Debt usage and mortgage choice: The FHA-conventional decision

Purchase of a house requires three interrelated household financial decisions: what level of debt to obtain, whether to select an adjustable or fixed rate mortgage (ARM or FRM), and whether to choose an FHA or a conventional loan. While some have analyzed the mortgage debt decision and the ARM/FRM choice, virtually no one has studied the FHA/conventional mortgage choice or the interrelation among the mortgage debt and instrument decisions. In our sample of 819 young home purchasers, debt and mortgage choice is driven by a need to finesse the downpayment and monthly payment constraint ratios and to lower mortgage insurance costs. (C) 1997 Academic Press.