Moreover, reports suggest that few of the benefits of lower long-term interest rates are filtering through to homeowners; the major beneficiaries, it seems, are the banks. Many who want to refinance their mortgages still cannot, because they are “underwater” (owing more on their mortgages than the underlying property is worth).
但大部分富豪明白，暂时性手段只能造成股价的暂时波动，远远不足以支持炫耀性消费。此外，报告显示，长期利率下降的好处只有很少一部分流向了屋主；最大的受益者似乎是银行。许多想对按揭进行再融资的人并没有成功，因为它们的房产仍然“在水面以下”（即他们欠银行的钱比房屋的当前价值还多）。