We've already seen a jump in refinancing of some mortgages, as homeowners take advantage of lower rates.
As well, with market conditions a bit cooler, the early spike in refinancing volume has waned of late.
FORBES: Leveraged finance volume sees record pace as M&A deals boom
Some are even doing cash-in refinancing, the reverse of the cash-outs of yesteryear, and contributing money from other sources to reduce their mortgage balances.
FORBES: Don't Look For Housing To Help The Economy, Says Shilling
Companies in Europe with refinancing needs might hit a wall in turning to European lenders, who are themselves lining up to tap the refinancing market in 2012.
Retail and other cash-flow dependent companies may continue to face challenges in the refinancing market.
Some economists worry that a slump in mortgage refinancing could now cripple consumer spending.
In essence, higher rates lead to a reduction in mortgage refinancing.
ECONOMIST: No rest for America's two huge mortgage companies
JPMorgan Chase ( JPM - news - people ) topped the Street's expectations, thanks to rising deposits, lower interest rates and a jump in mortgage refinancing.
What liquidity they have is being jealously hoarded, partly out of distrust of one another, but mostly in anticipation of refinancing requirements on bonds that they issued with abandon in the credit boom.
After slowing down in recent months, refinancing has started to surge again in the past couple of weeks as mortgage rates have edged below 7%.
In the home refinancing analogy, you are still responsible for your mortgage principal and interest payments.
Of course, it is possible that the Santorums had a high interest rate and finally got around to refinancing in 2010.
FORBES: Did Tim Geithner Help Rick Santorum With His Returns ?
Nariman Behravesh, an analyst at Global Insight, believes the ECB acted on both the fund closures at BNP Paribas and the rise in the main refinancing rate.
Is there enough equity to take cash out and consolidate debt, and if not, will PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) be added to your payment and negate the benefit of refinancing in the first place?
They require the banks to acknowledge in writing a refinancing application within three business days, notify the borrower of any missing documents within five days and make a decision on a complete application within 30 days.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, originations for both housebuying and refinancing cooled in the fourth quarter.
Fannie Mae has burst into the top 30, an obvious beneficiary of low interest rates and the refinancing boom in home mortgages.
That bankers suspected foul play in the origination or refinancing of mortgages.
FORBES: Madoff Has Met His Match: Mortgage Fraud Crime of the Century
But if the economy falters, then defaults may soar and the leveraged-loan market may be staring at a refinancing crisis in 2011.
The flattening in home prices has contributed to the increase in delinquencies by making refinancing more difficult for borrowers with little home equity.
"The current refinancing situation in the top-flight is like a financial house cards which could come crashing down at any time, " he told CNN.
Experts say the increase in cash-out refinancing comes at an opportune time: Interest rates remain near historic lows and the U.S. stock market is at record highs.
Danyell Gibson says she's already noticed that many of her neighbors are in the process of refinancing or getting their loans modified because they are having difficulties paying their mortgages.
While they submitted a new refinancing application in early March, helped by a legal services group, they received notice from the bank last week to start over and submit a new application, he said.
For example, the ECB has a deposit facility that pays interest to banks, an emergency marginal lending facility for overnight borrowing and a weekly refinancing operation in which it lends money to banks.
As the crash in the West began, their refinancing options dried up and the target firms' profits slumped in most cases.
The Mortgage Bankers Association is reporting a 4.3 percent decline in weekly mortgage applications last week, as demand for refinancing dropped for the fourth week in a row.
In Australia, the government has shared refinancing risk on projects to allow short-term bank lending in the construction phase.
As mentioned in my last blog post on refinancing, I opted to give Lending Tree a try because it had seemed to work well in a previous episode.
FORBES: How To Refinance Your Home: A Personal Journey Part II
应用推荐