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| US lender on brink of bankruptcy | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| US lender American Home Mortgage has filed for bankruptcy, after laying off the majority of its staff last week. | US lender American Home Mortgage has filed for bankruptcy, after laying off the majority of its staff last week. |
| The demise of one of the country's largest independent home loan providers is the latest case of a business suffering from the US housing slump. | |
| Earlier this year the firm had over seven thousand employees, but by Friday only 750 staff remained. | Earlier this year the firm had over seven thousand employees, but by Friday only 750 staff remained. |
| Repeated interest rate rises have pushed up loan repayments, which has led to a rise in defaults. | Repeated interest rate rises have pushed up loan repayments, which has led to a rise in defaults. |
| While the sub-prime market - the sector that caters for the riskiest borrowers - has been the most obvious to suffer from defaults, it is not alone. | While the sub-prime market - the sector that caters for the riskiest borrowers - has been the most obvious to suffer from defaults, it is not alone. |
| American Home Mortgage offered loans that were categorised between prime and sub-prime. | American Home Mortgage offered loans that were categorised between prime and sub-prime. |
| It also provided the less common mortgage with adjustable interest rates. Most US mortgages have fixed rates. | It also provided the less common mortgage with adjustable interest rates. Most US mortgages have fixed rates. |
| As the firm files Chapter 11 proceedings - the US process to seek bankruptcy protection - Deutsche Bank, Wilmington Trust and JP Morgan Chase are American Home Depot's three largest creditors. | As the firm files Chapter 11 proceedings - the US process to seek bankruptcy protection - Deutsche Bank, Wilmington Trust and JP Morgan Chase are American Home Depot's three largest creditors. |