Tilson’s Updated Housing Analysis

For those who do not wish to peruse the whole presentation (your insane if you do not) there are two slide that bear a close watch. The whole sub-prime has been exhausted. It is the Alt-A mortgage storm that is the cause of then next wave down.

What is an Alt-A loan? Current slang terms for them are "liar loans", "no doc", "teaser", "pick a pay" etc. In short, these loans, whose use exploded in 2005-2008 and the next bane of housing’s existence. The largest problem comes from the resets over the next 2-3 years. These are loans that allowed the payee to "pick a payment". They could choose the full payment, interest only, or the "minimum". The minimum choice then allowed the bank to add the rest of what would have been a full payment onto the existing loan which caused it to "negatively amortize" or grow larger rather than shrink over times.

After a preset period, usually 3-5 years, the loans "reset" with a new payment (no more pick a pay) based on current interest rates and a current loan amount. Do we think folks who paid less than the full payment before will now be able to afford a new, far higher amount on a home worth less than the loan? Me either.

So the question then is, when do they reset? How much more pain is in store?



The next question is, "how big is this market"?



Yeah, big…

Please check out the presentation especially if you are either think of buying or selling a home. It may save you a fortune on either side…

Click here: T2 Partners Presentation on the Mortgage Crisis-4!3!09 3