Loan basics
Key features of pay-
option adjustable-rate
mortgages:
* Four monthly options: Fully amortized 15- and 30-year payments, interest-only payments and lower minimums that turned unpaid actual interest into principal.
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Option-ARM basics
* A 7.5% annual hike in the minimum due, sending monthly payments more than 30% higher in the fifth year.
* Actual interest rates that adjusted monthly and were based on one of a number of bank indexes.
* Caps on how much time could pass and how high the loan balance could go before the full payment kicked in.
Source: Times research
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