Definition of "Credit risk"

Nora  Haddow real estate agent

Written by

Nora Haddowelite badge icon

All Towne Realty

The definition of credit risk is at the core of lending. Banks lend money to businesses and individuals and expect to recover the principal and win interest. Banks offer a variety of loans, each designed for a particular group of borrowers from the market. On the one hand, people with good credit scores and high incomes and businesses with large sales figures will usually get low-interest loans - they are more likely to return the money and interest, so the credit risk is low. On the other hand, borrowers with bad credit scores and companies who are desperate for funding at all costs will receive high-interest loans because they will have difficulties in repaying their debt, which means that the credit risk is more significant. So, the banks can identify the quality of their borrowers from the amount of interest they are willing to pay. The credit risk refers to the probability for a lender to recover all his money and the interest from the borrower. From which the term name as credit risk. What is the risk of loss in case a borrower becomes unable to repay the loan? Obviously, this risk is greater for the borrowers willing to pay high interest rates since they are more likely to default.

An even shorter definition for credit risk would be banker’s biggest fear.

Events that can lead to a default

(1) Due to unforeseen circumstances, the borrower may lose the financial ability to repay the loan placing the collateralized property at risk of foreclosure.

(2) In the case of an adjustable rate mortgage, due to rising interest charges, payments could become unaffordable. The borrower may default on their mortgage and lose the property.

(3) In the event of a depreciating asset, the loan value may exceed the value of the collateralized asset.

(4) In the event of the death of the borrower, payments on a loan will become a liability for the heirs.

A default generally occurs after 270 days in which a borrower hasn't made any payments. However, student loans are considered in default after 120 days of missed payments. Credit defaults are the materialization of the credit risk.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Mortgage Terms

A transaction in which interest is not paid on interest there is no compounding. For example, if you deposit $1,000 in an account that pays 5% a year simple interest, you would receive ...

The definition of a reverse mortgage is important for homeowners 62 and older who want to supplement their retirement income. What exactly is a reverse mortgage? Some say that it is the ...

A lender who delivers loans to another (usually larger) lender against prior price commitments the larger lender has made to the correspondent. Mortgage brokers sometimes evolve into ...

The dollar amount of interest paid each month. The interest payment is the same as interest due so long as the scheduled mortgage payment is equal to or greater than the interest due. ...

An option attached to a mortgage, which allows the borrower to pay only the interest for some period. A mortgage is 'interest only' if the monthly mortgage payment does not include any ...

Every ARM is tied to an interest rate index. An index has three relevant features:availibility, level, volatility. All the common ARM indexes are readily available from a published source, ...

The most recently published value of the index used to adjust the interest rate on an indexed ARM. ...

The assumption that the index value to which the interest rate on an ARM is tied follows the same pattern as in some prior historical period. In meeting their disclosure obligations in ...

The rate charged the borrower each period for the loan of money, by custom quoted on an annual basis. A mortgage interest rate is a rate on a loan secured by a specific property. ...

Popular Mortgage Questions