Interest-only mortgages are nonqualified mortgage (non-QM) loans, which means they come with features that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) considers potentially risky. These include the interest-only period itself as well as, in some cases, a balloon payment.
The most significant risk of a balloon mortgage is foreclosure if the borrower can't make the balloon payment at the end of the term. Foreclosure can result in the loss of the home, emotional distress, and impact the borrower's credit negatively, generally for seven years.
There may or may not be a balloon payment at the end of an interest-only mortgage. It's more common for the monthly payments to increase after an initial, interest-only period of between five and 10 years.
The balloon amount is calculated based on the predicted future value of the vehicle at the end of the contract, known as the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value (GMFV). Balloon payments are often associated with PCP agreements but can also be applied to HP finance.
Promissory notes with balloon payments are a financing option you may be considering for your business. These types of loans may be secured by collateral or not, but they always end their repayment schedule with a big payment, known as the balloon payment.