Based on that, many companies have refinanced their floating rate debt into fixed rate loans.
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However, one of the biggest mortgage lenders, the Nationwide building society, cut some of its fixed rate loans for new borrowers by up to 0.3%.
These hedges effectively convert these variable rate bank loans into fixed rate loans, better matching the interest expense from the loans to the income from the landfill gas projects they finance.
Repaying debt has become more difficult in part because loan balances have grown and the interest rates on federal loans have increased as a result of a shift from variable-rate to fixed-rate loans.
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Variable-rate loans have lower initial rates than fixed-rate loans but can be more costly if interest rates rise.
He found that the availability of discounted variable-rate deals crowded out comparatively expensive longer-term fixed-rate loans.
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One issue, notes Ms. Thibos, is fixed-rate loans can be more profitable for lenders.
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The most widespread problem is mortgages that had special introductory or "teaser" rates that made them more attractive than traditional fixed-rate loans in the first place.
The NAR also has supported a Senate bill that would offer subprime borrowers an alternative by expanding availability of fixed-rate loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration.
Dodd, who helped shepherd the bill through the Senate, says the companies are "fundamentally sound and strong, " noting that they hold excess capital and that their portfolios are primarily made up of healthy, 30-year fixed-rate loans.
The crisis is so grave, she argues, that most borrowers who are facing resets but still paying their dues should be given the chance by servicers to switch into fixed-rate loans at the starter rate for the full 30 years.
Most Britons, for instance, still have variable-rate mortgages, although the proportion with fixed-rate home loans is rising (thanks, in part, to lower inflation).
Recently, though, the largest private lenders introduced fixed-rate college loans, which can be cheaper than some of the federal government rates.
The increased price of fixed-rate home loans since then has been driven by the increasing cost of borrowing the funds on the financial markets.
Discover is offering these loans at a fixed interest rate of 6.8% with no fees and has Federal PLUS loans at 8.25%.
Today, 70 percent of HECM loans are fixed rate, where proceeds are disbursed only through a single lump sum.
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Others cannot qualify for the fixed-rate "prime" loans they need, or they are prohibited from refinancing by prepayment penalties meant to assure the lender that the borrower's high payments would continue for a minimum number of years.
The refinancing bill would enable students and graduates who have an interest rate above 4 percent to refinance their federal loans at a lower, fixed rate of 4 percent.
As part of a budget cut Congress just passed, as of July 1 the interest rate on Plus loans will be fixed at 8.5%, more than double the rate two years ago.
Under the first phase of Ohio's program, borrowers will meet certain income guidelines will be able to ditch their adjustable rate mortgages or other high interest rate loans and get into a 6.75 percent fixed rate mortgage.
In February, 56% of new loans were at a fixed rate, up from 49% in January, while 31% were tracker products, down from 38% in January.
Under this plan, a borrower can consolidate his loans after graduation to achieve a fixed rate.
Perkins loans carry a low, fixed interest rate of 5%, which doesn't begin to accrue until nine months after the student graduates.
Loans from any of these sources can come in a number of flavors, including fixed interest rate or adjustable interest rate, and with various terms, from 5 years for some adjustable-rate loans up to 40 years for some.
The plan includes refinancing some of the borrowers into private, fixed-rate mortgages, or putting them into Federal Housing Administration loans.
Where floating-rate loans and stocks rode higher in March, fixed-income securities trended lower as stronger economic tides pushed up 10-year Treasury yields by 24 bps, to 2.21% on March 31, from 1.97% a month earlier, according to Bloomberg.com and the Federal Reserve.
The CFPB is concerned that some loan officers may be promoting fixed-rate, lump-sum reverse mortgages over adjustable-rate loans.
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As of July 1, Stafford loans, taken out by students, will carry a fixed rate of 6.8%, up from 5.3% just last year.
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