Key Questions:

1. Who are the leading lenders in Massachusetts?
   1. The leading lenders, by market share, are Countrywide Home Loans, Countrywide Bank, Fsb and Bank Of America, N.A.. Do you have the best rate possible? Find out your credit score or browse
2. How stretched will home owners in Massachusetts be in paying off their mortgage?
   1. Homeowners in Massachusetts borrowed an average of 2.11 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 Massachusetts homeowners will default on their mortgage payments in the coming years.
3. How likely are the owners of homes in Massachusetts to actually live in them?
   1. 91.9% of home owners in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts to the subprime mortgage crisis?
   1. There were significantly less subprime loans taken out by home owners in Massachusetts than the national average in 2007. That is to say, Massachusetts will be less affected by the subprime mortgage crisis in years to come as a lesser percentage of all mortgages in Massachusetts - 4.9% versus 7.2% - will reset to higher rates in 2009. This will mean that there will be less foreclosures caused by the reseting of subprime mortgages in Massachusetts than other areas of the US.