The amount of mortgage debt rose even more sharply. This would require lenders to fix total monthly payments – of both interest and principal – relative to the outstanding mortgage balance. When interest rates rise sharply, as is happening now, repayments might be less than the monthly interest bill. The amount of mortgage debt outstanding would then increase as unpaid interest is added to the principal – a situation known as “negative amortisation”. Since borrowers always hand over a proportion of their income, mortgage payments wouldn’t shrink when interest rates decline.

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Persons: Irving Fisher, ”, “, Neal Hudson, Michael Gove, Patrick Macaskie, Victor Dodig, Edward Chancellor, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, Bank of, Fiscal Studies, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, CIBC, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, ”, Britain, England, Bank of England, United States, Canada