Mortgage Markets Worldwide

The book provides a theoretical and empirical evaluation ofdifferent housing finance systems, presenting a collection ofstudies that describe various aspects of selected mortgage marketsaround the world. The uniqueness of the chosen markets lies in thefact that they represent not only different regions around theglobe (Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe), but alsounderstudied markets in different stages of economic and financialdevelopment. This book examines questions relating to housingfinance efficiency and contract heterogeneity. In addition, itanalyses the securitization experiences in these countries toprovide lessons on how mortgage markets are integrated with capitalmarkets and how particular institutional framework interacts withmortgage markets. Short reviews are provided for each of the selected mortgagemarkets. The review will include institutional aspects of themarkets such as: the size and structure of the market (includingflows and accumulation of funds); a description of the competitionand a presentation of the major competitors (including marketshare, major financial measures, etc.); profitability in themarket, trends, structural changes, the major mortgage instrumentsand their market share, special tax issues, the role of thegovernment in the market, defaults, prepayments, mortgageinsurance, and major regulatory issues. The analysis explores the major existing problems in the mortgagemarket of each country, the current steps adopted to solve theseproblems, possible propositions for dealing with the major issuesin the future, and the implied future developments anticipated inthe market.

Beginning with a theoretical analysis of housing finance in the context of housing markets and financial intermediation generally, the authors then analyse, drawing on international experience, each of the main types of housing finance system: informal, deposit taking, contract and mortgage bank. Various aspects of the market are covered using examples drawn from the UK and elsewhere, including the regulatory framework, contemporary developments and securitization and secondary markets. Critical public policy issues, such as housing and the real economy, and housing subsidies, are analysed in detail. Finally the authors examine the future for housing and the housing finance market.

This paper reviews the Mexican experience with the securitization of residential mortgages. It highlights the key legislative and institutional reforms leading to the development of primary and secondary mortgage markets and reports the main features and valuation practices of the RMBS markets. The paper identifies areas warranting close attention to improve the outlook for the Mexican RMBS market and draws some lessons from the recent U.S. subprime mortgage market problems.

The 1990s witnessed a revolution in the way the United States finances housing. Gone is the insulated system of thrifts whose special job was to collect savings deposits and issue mortgages. Gone too are the institutional foundations of this system - the passbook account and the fixed-rate mortgage. Mortgage lending in this new financial environment is increasingly the province of a shrinking group of large financial firms. These firms compete for funds in domestic and international markets as well as issue and sell the new adjustable-rate mortgages.Richard L. Florida notes that it is not surprising that the reorganization of the housing finance system has become the focus of a policy debate and a growing academic literature. A host of questions have been raised by policymakers. What are the driving forces behind the financial deregulation? How does deregulation affect housing finance? What are the new institutions and instruments being used to allocate housing credit and how do they work? How does the new housing finance system influence the cost and affordability of shelter? What is the future of housing finance? These are the core questions addressed in this book.Housing and the New Financial Marketsis divided into seven sections. The first examines the basic institutions and operations of the New Deal system. A second section turns to early deregulation efforts - including the Commission on Money and Credit, the Friend Study, the Hunt Commission, and the FINE Study. Florida then presents a detailed examination of the new financial regulation, focusing on the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act and the Garn-St. Germain Act. He examines the reorganization of the thrift industry in the wake of these developments and analyzes the rise of the secondary mortgage market. He concludes by providing a number of tentative visions on the future of housing finance.

A global look at the reasons behind the recent economic collapse, and the responses to it The speculative bubble in the housing market began to burst in the United States in 2007, and has been followed by ruptures in virtually every asset market in almost every country in the world. Each country proposed a range of policy initiatives to deal with its crisis. Policies that focused upon stabilizing the housing market formed the cornerstone of many of these proposals. This internationally focused book evaluates the genesis of the housing market bubble, the global viral contagion of the crisis, and the policy initiatives undertaken in some of the major economies of the world to counteract its disastrous affects. Unlike other books on the global crisis, this guide deals with the housing sector in addition to the financial sector of individual economies. Countries in many parts of the world were players in either the financial bubble or the housing bubble, or both, but the degree of impact, outcome, and responses varied widely. This is an appropriate time to pull together the lessons from these various experiences. Reveals the housing crisis in the United States as the core of the meltdown Describes the evolution of housing markets and policies in the run-up to the crisis, their impacts, and the responses in European and Asian countries Compares experiences and linkages across countries and points to policy implications and research lessons drawn from these experiences Filled with the insights of well-known contributors with strong contacts in practice and academia, this timely guide discusses the history and evolution of the recent crisis as local to each contributor's part of the world, and examines its distinctive and common features with that of the U.S., the trajectory of its evolution, and the similarities and differences in policy response.

The mortgage meltdown: what went wrong and how do we fix it? Owning a home can bestow a sense of security and independence. But today, in a cruel twist, many Americans now regard their homes as a source of worry and dashed expectations. How did everything go haywire? And what can we do about it now? In The Rise and Fall of the U.S. Mortgage and Credit Markets, renowned finance expert James Barth offers a comprehensive examination of the mortgage meltdown. Together with a team of economists at the Milken Institute, he explores the shock waves that have rippled through the entire financial sector and the real economy. Deploying an incredibly detailed and extensive set of data, the book offers in-depth analysis of the mortgage meltdown and the resulting worldwide financial crisis. This authoritative volume explores what went wrong in every critical area, including securitization, loan origination practices, regulation and supervision, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, leverage and accounting practices, and of course, the rating agencies. The authors explain the steps the government has taken to address the crisis thus far, arguing that we have yet to address the larger issues. Offers a comprehensive examination of the mortgage market meltdown and its reverberations throughout the financial sector and the real economy Explores several important issues that policymakers must address in any future reshaping of financial market regulations Addresses how we can begin to move forward and prevent similar crises from shaking the foundations of our financial system The Rise and Fall of the U.S. Mortgage and Credit Markets analyzes the factors that should drive reform and explores the issues that policymakers must confront in any future reshaping of financial market regulations.