Risky 'Exotic' Loans Fostering a Refi Cycle

Even though he had no steady income, the 33-year-old computer consultant and his wife were able to purchase a $416,000 house in the San Fernando Valley two years ago using an "interest-only" mortgage that guarantees low monthly payments for the first five years. After that, Wolynez's payments could rise sharply -- making him a prime candidate for default or, even worse, foreclosure.

But like many financially stretched home buyers, Wolynez has a way out: He plans to refinance before his payments balloon. He's now shopping for a new interest-only mortgage that will keep his payments manageable longer.

"There's an urgency," he said. "We know we have to refinance."

Countless home buyers like the Wolynezes sign up for risky mortgages knowing full well they plan to refinance them -- or sell their homes -- before the payments go up.

The mortgage industry not only grasps this refinancing game, it aggressively markets new loans to these borrowers, raking in additional profits from fees and other charges. And lenders continue to devise more creative loans that reduce payments further and extend purchasing power in pricey markets such as California.

"Lenders are putting people into loans where they are almost guaranteed to be refinanced," said George Yacik, vice president of SMR Research Corp., a Hackettstown, N.J.-based financial research firm.

For many recent home buyers, it's become a nerve-racking fact of life knowing that their term for paying a reasonable monthly payment will be short-lived -- unless they change loans.

Brian Kite of West Los Angeles suffers from what he calls "interest-only angst." The 36-year-old local theater director figures if he doesn't sell his house in the next few years, he will have to refinance his mortgage, which exceeds $360,000, regardless of going interest rates. If he doesn't, the mandated principal and interest payments could become too onerous.

"Hopefully, rates won't move that fast," he said.

The necessity to refinance complicates the calculus of whether Southern California's housing market is vulnerable to a downturn. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned last month that "exotic" loans could subject borrowers and lenders to "significant losses" if home prices fell.