[enra]

Poor people don't always have the means to save to afford the 10-30% down payment, so they cannot benefit from the cheap mortgage rates.

[joeyrideout]

On the other hand, the banks are basically transferring wealth to the middle class (or anyone who can afford a mortgage) by paying them to borrow money.

[msh]

In Denmark the required downpayment is 5%, up from 0 a few years ago.

[fuzz4lyfe]

Same in the US effectively. You will have to pay extra for mortgage insurance but I think the 20% notion is long dead.