaining guaranteed VA loans. As a
result, the secondary market for mortgages declined. To encourage continued expansion
in the housing market, the U.S. government created the Government National Mortgage
Association (Ginnie Mae or GNMA) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
(Freddie Mac or FHLMC), which provided direct or indirect guarantees that allowed for
the creation of mortgage-backed securities.

15. A mortgage sale occurs when a financial institution originates a mortgage and sells it
with or without recourse to an outside buyer. Mortgage sales usually involve no creation
of new types of securities. Securitization of mortgages involves the pooling of a group of
mortgages with similar characteristics, the removal of these mortgages from the balance
sheet, and the subsequent sale of interests in the pool to secondary market investors.
Securitization of mortgages results in the creation of mortgage-backed securities (e.g.,
government agency securities, collateralized mortgage obligations), which can be traded
in secondary mortgage markets.

16. Pass-through mortgage securities promise payments of principal and interest on

pools of mortgages created by financial institutions to secondary market participants
(mortgage-backed bondholders) holding an interest in these pools. After a financial
institution issues mortgages, they pool them and sell interests in these pools to pass-
through security holders. Each pass-through mortgage security represents a fractional

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ownership share in a mortgage pool. Thus, a 1 percent owner of a pass-through mortgage

security issue is entitled to a 1 percent share of the principal and interest payments made
over the life of the mortgages underlying the pool of securities. The originating financial
institutions (e.g., bank or mortgage company) or a third party servicer receives principal
and interest payments from the mortgage holder and passes these payments through to the
pass-through security holders.

17. The Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), or Ginnie Mae, began in
1968 when it split off from the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA). GNMA
is a government-owned agency with two major functions: sponsoring mortgage-backed
securities programs by financial institutions such as banks, thrifts, and mortgage bankers
and acting as a guarantor to investors in mortgage-backed securities regarding the timely
pass-through of principal and interest payments on their sponsored bonds from the
financial institution or servicer to the bondholder. In other words, GNMA provides
timing insurance. In acting as a sponsor and payment-timing guarantor, GNMA supports
only those pools of mortgage loans whose default or credit risk is insured by one of three
government agencies; the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Veterans
Administration (VA), and the Farmers Home Administration (FMHA). Mortgage loans
insured by these agencies target groups that might otherwise be disadvantaged in the
housing market such as low-income families, young families, and veterans. As such, the
maximum mortgage under the FHA/VA/FMHABGNMA securitization program is
capped.

18. Originally created in 1938, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA or
Fannie Mae), is the oldest of the three mortgage-backed security-sponsoring agencies. It
is now a private corporation owned by shareholders with its common stock traded on the
New York Stock Exchange, but in the minds of many investors, it still has implicit
government backing that makes it equivalent to a government-owned agency. Indeed, the
fact that FNMA has a secured line of credit available from the U.S. Treasury should it
need funds in an emergency supports this view. FNMA is a more active agency than
GNMA in creating pass-through securities. GNMA merely sponsors such programs and
guarantees the timing of payments from financial institution servicers to GNMA
investors; FNMA actually helps create pass-throughs by buying and holding mortgages
on its balance sheet; it also issues bonds directly to finance those purchases.
Specifically, FNMA creates mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) by purchasing
packages of mortgage loans from banks and thrifts; it finances such purchases by selling
MBSs to outside investors such as life insurers or pension funds. In addition, FNMA
engages in swap transactions by which it swaps MBSs with a bank or thrift for original
mortgages. Since FNMA guarantees securities in regard to the full and timely payment of
interest and principal, the financial institution receiving the MBSs can then resell them in
the capital market or can hold them in its own portfolio. Unlike GNMA, FNMA
securitizes conventional mortgage loans as well as FHA/VA insured loans, as long as the
conventional loans have acceptable loan-to-value or collateral ratios not normally
exceeding 80 percent. Conventional loans with high loan-to-value ratios usually require
that the mortgages be insured with private mortgage insurance before they are accepted
into FNMA securitization pools.

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19. The answer to this S&P question will vary depending on the date of the assignment.

20. A CMO can be viewed as a multiclass pass-through with a number of different

bondholder classes or tranches. Unlike a pass-through which has no guaranteed annual
Acoupon,@ each bondholder class has a different guaranteed coupon just as a regular T-
bond has, but more importantly, the allocation of any excess cash flows over and above
the guaranteed coupon payments due to mortgage prepayments go to retire the principal
outstanding of only one class of bondholders, leaving all other classes= prepayment
protected for a period of time. That is, CMOs give investors greater control over the
Amaturity@ of the mortgage-backed securities they buy. By comparison, for pass-
throughs the mortgage-backed security holder has a highly uncertain maturity date due to
the risk of early payments.
CMOs can be created either by packaging and securitizing whole mortgage loans
or, more usually, re-securitizing pass-through securities. In the latter case a trust or
third-party bank holds the GNMA pass-through as collateral against issues of new CMO
securities. The trust normally issues a CMO with three or more different classes.

21. MBBs differ from pass-throughs and CMOs in two key dimensions. First, while
pass-throughs and CMOs help financial institutions remove mortgages from their balance
sheets, MBBs normally remain on the balance sheet. Second, pass-throughs and CMOs
have a direct link between the cash flows on the underlying mortgages and the cash flows
on the bond instrument issued. By contrast, the relationship for MBBs is one of
collateralization; the cash flows on the mortgages backing the bond are not necessarily
directly connected to interest and principal payments on the MBB.
Essentially, a financial institution issues an MBB to reduce risk to the MBB
holders, who have a first claim to a segment of the financial institution=s mortgage
assets. Practically speaking, the financial institution segregates a group of mortgage
assets on its balance sheet and pledges this group of assets as collateral against the MBB
issue.

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