Prime rate

Prime rate is a term applied in many countries to a reference interest rate used by banks. The term originally indicated the rate at which banks lent to their most favoured customers, though this is no longer always the case. Some variable interest rates may be expressed as a percentage above or below prime rate.


Use in different banking systems

USA and Canada

Historically, in North American banking, the prime rate was the interest rate charged by lenders to borrowers whom they considered most creditworthy, although this is no longer the case. The prime rate varies little among banks, and adjustments are generally made by banks at the same time, although this does not happen with great frequency. The prime rate is currently 8.25% in the United States (as of June 30, 2006), according to data published by the Federal Reserve Bank. Canadian prime rate is currently 6.25% by Bank of Canada (as of Jul 11, 2007). The prime rate is one of the ways the central bank, such as the Federal Reserve, controls the spending habits of consumers.


Overview

In general, the prime rate runs approximately 300 basis points (or 3 percent) above the federal funds rate, the interest rate that banks charge to each other for overnight loans made to fulfill reserve funding requirements. (The Federal funds rate plus a much smaller increment is frequently used for lending to the most creditworthy borrowers today, as is LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate.) The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times per year wherein they set a target for the federal funds rate. Other rates, including the Prime Rate, derive from this base rate.

The most commonly recognized prime rate index is the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate (WSJ Prime Rate), published in the Wall Street Journal. Unlike other indexed rates, the prime rate does not change on a regular basis; rather, it changes whenever banks need to alter the rates at which borrowers obtain funds. The WSJ defines the prime rate as "The base rate on corporate loans posted by at least 75% of the nation's 30 largest banks." It has been speculated though that this is no longer the real definition, (and that the prime rate is simply the fed funds target rate + 3) because most corporate loans are indexed to LIBOR.[citation needed]

When 23 out of 30 of the United States' largest banks change their prime rate, the WSJ prints a composite prime rate change.

Uses

The Prime Rate is used often as a index in calculating rate changes to adjustable rate mortgages(ARM) and other variable rate short term loans. It is used in the calculation of some private student loans. Many credit cards with variable interest rates have their rate specified as the prime rate(index) plus a fixed value commonly called the spread

Ownership equity

At the start of a business, owners put some funding into the business to finance assets. Businesses can be considered for accounting purposes to be sums of liabilities and assets; this is the accounting equation. After liabilities have been accounted for, the positive remainder is deemed the owner's interest in the business. Thus, in accounting terms, ownership equity is the remaining interest in all assets after all liabilities are paid. If valuations placed on assets do not exceed liabilities, negative equity exists.

This definition is helpful when a business is not paying its bills and gets liquidated, wound up, put into receivership or bankruptcy. Then, a series of creditors, ranked in priority sequence, have the first claim on the proceeds (e.g. asset sales), and ownership equity is the last or residual claim against assets, paid only after all other creditors are paid. In such a case, creditors may not get enough money to pay their bills, and nothing is left over to reimburse owners' equity. Thus owners' equity is reduced to zero. Ownership equity is also known as risk capital, liable capital and equity.

When the owners are shareholders, the interest can be called shareholders' equity; the accounting remains the same, although shareholders may allow different priority ranking among themselves by the use of share classes, and options. This complicates both analysis for stock valuation, and accounting.

Advantages

Refinancing may be undertaken to reduce interest costs (by refinancing at a lower rate), to pay off other debts, to reduce one's periodic payment obligations (sometimes by taking a longer-term loan), to reduce risk (such as by refinancing from a variable-rate to a fixed-rate loan), and/or to liquidate some or all of the equity that has accumulated in real property during the tenure of ownership.

In essence, refinancing a mortgage or other type of loan can lower the monthly payments owed on the loan either by changing the loan to a lower interest rate, or by extending the period of loan, so as to spread the re-payment out over a long period of time. The money saved can be used to pay down the principal of the loan, thus further reducing payments. Alternately, refinancing can be used to transform available equity in one's house into ready cash, available for other purposes or expenses.

Another use of refinancing is to reduce the risk associated with an existing loan. Interest rates on adjustable-rate loans and mortgages shift up and down based on the movements of the various prime rates used to calculate them. By refinancing an adjustable-rate mortgage into a fixed-rate one, the risk of interest rates increasing dramatically is removed, thus ensuring a steady interest rate over time.

Refinancing a loan or a series of debts can assist in paying off high-interest debt such as credit card debt, with lower-interest debt such as that of a fixed-rate home mortgage. The net savings between the two interest rates can then be applied either towards further paying down the debt, or other purposes. In addition, non-tax deductible debt, such as credit card or car loan debt, can be transformed into tax-deductible debt such as home mortgage debt, potentially lowering one's taxes or shifting one into a more advantageous tax bracket. This type of arrangement is often associated with a Cash-Out Refinance.

