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A brief history of the mortgage, from its roots in ancient Rome to the English 'dead pledge' and its rebirth in America

  • Written by: Michael J. Highfield, Professor of Finance and Warren Chair of Real Estate Finance, Mississippi State University
A brief history of the mortgage, from its roots in ancient Rome to the English 'dead pledge' and its rebirth in AmericaMortgages can haunt homeowners.GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

The average interest rate for a new U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage topped 7% in late October 2022 for the first time in more than two decades. It’s a sharp increase from one year earlier, when lenders were charging homebuyers only 3.09% for the same kind of loan.

Several factors,...

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