When purchasing a home, many people either do not have the cash on hand or wish to spread the total payment over a long period of time, such as 15 to 30 years. Mortgage loans are available to allow people to finance the majority of the housing purchase. However, once the contract is signed, most banks actually sell these loans to another banking institution which operates in the secondary mortgage market.

When a person initiates the lending procedure by finding a lending institution and agreeing to the terms of the contract, they are dealing in the primary market. It is here that the principal amount, interest rates, and length of the loan are decided. The details are subject to the stipulations of the bank and the agreement of the borrower.

The repetition of this process for individuals and businesses begins to slowly deplete the resources of the bank. Loans can be made for home purchases, or other personal or commercial reasons. As more people are lent money, the reserves of the institution are slowly no longer available for others to use.

Since one of the main sources of income in institutions such as these comes from the interest paid, they are going to want to get more money to lend out. For this reason, they often sell a bundle of the home loans to businesses that operate in the secondary market. These companies buy mortgages from the banks that operate in the primary market.

After purchasing the home loans, the company will often bundle them together with other similar purchases in an effort to sell them as a security on the stock market. These securities are referred to as mortgage-backed securities or collateralized debt obligations (CDO), amongst other names. Individuals can then purchase shares in these funds, which enables the business to hopefully cover the risk of default and possibly make a profit.

The borrower need not be worried about the possibility of losing their home because of this process. The mortgage loans are not at risk. However, the investor should worry if a significant amount of people default on their loans. The process involving the secondary market can be very difficult to comprehend.

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