by Calculated Risk on 10/21/2005 12:51:00 PM

CNN reports: Stricter OCC rules on exotic mortgages may help stabilize housing prices as less buyers qualify

... the increasing use of interest-only and option adjustable rate mortgages has put federal regulators on high alert. This fall, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, along with other financial regulators, will issue guidelines for mortgage lenders that could make lenders think twice before readily offering exotic mortgages to potential buyers.

Will the inability to gain easy access to these creative mortgage products finally help let some of the air out of the inflated housing bubble?

It's certainly a distinct possibility, said Andy Laperriere, managing director at ISI Group.

"I think it will affect a meaningful amount of loans," he said. "It'll be enough to take the marginal buyer out of the hottest markets and therefore slowdown or even stop some price appreciation."

Experts certainly see some correlation between the availability of these products and the surge in housing prices. Laperriere added that in high-priced markets such as California and Washington, interest-only and option ARMs make up about 50 percent of the mortgages used to finance homes.
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...there's no denying that exotic mortgages have climbed in popularity in tandem with the rise in housing prices. According to the Federal Reserve Board's latest quarterly survey of senior loan officers from July, nearly a third of respondents said that non-traditional mortgage products make up 5 to 16 percent of their dollar volume of residential mortgages while one bank said these products make up 50 percent of its dollar volume.

And more than half of respondents noted that the share of mortgage originations accounted for by non-traditional mortgage products had been higher over the past 12 months than over the previous 12 month period.

Dean Debuck, a spokesman for the OCC, which regulates financial institutions, said the organization will issue guidance for mortgage products, adding that growth in the industry has uncovered "some things that need to be fixed." While he declined to comment on the specific guidelines, he said the OCC is focused on "safety, soundness and good risk management."

Financial analysts expect the OCC to set specific credit-worthiness standards to prevent people from over-stretching themselves into debt and make sure that these products are aimed at individuals that are capable of repaying the mortgage when interest rates climb and their monthly payments increase significantly.