Working Paper #690
Implications of the Housing Market Bubble for Sustainable Homeownership
Paul S. Calem · Leonard Nakamura · Susan M. Wachter
Borrowing Constraints Housing & Residential Mortgages
This paper presents evidence on the impact of the housing bubble, flood of high risk mortgage lending, and subsequent meltdown in homeownership. The authors point to agency and information problems in the mortgage origination and securitization market; incomplete risk transfer; and underassessment of systemic risk. These factors and their relationship to exaggerated house price dynamics and excessive volatility undermine the objective of sustainable homeownership. This requires attention from policymakers, including a need for improved financial and regulatory data.