Does it pay to read your junk mail? evidence of the effect of advertising on home equity credit choices

We examine the effect of direct mail (commonly referred to as junk mail) advertising on individual financial decisions by studying consumer choice of home equity debt contracts. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, we find that financial variables underlying the relative pricing of debt contracts are the leading factors explaining consumers home equity debt choice. Furthermore, we also find that the intended use of debt proceeds significantly impacts consumer choice. However, when we study a subset of consumers who received a direct mail solicitation for a particular debt contract (fixed versus adjustable-rate), we find evidence that the relative pricing variables are less relevant in explaining consumer contract choice, even though they were presented with a full menu of debt contracts. Thus, our results are consistent with the persuasive view of advertising.Home equity loans ; Advertising

Reit Organizational Structure and Operating Characteristics

As a corporate organizational form, real estate investment trusts (REITs) fall into two competing property management structures: internally advised and externally advised. This study tests the hypothesis that, due to their superior ability to resolve conflicts of interests between REIT management and shareholders, internally-advised REITs will dominate the externally-advised REITs. We also test the hypothesis that larger REITs will come to dominate the market and find support for this hypothesis. The results confirm that externally-advised REITs are responding to market pressure to conform to the performance standards set by newer, internally-advised REITs.

Determinants of automobile loan default and prepayment

The authors examine whether a borrower’s choice of automobile reveals information about future loan performance. They find that loans on most luxury automobiles have a higher probability of prepayment, while loans on most economy automobiles have a lower probability of default, even when holding traditional risk factors, such as income and credit score, constant.Automobiles - Prices

Credit Rationing in the U.S. Mortgage Market: Evidence from Variation in FHA Market Shares

This paper examines the nature of mortgage credit rationing across geographic markets and time. Particular attention is paid to the response of conventional mortgage supply to higher risk conditions associated with regional recessions. We develop a series of four indirect tests based on the spatial variation of the FHA share of mortgages, both endorsements and applications, as well as FHA and conventional rejection rates. Results of these four tests indicate that conventional mortgage underwriting criteria do not become more flexible and may even become more demanding when local economic conditions deteriorate. This result indicates the use of non-price credit rationing in the mortgage market and suggests a special role for FHA-insured mortgages as a mechanism for maintaining mortgage credit supply in declining housing markets

Capital Expenditures, Asset Dispositions, and the Real Estate Cycle

Recent empirical research provides evidence on the asset disposition choices of individual and institutional real estate investors that is consistent with the `disposition effect\u27. We propose a value-add investment strategy as an alternative rational explanation for the observed patterns in disposition choices. The main value-add mechanism in real estate investment is capital expenditures. However, capital expenditure investment is a real option whose exercise depends on its moneyness, which is a function of the economic environment. Therefore, we study the links between economic conditions, building-level capital expenditures, and subsequent transactions throughout the real estate cycle. We present empirical evidence consistent with our proposed rational explanation for the alleged disposition effect in real estate asset disposition decisions

Pricing Upward-Only Adjusting Leases

This paper presents a stochastic pricing model of a unique, path-dependent lease instrument common in the United Kingdom and numerous commonwealth countries, the upward-only adjusting lease. In this lease, the rental rate is fixed at lease commencement but will be reset to the market rate at predetermined intervals (usually every five years) if it exceeds the contract rent. Numerical results indicate how the initial coupon rate should be set relative to that on a symmetric up-and-downward adjusting variable rate' lease under various economic conditions (level of real interest rates and expected drift and volatility of the underlying rental service flow). We also consider the calculation of effective rents when free rent periods are given during either a market collapse or a steady-state drift.

Local Economic Risk Factors on the Primary and Secondary Mortgage Markets

This paper presents a cross-sectional analysis of the spatial distribution of loans in the primary and secondary mortgage markets. Aggregating loan originations to the MSA level, we examine the proportion of the market served by FHA and conventional lenders. We model the geographic differences in market shares as a function of supply, demand, and economic risk factors. Results indicate that FHA market shares are higher in cities with higher economic risk characteristics. To examine the role of GSE activity, we model the spatial distribution of the disposition of conventional loans. Again, we focus on the impact of local economic risk factors on the proportion of loans purchased by the GSEs, purchased by other financial institutions, or retained by the originating lender. Our results indicate that GSEs purchase rates are fairly insensitive to local economic conditions indicating that they serve the primary market with little spatial variation

An Analysis of the Factors Affecting Light Industrial Property Valuation

This paper uses statistical regression techniques to develop a model to explain both warehouse asking prices and warehouse quoted lease rates. In developing the statistical models, the paper provides a useful comparison between ordinary least squares (OLS), and weighted least squares (WLS) techniques. The results indicate that the market for industrial property is rational and that property characteristics determine the majority of the building value. The results also indicate the presence of a clientele effect between the market for industrial property listed for sale and property listed for lease.

Homeownership and Taxes : How the TCJA Altered the Tax Code's Treatment of Housing

open access via Wiley agreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Factors Influencing Capitalization Rates

This study examines the variations in quarterly mean "capitalization rates" for commercial and industrial investment properties. By explaining the variations in the capitalization rate, we hope to expand the research in explaining variations in the overall return to property. This study differs from other research on portfolio capitalization rates because we separately analyze these rates by property type. The results show that using "averaged" capitalization rates across property types eliminates important information. We use the band of investment approach to develop a theoretical model explaining the capitalization rate and test this model using both Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) and cross-sectional/time-series regression (panel data).