Crisis-Era Mortgage Attempts a Comeback

Crisis-Era Mortgage Attempts a Comeback

Now, big money managers including Neuberger Berman, Pacific Investment Management Co. and an affiliate of Blackstone Group LP are lobbying lenders to make more of these “Alt-A” loans—or even buying loan-origination companies to control more of the supply themselves—according to people familiar with the matter.

Years of easy-money policies by central banks and ultralow interest rates are pushing investors to seek out riskier assets with higher yields, such as these Alt-A loans. Many of these loans come with interest rates as high as 8%, compared with an average of about 3.8% for a typical 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. While such relatively...

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