The Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09 was a period of severe macroeconomic instability for the United States and the global economy more generally. The crisis was precipitated by the collapse of a number of financial institutions who were deeply involved in the U.S. mortgage market and associated credit markets. Beginning in the Summer of 2007, a number of banks began to report issues with increasing mortgage delinquencies and the problem of not being able to accurately price derivatives contracts which were based on bundles of these U.S. residential mortgages. By the end of 2008, U.S. financial institutions had begun to fail due to their exposure to the housing market, leading to one of the deepest recessions in the history of the United States and to extensive government bailouts of the financial sector.

Subprime and the collapse of the U.S. mortgage market

The early 2000s had seen explosive growth in the U.S. mortgage market, as credit became cheaper due to the Federal Reserve's decision to lower interest rates in the aftermath of the 2001 'Dot Com' Crash, as well as because of the increasing globalization of financial flows which directed funds into U.S. financial markets. Lower mortgage rates gave incentive to financial institutions to begin lending to riskier borrowers, using so-called 'subprime' loans. These were loans to borrowers with poor credit scores, who would not have met the requirements for a conventional mortgage loan. In order to hedge against the risk of these riskier loans, financial institutions began to use complex financial instruments known as derivatives, which bundled mortgage loans together and allowed the risk of default to be sold on to willing investors. This practice was supposed to remove the risk from these loans, by effectively allowing credit institutions to buy insurance against delinquencies. Due to the fraudulent practices of credit ratings agencies, however, the price of these contacts did not reflect the real risk of the loans involved. As the reality of the inability of the borrowers to repay began to kick in during 2007, the financial markets which traded these derivatives came under increasing stress and eventually led to a 'sudden stop' in trading and credit intermediation during 2008.

Market Panic and The Great Recession

As borrowers failed to make repayments, this had a knock-on effect among financial institutions who were highly leveraged with financial instruments based on the mortgage market. Lehman Brothers, one of the world's largest investment banks, failed on September 15th 2008, causing widespread panic in financial markets. Due to the fear of an unprecedented collapse in the financial sector which would have untold consequences for the wider economy, the U.S. government and central bank, The Fed, intervened the following day to bailout the United States' largest insurance company, AIG, and to backstop financial markets. The crisis prompted a deep recession, known colloquially as The Great Recession, drawing parallels between this period and The Great Depression. The collapse of credit intermediation in the economy lead to further issues in the real economy, as business were increasingly unable to pay back loans and were forced to lay off staff, driving unemployment to a high of almost 10 percent in 2010. While there has been criticism of the U.S. government's actions to bailout the financial institutions involved, the actions of the government and the Fed are seen by many as having prevented the crisis from spiraling into a depression of the magnitude of The Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE15US) from 1991-08-30 to 2025-11-26 about 15-year, mortgage, fixed, interest rate, interest, rate, and USA.

The annual average interest rate on new residential loans in Germany generally decreased between 2007 and 2023, with some fluctuation. It declined from **** percent in 2007 to **** percent in 2021. In 2023, it significantly rose to **** percent, the highest rate recorded since 2010. Nevertheless, this rate varied for different loan types, with floating mortgage rates being the most expensive as of October 2023.

30 Year Mortgage Rate in the United States decreased to 6.23 percent in November 26 from 6.26 percent in the previous week. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States 30 Year Mortgage Rate.

Fixed 30-year mortgage rates in the United States averaged 6.40 percent in the week ending November 21 of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States MBA 30-Yr Mortgage Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Mortgage credit interest rate, percent in Romania, August, 2025 The most recent value is 7.22 percent as of August 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of 6.46 percent. Historically, the average for Romania from January 2007 to August 2025 is 7.77 percent. The minimum of 4.2 percent was recorded in August 2021, while the maximum of 13.65 percent was reached in May 2010. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

The annual average interest rate on new residential loans in Cyprus increased for the third year in a row in 2023, after ***** consecutive years of decline. In 2023, the average mortgage rate was **** percent - an increase of around *** percentage points from 2020 when the rate was at its lowest.

Graph and download economic data for Delinquency Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages, Booked in Domestic Offices, All Commercial Banks (DRSFRMACBS) from Q1 1991 to Q3 2025 about domestic offices, delinquencies, 1-unit structures, mortgage, family, residential, commercial, domestic, banks, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

Mortgage Rate in Australia decreased to 5.51 percent in September from 5.52 percent in August of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Australia Mortgage Rate.

