Drowning Mortgages

From Reuters via the NY Times:

About Half Of U.S. Mortgages Seen Underwater By 2011

Published: August 5, 2009, 3:48 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The percentage of U.S. homeowners that owe more than their house is worth will nearly double to 48 percent in 2011 from 26 percent at the end of March as home prices continue to fall, Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday.

... Homeowners with the riskiest mortgages handed out during the housing boom have seen the greatest erosion in equity. They include subprime loans, of which 69 percent will be underwater in 2011 from half of them in March, Deutsche said.

Of option adjustable-rate mortgages -- which could reduce payments by allowing principal balances to rise -- 89 percent will be underwater in 2011, up from 77 percent, the report said.

Read the rest of the article.

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