Alternative mortgage instruments

Alternative mortgage instruments

Variations of mortgage instruments such as adjustable-rate and variable-rate mortgages, graduated-payment mortgages, reverse-annuity mortgages, and several seldom-used variations.

Alternative Mortgage Instrument

Any mortgage loan other than a fixed rate, amortized, conventional mortgage. Examples include adjustable-rate mortgages and hybrid mortgages. They are most popular when interest rates are high and more people cannot afford a regular mortgage, or when a larger number of people are buying investment property. The proliferation of alternative mortgage instruments has been cited as a contributing factor in causing the 2008 economic crisis.