Question

Borrowers who met certain requirements for mortgages, such as minimum income level relative to the total mortgage amount, could obtain mortgages that were qualified to be securitized. Such mortgages were called_________________.

Answer 1

Answer:

Subprime or Alt-A mortgages

Explanation:

Generally, there are three types of mortgages: prime mortgage, subprime mortgage, and Alt-A mortgage.

Prime mortgages are mortgages that are usually given to people with excellent credit rating, who can meet all requirements and they are considered as high quality borrowers. Therefore, the interest rates they are offered usually relatively low.

Subprime mortgages are mortgages that are usually given to people with poor credit ratings or histories, who cannot meet all requirements to be given conventional mortgages and are considered as low quality borrowers.  Therefore, the interest rates they are offered usually relatively high because the mortgage is considered as the riskiest.

The full meaning of Alt-A mortgage is Alternative A Mortgages which is a type of mortgages for people whose credit ratings or risk profiles lie between prime and subprime. The holders can meet more requirements than the holders of subprime mortgage but not as much as the holders of a prime mortgage. This mortgage is riskier than the prime mortgage but less risky than subprime mortgage. Therefore, the interest rates it offered are therefore higher than what the holder of prime mortgage get but it lower than the interest rates offered to the holders of subprime mortgage.

Best of luck.