Subprime mortgage

Subprime refers to higher the risk. These are mortgages that are issued to individuals who are often not qualified. That is, the long term monthly mortgage payment is more than their income. Often, these mortgages are issued on the expectation that the homeowners income will rise in the future. These mortgages are often made feasible by teaser rates. This means that the rate might be very low for the first few years but then rise steeply. In periods of weakness in the housing market or the economy in general, these mortgages are the first to run into trouble.