What is a Subprime Loan?
The term “subprime” refers to the credit characteristics of individual borrowers. Subprime borrowers typically have weakened credit histories that include payment delinquencies, and possibly more severe problems such as charge-offs, judgments, and bankruptcies. They may also display reduced repayment capacity as measured by credit scores, debt-to-income (DTI) ratios, or other criteria that may encompass borrowers with incomplete credit histories. “Subprime loans” are loans to borrowers displaying one or more of these characteristics at the time of origination or purchase. Such loans have a higher risk of default than loans to prime borrowers. Generally subprime borrowers display a range of credit risk characteristics, including one or more of the following: • Two or more 30-day delinquencies in the last 12 months, or one or more 60-day delinquencies in the last 24 months; • Judgment, foreclosure, repossession, or charge-off in the prior 24 months; • Bankruptcy in the last 5 years; • Re
