Key Questions:

1. Who are the leading lenders in California?
   1. The leading lenders, by market share, are Countrywide Home Loans, Washington Mutual Bank and Countrywide Bank, Fsb. 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 2.34 times their annual income for their mortgage. This compares to 1.89 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. 90.1% of home owners in California that applied for a mortgage in 2007 live in their homes versus owning them as an investment property. This compares to the national average of 89.7%.
4. How at risk is California to the subprime mortgage crisis?
   1. Subprime loans taken out by home owners in California were meaningfully less than the national average in 2007. That is to say, California will likely be less affected by the subprime mortgage crisis in years to come as a lesser percentage of all mortgages in California - 5.9% versus 7.2% - will reset to higher rates in 2009.