Credit card debt

Credit card debt is an example of unsecured consumer debt, accessed through ISO 7810 plastic credit cards.

Debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system. Debt accumulates and increases via interest and penalties when the consumer does not pay the company for the money he or she has spent.

The results of not paying this debt on time are that the company will charge a late payment penalty (generally in the US from $10 to $40) and report the late payment to credit rating agencies. Being late on a payment is sometimes referred to as being in "default". The late payment penalty itself increases the amount of debt the consumer has.

When a consumer has been late on a payment, it is possible that other creditors, even creditors the consumer was not late in paying, may increase the interest rates the consumer is paying. This practice is called universal default.

If the customer is carrying an amount of debt that is so high that it is over their credit limit, then they might be charged an over-the-limit fee of up to $39 until their balance is paid down to below their credit limit. This, too, may add to the consumer's debt.

Personal finance

Personal finance is the application of the principles of finance to the monetary decisions of an individual or family unit. It addresses the ways in which individuals or families obtain, budget, save and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future life events. Components of personal finance might include checking and savings accounts, credit cards and consumer loans, investments in the stock market, retirement plans, social security benefits, insurance policies, and income tax management.

Mortgage loan

According to Anglo-American property law a mortgage occurs when an owner (usually of a fee simple interest in realty) pledges his interest as security or collateral for a loan. Therefore, a mortgage is an encumbrance on property just as an easement would be, but because most mortgages occur as a condition for new loan money, it has become known as a the generic term for a loan secured by such real property. As with other types of loans, mortgages have an interest rate and are scheduled to amortize over a set period of time; typically 30 years. All types of real property can, and usually are, secured with a mortgage and bear an interest rate that is supposed to reflect the lender's risk.

Mortgage lending is the primary mechanism used in many countries to finance private ownership of residential property. For commercial mortgages see the separate article. Although the terminology and precise forms will differ from country to country, the basic components tend to be similar:

• Property: the physical residence being financed. The exact form of ownership will vary from country to country, and may restrict the types of lending that are possible.
• Mortgage: the security created on the property by the lender, which will usually include certain restrictions on the use or disposal of the property (such as paying any outstanding debt before selling the property).

• Borrower: the person borrowing who either has or is creating an ownership interest in the property.

• Lender: any lender, but usually a bank or other financial institution.
• Principal: the original size of the loan, which may or may not include certain other costs; as any principal is repaid, the principal will go down in size.
• Interest: a financial charge for use of the lender's money.
• Foreclosure or repossession: the possibility that the lender has to foreclose, repossess or seize the property under certain circumstances is essential to a mortgage loan; without this aspect, the loan is arguably no different from any other type of loan.

Many other specific characteristics are common to many markets, but the above are the essential features. Governments usually regulate many aspects of mortgage lending, either directly (through legal requirements, for example) or indirectly (through regulation of the participants or the financial markets, such as the banking industry), and often through state intervention (direct lending by the government, by state-owned banks, or sponsorship of various entities). Other aspects that define a specific mortgage market may be regional, historical, or driven by specific characteristics of the legal or financial system.

Loan

A loan is a type of debt. All material things can be lent but this article focuses exclusively on monetary loans. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower.

The borrower initially receives an amount of money from the lender, which they pay back, usually but not always in regular installments, to the lender. This service is generally provided at a cost, referred to as interest on the debt. A borrower may be subject to certain restrictions known as loan covenants under the terms of the loan.

Acting as a provider of loans is one of the principal tasks for financial institutions. For other institutions, issuing of debt contracts such as bonds is a typical source of funding. Bank loans and credit are one way to increase the money supply.

Legally, a loan is a contractual promise of a debtor to repay a sum of money in exchange for the promise of a creditor to give another sum of money.

Property

Property designates those things commonly recognized as the entities in respect of which a person or group has exclusive rights. Important types of property include real property (land), personal property (other physical possessions), and intellectual property (rights over artistic creations, inventions, etc.). A right of ownership is associated with property that establishes the good as being "one's own thing" in relation to other individuals or groups, assuring the owner the right to dispense with the property in a manner he or she sees fit, whether to use or not use, exclude others from using, or to transfer ownership. Some philosophers assert that property rights arise from social convention. Others find origins for them in morality or natural law.

Mortgage

A mortgage is a method of using property (real or personal) as security for the payment of a debt.

The term mortgage (from Law French, lit. dead pledge) refers to the legal device used for this purpose, but it is also commonly used to refer to the debt secured by the mortgage, the mortgage loan.

In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans secured on real estate rather than other property (such as ships) and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property.

In many countries it is normal for home purchases to be funded by a mortgage. In countries where the demand for home ownership is highest, strong domestic markets have developed, notably in Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.