OMINOUS

More Foreclosures on the Horizon?

Specialized loan called a "ticking time bomb."

Say it ain't so, mortgage lenders. A new report foresees another wave of foreclosures, as option adjustable-rate mortgages—an entire class of specialized home loans—will soon reset to higher payments. Estimated to jump by 63 percent on average, the higher rates will likely push many of the already-strained loan recipients over the brink. The loans, also called pick-a-pay loans, are a prime example of the risky lending techniques that created the housing crisis: Borrowers were allowed to pay back the loan with as little as they wanted each month, though that meant many paid less than the interest due. Borrowers that took out the loan only make up 1.3 percent of outstanding mortgages, according to The Washington Post. Nevertheless, the report says the fallout from the loans could be felt for years, especially in states already hit hard by foreclosures.