"Subprime borrowers" refers to individuals who have a lower credit rating or poor credit history, making them riskier for lenders to lend money to. They may have difficulty obtaining loans with preferable interest rates and terms.
Full definition
Lenders may cut standards more to grab market share as the pace of auto sales slow and the number
of subprime borrowers stops expanding, the rating firm said.
These loans generally have higher interest rates than conventional loans due to the heightened risk associated
with subprime borrowers.
At the same time, loans were made to
subprime borrowers who could only afford the «teaser rate,» and not the ultimate rate they would pay.
Because the risk is higher for lending companies to take a chance
on subprime borrowers, they are charged higher interest rates for the privilege of getting a loan.
Because subprime borrowers present a higher risk for lenders, subprime lenders charge interest rates above the prime lending rate.
Because
subprime borrowers present a higher risk for lenders, subprime lenders charge interest rates above the prime lending rate.
The banks have increased their credit card products to include plenty of products that are aimed
at subprime borrowers.
Since installment loan borrowers are almost
exclusively subprime borrowers with poor credit histories, the loans are typically secured by personal property like cars, electronics, tools, guns, jewelry, etc..
Due to the inherently riskier nature of these loans, lenders usually
charge subprime borrowers considerably higher interest rates as a way to compensate for the added risk.
Unfortunately, during the same time that
subprime borrowers became more involved in the American housing market, more variable - rate mortgages were issued by lenders.
Some lenders will refuse to work with you at all, but there are companies that offer loans specifically
for subprime borrowers.
With a little research,
even subprime borrowers can often find a small loan to help them through a tough financial spot.
Many lenders will also have a minimum credit score, though those specializing
in subprime borrowers will be more lenient.
Worse, 11.0 percent of the total owed on plastic was on accounts run
by subprime borrowers, who on average owed $ 5,063 each.
Bank risk professionals now believe that lenders will keep
allowing subprime borrowers to take on credit card debt and have more access to auto loans over the next six months, -LSB-...]
According to the Experian study, the average loan term for
deep subprime borrowers buying new cars was 72 months long — or six full years.
According to Experian, one of the three main credit bureaus,
subprime borrowers make up nearly 25 percent of the car loan market.
Canadians are
not subprime borrowers and household balance sheets for the majority of homeowners are rock solid.
Paul Siegfired, senior vice president for TransUnion, commented that this uptick can also be explained by
more subprime borrowers entering the card market — an event that occurs as banks relax their lending standards.
While some of that may be true, what is often overlooked is that a large number of current foreclosures aren't even
from subprime borrowers or even those in ARMs.
Many
subprime borrowers often feel so relieved to qualify for a loan — any loan — that they fail to compare companies or accept the first offer they get.
The legislation also expands the state's loan modification program, which previously included
only subprime borrowers, and prevents «distressed property consultants» from accepting the upfront fees that have contributed to scams in the past.
A 1999 Office of the Comptroller of the Current press release reads: «Some lenders appear to have stopped reporting information
about subprime borrowers to protect against their best customers being picked off by competitors.»
To fill the pipeline, lenders started letting
subprime borrowers buy or refinance with little or nothing down.