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In finance, subprime lending (also referred to as near-prime, subpar, non-prime, and second-chance lending) is the provision of loans to people in the United States who may have difficulty maintaining the repayment schedule.[1] Historically, subprime borrowers were defined as having FICO scores below 600, although this threshold has varied over time.[2]
These loans are characterized by higher interest rates, poor quality collateral, and less favorable terms in order to compensate for higher credit risk.[3] During the early to mid-2000s, many subprime loans were packaged into mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and ultimately defaulted, contributing to the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[4]
- ^ The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report (PDF). National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States. 2011. p. 67.
- ^ Lo, Andrew W. "Reading About the Financial Crisis: A 21-Book Review" (PDF). Draft: January 9, 2012. Journal of Economic Literature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
The term "subprime" refers to the credit quality of the mortgage borrower as determined by various consumer credit-rating bureaus such as FICO, Equifax, and Experian. The highest-quality borrowers are referred to as "prime", hence the term "prime rate" refers to the interest rate charged on loans to such low-default-risk individuals. Accordingly, "subprime" borrowers have lower credit scores and are more likely to default than prime borrowers. Historically, this group was defined as borrowers with FICO scores below 600, although this has varied over time and circumstances, making it harder to determine what "subprime" really means.
- ^ "Subprime Lending". U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Archived from the original on 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- ^ Lemke, Lins and Picard, Mortgage-Backed Securities, Chapter 3 (Thomson West, 2013 ed.).