Washington Mutual Practices That Created
A Mortgage Time Bomb
• Targeting Higher Risk Borrowers
• Steering Borrowers to Higher Risk Home Loans
• Increasing Sales of High Risk Home Loans to Wall Street
• Offering Teaser Rates
• Offering Interest Only and "Pick a Payment" Loans
• Offering Negative Amortizing Loans
• Not Verifying Income (Accepting Stated Income or "Liar" Loans)
• Requiring Low or No Documentation
• Qualifying Borrowers By Abil ity to Make Initial Low Payments
• Ignoring Signs of Fraudulent Borrower Information
• Presuming Rising Home Prices When Approving Loans
• Making Loans That Are Dependent on Refinancing to Work
• Using Lax Controls over Loan Approvals
• Offering Higher Pay for Making Higher Risk Home Loans
• Offering Higher Pay for Charging Excess Interest Rates or Points
• Rewarding Employees for Loan Volume over Loan Quality
• Securitizing Home Loans Identified as Likely to Fail
• Securitizing Home Loans Identified as Fraudulent