Mortgage credit interest rate, percent in Cyprus, September, 2025 The most recent value is 3.41 percent as of September 2025, a decline compared to the previous value of 3.67 percent. Historically, the average for Cyprus from November 2007 to September 2025 is 4.19 percent. The minimum of 1.65 percent was recorded in April 2021, while the maximum of 6.65 percent was reached in November 2013. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Following the drastic increase directly after the COVID-19 pandemic, the delinquency rate started to gradually decline, falling below *** percent in the second quarter of 2023. In the second half of 2023, the delinquency rate picked up but remained stable throughout 2024. In the second quarter of 2025, **** percent of mortgage loans were delinquent. That was significantly lower than the **** percent during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 or the peak of *** percent during the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-2010. What does the mortgage delinquency rate tell us? The mortgage delinquency rate is the share of the total number of mortgaged home loans in the U.S. where payment is overdue by 30 days or more. Many borrowers eventually manage to service their loan, though, as indicated by the markedly lower foreclosure rates. Total home mortgage debt in the U.S. stood at almost ** trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Not all mortgage loans are made equal ‘Subprime’ loans, being targeted at high-risk borrowers and generally coupled with higher interest rates to compensate for the risk. These loans have far higher delinquency rates than conventional loans. Defaulting on such loans was one of the triggers for the 2007-2010 financial crisis, with subprime delinquency rates reaching almost ** percent around this time. These higher delinquency rates translate into higher foreclosure rates, which peaked at just under ** percent of all subprime mortgages in 2011.

The BBA Mortgage Rate in the UK refers to the average interest rate on mortgages offered by major banks, as reported by the British Bankers' Association.-2025-10-07

The annual average interest rate on new residential loans in Portugal generally decreased between 2007 and 2023 with some fluctuation in the years before 2012. From **** percent in 2007, the annual average interest rate reduced to **** percent in 2021. In 2022, it dramatically increased to **** percent, reaching **** percent in 2023.

This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...).

Lending Rate: Foreign Currencies Mortgage Loans: YB: Quarterly: NC: Chechen Republic data was reported at 12.000 % pa in Dec 2014. This stayed constant from the previous number of 12.000 % pa for Sep 2014. Lending Rate: Foreign Currencies Mortgage Loans: YB: Quarterly: NC: Chechen Republic data is updated quarterly, averaging 12.000 % pa from Sep 2007 (Median) to Dec 2014, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.500 % pa in Dec 2011 and a record low of 7.700 % pa in Sep 2007. Lending Rate: Foreign Currencies Mortgage Loans: YB: Quarterly: NC: Chechen Republic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Russia. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Interest and Foreign Exchange Rates – Table RU.MB012: Lending Rate: Foreign Currencies Housing Loans: ow Mortgage: by Region: Average from Year Beginning.

The benchmark interest rate in Canada was last recorded at 2.25 percent. This dataset provides - Canada Interest Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Lower Limit of First Home Mortgage Rate: Base Rate Discount: Fujian: Fuzhou data was reported at 70.000 % in 07 Oct 2019. This stayed constant from the previous number of 70.000 % for 06 Oct 2019. Lower Limit of First Home Mortgage Rate: Base Rate Discount: Fujian: Fuzhou data is updated daily, averaging 70.000 % from Jan 2019 (Median) to 07 Oct 2019, with 280 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70.000 % in 07 Oct 2019 and a record low of 70.000 % in 07 Oct 2019. Lower Limit of First Home Mortgage Rate: Base Rate Discount: Fujian: Fuzhou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The People's Bank of China. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Money Market, Interest Rate, Yield and Exchange Rate – Table CN.MA: Lower Limit of First Home Mortgage Rate: Prefecture Level City.

Bank Lending Rate in Malta increased to 4.54 percent in September from 4.50 percent in August of 2025. This dataset provides - Malta Bank Lending Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The annual average interest rate on new residential loans in Bulgaria declined significantly between 2009 and 2024. The latest year under consideration marked the lowest rate on record, at **** percent.

The benchmark interest rate in Hong Kong was last recorded at 4.25 percent. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Hong Kong Interest Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.