Key Questions:

1. Who are the leading lenders in California?
   1. The leading lenders, by market share, are Jpmorgan Chase Bank, Na, Countrywide Bank, Fsb and Wells Fargo Bank, Na. Do you have the best rate possible? Find out your credit score or browse
2. How stretched will home owners in California be in paying off their mortgage?
   1. Homeowners in California borrowed an average of 2.43 times their annual income for their mortgage. This compares to 1.97 for all of the US. Based on the national average, there will be a normal risk that California homeowners will default on their mortgage payments in the coming years.
3. How likely are the owners of homes in California to actually live in them?
   1. 87.5% of home owners in California that applied for a mortgage in 2008 live in their homes versus owning them as an investment property. This compares to the national average of 90.0%.
4. How at risk is California to the subprime mortgage crisis?
   1. There were significantly less subprime loans taken out by home owners in California than the national average in 2008. That is to say, California will be less affected by the subprime mortgage crisis in years to come as a lesser percentage of all mortgages in California - 2.3% versus 4.8% - will reset to higher rates in 2009. This will mean that there will be less foreclosures caused by the reseting of subprime mortgages in California than other areas of the US.