mortgage: (noun) A legal agreement in which a person borrows money to buy property and repays it over time. The Federal Housi

mortgage: (noun) A legal agreement in which a person borrows money to buy property and repays it over time. The Federal Housing Administration introduced the thirty-year amortized version in 1934 during the Great Depression.

Chapter 1

The birth of the 30-year loan

Chapter 2

How the money actually flows

Chapter 3

The invisible giant in the background

Chapter 4

Navigating your mortgage choices

Ch 1 · The birth of the 30-year loan
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The Thirty-Year House
BETA

sloane Drag your payments onto the house to learn how a thirty-year mortgage actually works.

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sloane The risky days of early home buying

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sloane The invention of the long-term loan

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sloane Why mortgage means death pledge

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sloane American 30-Year Mortgage Loan

Fixed rate, thirty years, Goodbye, old mortgage fears! FHA helped it bloom, A stable living room!

Jul 15

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The invention of the long-term loan

sloane The Federal Housing Administration pioneered the modern 30-year mortgage to make homeownership affordable for ordinary families.

Jul 15

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Fun Fact

Mortgage translation: The word mortgage literally comes from Old French words meaning 'death pledge,' coined by medieval lawyers.

Jul 15

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How the Great Depression changed everything

sloane The economic crash of 1929 destroyed the early mortgage system, leading to widespread foreclosures and government intervention.

Jul 15

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Glossary
mortgage (noun)
A legal agreement in which a person borrows money to buy property and repays it over time. The Federal Housing Administration introduced the thirty-year amortized version in 1934 during the Great Depression.

Jul 15

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Quiz

Which President signed the National Housing Act of 1934 into law?

Jul 15

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Gossip

Would you prefer a 30-year mortgage or renting forever?

Jul 15

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Quiz

Why did early 20th-century banks refuse to lend more than 50% of a home's value?

Jul 15

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Quiz

Which US government agency, created in 1934, popularized the long-term amortized mortgage?

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Quiz

What does the Old French word mortgage literally translate to?

Jul 15

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Quiz

Before the 1930s, how long did a typical American home mortgage last?

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Quiz

During the peak of the Great Depression in 1933, approximately how many US home mortgages foreclosed each day?

Jul 15

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Quiz

What happened to a borrower at the end of a pre-1930s balloon mortgage?

Jul 15

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Quiz

What does it mean when a mortgage is fully amortizing?

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