Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
March 2006
Do Homeowners Know Their House Values and Mortgage Terms?
Brian Bucks and Karen Pence
Abstract:
To assess whether homeowners know their house values and mortgage terms, we compare the distributions of these variables in the household-reported 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to the distributions in lender-reported data. We also examine the share of SCF respondents who report not knowing these variables. We find that most homeowners appear to report their house values and broad mortgage terms reasonably accurately. Some adjustable-rate mortgage borrowers, though, and especially those with below-median income, appear to underestimate or not know how much their interest rates could change.
Full Paper (Screen Reader Version)Keywords: Mortgages, house prices, Survey of Consumer Finances, financial literacy
PDF: Full Paper
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