What Calls to ARMs? International Evidence on Interest Rates and the Choice of Adjustable-Rate Mortgages

Cristian Badarinza, John Campbell and Tarun Ramadorai

No 20408, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: The relative popularity of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) and fixed-rate mort- gages (FRMs) varies considerably both across countries and over time. We ask how movements in current and expected future interest rates affect the share of ARMs in total mortgage issuance. Using a nine-country panel and instrumental variables methods, we present evidence that near-term (one-year) rational expectations of future movements in ARM rates do affect mortgage choice, particularly in more recent data since 2001. However longer-term (three-year) rational forecasts of ARM rates have a relatively weak effect, and the current spread between FRM and ARM rates also matters, suggesting that households are concerned with current interest costs as well as with lifetime cost minimization. These conclusions are robust to alternative (adaptive and survey-based) models of household expectations.

JEL-codes: D14 E43 G21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-ifn, nep-mac and nep-ure
Note: AP ME
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Published as Cristian Badarinza & John Y. Campbell & Tarun Ramadorai, 2018. "What Calls to ARMs? International Evidence on Interest Rates and the Choice of Adjustable-Rate Mortgages," Management Science, vol 64(5), pages 2275-2288.

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Journal Article: What Calls to ARMs? International Evidence on Interest Rates and the Choice of Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (2018)
Working Paper: What Calls to ARMs? International Evidence on Interest Rates and the Choice of Adjustable Rate Mortgages (2014)
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