Location-efficient mortgages: is the rationale sound?
By: Blaackman, Allen.
Contributor(s): Krupnick, Alan.
Material type:
ArticlePublisher: 2001Description: p.633-49.Subject(s): Urban development - United States | Urban development
In:
Journal of Policy Analysis and ManagementSummary: Location efficient mortgage (LEM) programs are an increasingly popular approach to combating urban sprawl. LEMs allow families who want to live in densely populated, transit-rich communities to obtain a larger mortgage with a smaller down payment than traditional underwriting guidelines allow. LEMs are premised on the proposition that homeowners in such "location-efficient" areas can safely be allowed to breach underwriting guidelines designed to prevent mortgage default because they have lower than average auatomobile-related transportation expenses and more income available for mortgage payments. This paper employs records of more than 8000 FHA-insured mortgages matched with data on various measures of location efficiency to test this proposition. The results suggest that it does not hold and that LEMs - like other low-down-payment mortgage programs - will raise mortgage default rates. This cost must be weighed against any potential anti-sprawl benefits LEMs may have. - Reproduced
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Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | Volume no: 20, Issue no: 4 | Available | AR50869 |
Location efficient mortgage (LEM) programs are an increasingly popular approach to combating urban sprawl. LEMs allow families who want to live in densely populated, transit-rich communities to obtain a larger mortgage with a smaller down payment than traditional underwriting guidelines allow. LEMs are premised on the proposition that homeowners in such "location-efficient" areas can safely be allowed to breach underwriting guidelines designed to prevent mortgage default because they have lower than average auatomobile-related transportation expenses and more income available for mortgage payments. This paper employs records of more than 8000 FHA-insured mortgages matched with data on various measures of location efficiency to test this proposition. The results suggest that it does not hold and that LEMs - like other low-down-payment mortgage programs - will raise mortgage default rates. This cost must be weighed against any potential anti-sprawl benefits LEMs may have. - Reproduced
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