Financing affordable and sustainable homeownership with Fixed-COFI mortgages

Stuart Wayne Passmore and Alexander H. von Hafften

Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2020, vol. 80, issue C

Abstract: The 30-year fixed-rate fully amortizing mortgage (or “traditional fixed-rate mortgage”) was a substantial innovation when first developed during the Great Depression; however, it has three major flaws. First, homeowner equity accumulates slowly during the first decade. Many lenders require large down payments because of slow equity accumulation. Second, in each monthly mortgage payment, homeowners substantially compensate capital markets investors for the ability to prepay. The homeowners might have better uses for this money. Third, refinancing mortgages is often very costly. Expensive refinancing may prevent homeowners from taking advantage of falling rates.

Keywords: Fixed-rate mortgage; Cost of funds; COFI; Mortgages; Homeownership; Affordable housing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G01 G21 G23 G28 R28 R30 R38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:regeco:v:80:y:2020:i:c:s0166046217304519

DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2018.08.002

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