Loans

Anything loan related

20% Down? The Changing Landscape of Down Payment Rules

I read this article in the NY Times yesterday, and I have to say I come down pretty strongly on the need to keep housing down payments high.  The arguments made by Professor Roberto G. Quercia clearly demonstrate that data supports the notion that certain groups who cannot afford to put a down payment on a house …

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Why is the Thirty-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Still so Expensive?

I know.  I know.  Everyone says that the thirty year, fixed rate mortgage is sitting at historic lows, and I agree that is true.  Heck I re-financed last year just like many of you.  I just think that based on other historical norms, the rate should be lower.  According to a recently posted discussion over …

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Income-Based Student Loan Payment

How would you like it if your student loan payments came directly out of your paychecks?  Does it sound scary?  Does it sound convenient?  A little of both?  Probably.  It’s called Income-Based Student Loan Payment. Well, that’s what’s being proposed by Wisconsin Republican Representative Tom Petri in a new bill I first read about in the Consumerist. …

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Borrowing on Prosper

I've written a lot about my experience as a lender on Prosper.  Since I first started, Prosper has made huge improvements in their interface and their ability to properly vet potential borrowers.  Default rates have dropped and current investors in low risk loans seem pleased with their returns in the high single digits (Interested in …

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Escape from Prosper

I joined Prosper.com (a sponsor of this site) in May, 2006. This was about a week before I became a parent and about the same time Osama was moving into his new home. I say this because I would love to blame my joining on pregnancy brain or some terrorist plot. However, as in so many …

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MicroVentures Review

As most of my readers know, I have a strong interest in peer to peer lending. I was an active lender on Prosper for a couple of years before realizing the wide difference between Prosper’s actual default rates versus what was being reported. I also have a fascination with one day becoming a venture capitalist …

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