Mortgage Innovation and House Price Booms

58 Pages Posted: 7 Dec 2015 Last revised: 25 Apr 2023

See all articles by Claes Bäckman

Claes Bäckman

Aarhus University - Department of Economics and Business Economics; Knut Wicksell Centre for Financial Studies

Chandler Lutz

Securities and Exchange Commission

Date Written: February 248, 2023

Abstract

We study how mortgage product innovation can cause a housing boom even with a robust regulatory mortgage lending framework and strictly enforced recourse borrowing. We show that the introduction of IO mortgages in Denmark in 2003 ignited a housing boom and caused house prices to increase by 36 percent. In line with IO loans lowering debt-service payments and relaxing payment-to-income constraints, results show higher IO loan uptake and house price growth in areas with greater ex-ante benefits of such mortgages. Overall, our results are relevant for the many countries with elevated IO mortgage use and a robust regulatory framework.

Keywords: Interest Only Mortgages, Housing Booms; Mortgage Lending

JEL Classification: G51, G21, R21, R30

Suggested Citation

Bäckman, Claes and Lutz, Chandler, Mortgage Innovation and House Price Booms (February 248, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2699824 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2699824

Claes Bäckman

Aarhus University - Department of Economics and Business Economics ( email )

Fuglesangs Allé 4
Aarhus V, 8210
Denmark

Knut Wicksell Centre for Financial Studies ( email )

Box 7080
Lund, SE-220 07
Sweden

Chandler Lutz (Contact Author)

Securities and Exchange Commission ( email )

100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549
United States

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