Housing debts have become fuel for the global economy, having been turned into tradable commodities on the financial markets. However, housing debts also have a profound relevance in the everyday life of those who have become indebted, enabling the dream of homeownership, but also leading to foreclosures and evictions. This thesis aims to take a rather under-researched perspective on formal and informal housing debts (i.e., mortgages and familial loans) by exploring the role of public and domestic discourses in, what is termed, the financialisation of housing. The financialisation of housing refers to the process of real estate being turned into assets and commodities and to the spread of individualised financial products being used to secure housing. The thesis uses the Czech Republic as a case through which to examine how discourse may enable this transition and how contribute to a specific financial governmentality. The thesis raises questions: How is it possible that mortgages come to be perceived as a normal and natural solution to housing issues? How do they become part of the debtors' lives through certain discourses? These questions are explored through an innovative framework of layered performativity, encompassing rhetoric, sociotechnical devices, and references to practices that reveal three main...

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

The diploma thesis investigates causes and progression of the mortgage crisis beginning in 2006 in the United States. Theoretical part of the thesis explains general causes of economic crises in accordance with the Austrian theory of the business cycle. Some of the basic problems of nonmonetary business cycle theories are mentioned and the most common ABCT attacks refuted. Analytical part of the thesis tries to explain why the current business cycle appeared primarily in the form of mortgage crisis. For this reason institutions playing the main role in the American mortgage market are being analysed including Federal Reserve System, government-sponsored enterprises, and three biggest rating agencies Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings. Thesis conclusion should answer the question why and how the mortgage crisis originated in the United States.

承做反向房屋抵押貸款有許多的風險，包括有利率風險、房屋價值風險和死亡率風險，而當反向房屋抵押貸款的貸款餘額超過抵押房屋的價值時，則反向房屋抵押貸款的發行機構將會面臨了臨界風險。本文中的利率模型採用Black-Derman-Toy模型(BDT)來生成未來短期利率的機率分布；而房價模型方面則採用Cox-Ross-Rubinstein模型(CRR) ，死亡率模型為Lee-Carter模型。另外，本篇使用了三維度的四元樹模擬方法，觀察在短期利率模型與房屋價值模型相關的條件下，貸放機構將會面臨的預期損失。另外，對於承做反向房屋抵押貸款的貸放機構而言，最高可貸成數是由貸放機構未來預期損失的淨現值總合等於未來貸款保費的淨現值總合所求得。然而，當貸放機構未來所遭遇的實質損失大於預期損失時，貸放機構則將有未預期損失，因此為了移轉此非預期損失，我們設計了一個證券化的模型，希望藉由發行債券的方式，將此反向房屋抵押貸款發生在臨界點之後的臨界風險移轉給資本市場中的債券持有人。 / When the outstanding balance exceeds the housing value before the loan is settled, the insurer suffers an exposure to crossover risk induced by three risk factors: interest rates, house prices and mortality rates. Under the consideration of housing price risk, interest rate risk and longevity risk, we provide a three-dimensional lattice method which simultaneously captures the evolution of housing price and short-term interest rate to numerically calculate the fair valuation of reverse mortgages. For a mortgage reverse insurer, the maximum level of reverse mortgage insurance is determined by setting the present value of total expected claim losses equal to the present value of the premium charges. However, when the actual loss is higher than the expected loss, the insurer will incur an unexpected loss. To offset the potential loss, we also design a crossover bond, the payoff structure of which is related to the actual losses and expected losses, to transfer the unexpected loss into the bond investors. Therefore, through the crossover bonds, the reverse mortgage insurers can transfer the crossover risk into the bondholders.

