In subprime home mortgages the term subprime refers to:

a. The fact that the interest rates on these mortgages were below the prime rate.

b. The idea that these mortgages were offered to young borrowers who had their prime earning years ahead of them.

c. The fact that the borrowers had a credit history that was not as good as a typical or prime borrower.

d. The idea that these borrowers had a much higher savings rate than a typical borrower.