The Amortization Elasticity of Mortgage Demand

We study how amortization payments affect household borrowing exploiting notches in the Swedish amortization requirement. We argue that amortization payments are costly for borrowers under a number of scenarios, and that they therefore affect credit demand. We provide causal evidence that a percentage point increase in amortization payments reduce LTV ratios by 2-3 percentage points, implying a sizable amortization elasticity of mortgage demand. Borrowers who seek to avoid making payments generally have higher debt, higher income and higher debt-to-income ratios. On the aggregate level, credit growth falls sharply after the introduction of the amortization requirement.