本研究希望透過分析香港導入安老按揭試驗計畫之過程與經驗，並比較其與美國HECM計畫之異同，發掘反向房屋抵押貸款商品導入階段，所面對問題及具體解決方案，藉以提供我國未來規劃相關商品之政策參考。 　　目前內政部規劃於2012年底，試辦公益型反向房屋抵押貸款商品，並由公益彩券盈餘挹注資金，初期採嚴選借款人身份、限定試辦區域及限制受理名額方式辦理。惟以各國發展類似商品之成功經驗，要達到政府建構老年經濟安全保障之多元化目標，回歸財務自給自足，擴大適用對象與範圍，才是正辦。 　　香港推出安老按揭，係華人社會中首見具有政府保險機制之反向房屋抵押貸款。其由香港政府全面主導，建構整體營運架構與商品內容，適足以提供我國極佳之參考範例。本研究發現在營運架構方面，安老按揭以政府保險機制，免除承辦金融機構面對長壽、利率及房價風險之疑慮。同時，亦加強老年人申辦之信任與信心，為日後發展奠定良好基礎；在商品規劃方面，安老按揭貸款採用風險較高之年輕借款人，貸款成數較HECM計畫為低，風險較低之高齡借款人，貸款成數則較HECM計畫為高。以及安老按揭前期成本(Upfront costs)較HECM計畫為低之策略，嘗試說服立法會與民意支持；在消費者保護措施方面，香港近期飽受金融機構不當銷售案例頻仍之苦，安老按揭採用事前強制輔導、事中嚴格控制資金用途及事後長達六個月猶豫撤銷期，以期保護弱勢老年消費者。 　　本研究建議未來政府除保留目前規劃之公益型反向房屋抵押貸款商品，提供擁有房地產的近貧老人，取得日常生活所需資金外。仍應朝向公辦民營型的反向房屋抵押貸款商品發展，由政府帶頭結合民間各項資源，避免財政補貼支出，朝向財務自給自足之目標，俾以擴大服務對象與範圍，達成政府建構老年經濟安全保障多元化之既定目標。

[pt] Percorrendo as linhas de interseção que conectam e separam as disciplinas economia política internacional, sociologia política internacional e geografia humana, a presente pesquisa se propõe a investigar derivativos financeiros como tanto forma de dinheiro quanto instituição e práticas monetárias. Para tanto, o estudo busca inspiração, de modo geral, no que foi cunhado virada prática nas ciências sociais, e de modo particular, nas abordagens teórico-metodológicas associadas à Teoria do Ator-Rede (TAR). Por meio do desempacotamento da noção de financeirização bem como de um descentramento das finanças, a pesquisa intenta capturar ações, práticas, objetos e estratégias que reúnem, sustentam, autorizam e dão forma à ordenamentos monetários e financeiros sistemáticos – muito embora restando contingentes e instáveis. À luz do mercado de hipotecas subprime dos Estados Unidos da América, o estudo pretende, de um lado, desvelar mecanismos de assemblagem de redes sociotécnicas monetárias e financeiras e, de outro lado, lançar luz sobre dinâmicas topológicas que deslocam e amplificam linhas de exclusão/expropriação raciais e de gênero. Este trabalho de mapeamento, no nosso entendimento, abre espaço para engajamento político e crítico com uma temática pretensamente técnica, ao passo que sinaliza limites e possibilidades que derivam de modos e formas de dissenso. / [en] Running across the intersecting lines that bind and separate the domains of international political economy, international political sociology and human geography, this research sets out to investigate derivatives as both money-form and monetary institutions and practices. To this end, the study draws inspiration, in general, from what has been termed in the social sciences as the practical turn and, in particular, from theoretical and methodological approaches associated with the Actor-Network Theory. By unpacking the notion of financialization and decentering finance, this investigation seeks to grasp actions, practices, objects, strategies that bring together, sustain, authorize and give form to systematic, albeit contingent and unstable, financial and monetary orderings. In the light of the subprime mortgage market of the United States of America, the study will, on the one hand, shed light to mechanisms of assembly of sociotechnical monetary and financial networks, and, on the other hand, unveil the topological workings that dislocate and amplify racial and gendered lines of exclusion. This work of mapping, so I argue, shall open up spaces for critical engagement and shall indicate the limits and possibilities deriving from multiple modes of dissent.

A real security right improves a creditor’s chances of recovering a debt owed to him by the debtor. In the case of an ordinary pledge, the pledgor delivers physical control of his movable property to his creditor to serve as security for the repayment of the principal debt. The increasing value and use of movable property as an object of security coupled with technological advancement have resulted in many countries calling for legal reform of real security rights over movable property. In South Africa this led to the introduction of the Security by Means of Movable Property Act 57 of 1993 which makes provision for a pledge without possession. The Act regulates only special notarial bonds and does not apply to general notarial bonds. The real security right vests in the bondholder upon registration of the bond, provided that the movable property encumbered is described in a notarial bond in a way that makes it readily recognisable. The Act has substituted delivery with registration in the Deeds Registry. Registration of the notarial bond in the Deeds Registry is questioned as to whether it complies with the publicity principle. This is because movable property can be shifted from one place to another without any knowledge on the part of the creditor due to the inaccessible and costly registration system. The third party then receives the property subject to the real security right of the creditor. The substitution of delivery with registration is the controversial feature in this study. Linked to the legal problems regarding compliance with the publicity principle, is the description and identification requirement as provided for under the Act, the exclusion of general notarial bonds from the application of the Act, and the question of whether it is appropriate to regard special notarial bonds as pledges without possession. This study questions whether the current land registry system should be used for the registration of notarial bonds and suggests that a new system designed specifically for the registration of real security rights over movables be considered. I compare the position in the Belgian legal system as regards developments in real security rights over movables to identify possible solutions and recommendations for the South African approach. / Private Law / LL. M.

