商业报道:如何处理按揭

Mortgage headache

CNN's Gerri Willis offers tips if you are stuck in an adjustable¹ mortgage interest rate reset².

The housing market is already troubled and the next tsunami³ might be right around the corner. Resets⁴ on ARM, adjustable rate mortgages could set off a new wave of foreclosures. CNN’s personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us now to offer some advice on how to avoid mortgage reset headaches.

And Gerri, first and foremost how big of a problem are we encountering in the industry?

Well, I will say it’s a big problem. There’re about 2.3 million subprime borrowers whose home loans are projected to reset at higher rates through the end of next year. Now, that means those low teaser rates may go up a few points resulting in monthly payments. It could be hundreds of dollars more. Now the peak of subprime US mortgage resets will happen next march.

Gerri, help us to set a priority at this point, the priorities, What’s the No.1 thing we should all do if you happen to have an adjustable-rate mortgage?

Well, get your paperwork. If you have a one, three or five year hybrid⁵ ARM, your monthly statement will not tell you, your caps or any other terms of your loan to find out when your rate could adjust and what you’ll be on the hook for. Dig out your adjustable rate rider now. This should be included with your original closing papers. Adjustable rates can adjust annually⁶. Next you’ll wanna look at the caps, these caps, they ah prohibit your interest rates from moving too much in either direction in a given time frame. If you have any questions or you are not sure what you will have to pay, call in our nonprofit counseling organization. To find one in your area, go to HUD.gov.

What about refinancing as an option? Who should think about that?

Well, sometimes refinancing just isn’t in the cards, especially if your home price has dropped in the last few months. If values haven’t dropped that significantly and you wanna get out of the rate reset, think about refinancing. Refinancing makes sense if you plan to stay in your home for at least another 2 years and you’ll lower your interest rates by at least 1.5 percentage points. In order to refinance, you’ll need 10 to 20 percent equity⁷ in your home.

For home owners struggling right now to just make the basic payment and then have the adjustable-rate mortgages, is there any help out there for them?

Well, right now Treasury⁸ Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Banking⁹ Regulators are working out the details of a plan to extend lower intro-interest rates, those teaser rates on home loans before they are reset at a higher level. A decision could come this week, but remember, this is just a proposal for right now. I’ll bring you the details as they develop. And if you have any questions, please send them to us at [email protected]. We love hearing from you.

Notes:

Teaser rate:为了让借款人接受可调利率住房贷款，初始阶段放贷利率通常很低，该利率称为引逗利率, 或者诱惑利率(teaser rate)。在引逗期过后，利率将被调整到市场水平，并定期加以调整。

1 adjustable   

adj.可调整的，可校准的

参考例句：

• More expensive cameras have adjustable focusing.比较贵的照相机有可调焦距。
• The chair has the virtue of being adjustable.这种椅子具有可调节的优点。

2 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

3 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 resets   

v.重新安放或安置( reset的第三人称单数 )；重拨（测量仪器指针）；为（考试、测试等）出一套新题；重新安置，将…恢复原位

参考例句：

• Regenerating the map resets the statistics in the Info screen. 重新生成地图时，信息窗口的统计数据会重置。 来自互联网
• This resets CSS values that browsers tend to set for you. 用于重置页面，对没有指定css属性的页面元素指定缺省值。 来自互联网

5 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

6 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

7 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。