Topic: How To Invest

I would appreciate your comments on mortgage investment corporations in general, and Romspen Mortgage Investment Fund in particular.

Article Excerpt

Mortgage Investment Corporations, or MICs, invest in pools of mortgages. These businesses then distribute most of their profits to their shareholders. Some MICs yield 8% or 9% or more annually. They sound like conservative investments because they invest in mortgages rather than equity. However, mortgages vary widely in their investment quality and risk. MICs can earn high profits because they take on riskier mortgages. Conservative mortgage lenders, such as banks and mortgage funds, mainly invest in first mortgages on commercial, industrial and/or residential properties. MICs may offer mortgage financing to real estate developers who are renovating existing properties or building new ones. Real estate development is generally more profitable than investing in existing real estate when it succeeds, but it is inherently riskier and more speculative. Romspen Mortgage Investment Fund is a MIC that specializes in land purchases, pre-development mortgages, construction mortgages and term-financing mortgages, which let the owners of a completed or mostly completed income-producing properties put off arranging longer-term…