This thesis explores the impact of two behavioural finance concepts, social psychology and psychology, on household financial decisions. Under social psychology, I investigate whether the variety and intensity of social engagement enhances stock market participation. With regard to psychology, I examine two behavioural biases. First, I investigate whether mental accounting influences portfolio choice in three asset classes and whether financial advice and housing tenure increase (decrease) the effects of mental accounts on portfolio choice. Second, I examine whether households’ self-reported housing wealth are anchored on published house price indices and whether anchoring bias is mediated by market information, mortgage refinancing decisions and social factors. The main contributions and findings in the three studies are as follows. First, although there is an elaborate body of research concerning the relationship between social engagement mechanisms and portfolio choice, most studies investigate specific mechanisms in isolation. Using three waves in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), I bring together five social engagement measures in one model and show that socially engaged individuals are more likely to participate in the stock market. Consistent with Granovetter’s (1973) theory of social networks I find that a weak tie (measured by social group involvement) has a positive effect on stock market participation whereas a strong tie (measured by talking to neighbours) has no effect. More trusting individuals are more likely to participate in the stock market, as are those who identify with a political party. In contrast, the degree to which religion is important appears to have little impact. These results are robust using different specifications. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the likelihood of stock market participation increases with the variety and intensity of social engagement. Second, despite the established theoretical underpinnings of mental accounting in behavioural portfolio theory (BPT) and recent extensions, not much is known about their implications in real life situations. I use a recent UK household survey, the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS), which has comprehensive information about financial assets to investigate whether there are differences in the ownership and portfolio share of three asset classes among individuals who exhibit no mental account, a single mental account and multiple mental accounts, and the conditional influences of financial advice, housing, cognitive ability, time preference and risk tolerance. Overall I find that mental accounting together with financial advice and housing tenure explain variations in both the probability of ownership and portfolio share in the three asset classes. Households that exhibit a single mental account have low share of investments in, and are less likely to own, a risky asset when compared to those that exhibit no mental account or exhibit multiple mental accounts. I also find that, when compared to having no mental account, exhibiting a single mental account or multiple mental accounts increases both the probability and investment share in a fairly safe asset but decreases portfolio share in safe assets. In addition, among those that exhibit a single mental or multiple mental accounts, financial advice decreases portfolio share in risky assets and fairly safe assets and increases portfolio share in safe assets. Housing tenure increases both the probability and portfolio share in risky assets, decreases portfolio share in fairly safe assets and increases portfolio share in safe assets. These results are consistent using multi-equation regressions, sub-samples, reparametrised variables and poisson regressions. Finally, as little is known about how households derive the self-reported house prices estimates that are commonly used to determine housing wealth, the third study examines whether households are anchored on published house price indices. The key conjecture is that, while assessing the values of their homes, homeowners place more weight on house price news at the expense of property characteristics and other market information. I find support for this hypothesis using sixteen waves of the BHPS, multiple methods, and both regional and national house price indices. I conclude that changes in self-reported housing wealth are anchored on changes in published house price indices. Specifically, ownership through a mortgage and greater financial expectations increase anchoring effects while mortgage refinancing decreases the effects. Moreover, use of money raised from refinancing for home investment, as opposed to other consumption purposes, has a positive association with change in self-reported house value and both uses reduce anchoring bias. In addition, I find that computer use increases anchoring bias and, among social engagement mechanisms, religiosity reduces anchoring while other measures have no effect. These results are robust to internal instrumental variables, national aggregate house prices, alternative indices and sub-samples.

本文就壽險業投資情況、投資組合與不動產市場的關聯性進行討論，介紹壽險業目前的營運狀況、資金來源以及資金運用的情況與限制等；並且試圖描述不動產市場之情形，說明壽險業可能進入不動產市場的契機、以及提出資金進入不動產市場的可能策略；其後建立新的不動產市場投資之變數，本文以不動產貸款抵押債券投入所建立的MIN－MAD﹙Mean-absolute Deviation﹚Model，瞭解投入此新變數後對投資組合的變化並比較其不同之處，藉此探究以其他方式將資金投入是否為一可行之策略。