strategic default: Expiring Mortgage Debt Act To Increase Strategic Defaults? - 12/03/12 07:44 AM
Last December I blogged about strategic default.  That is, consumers that walk away from their mortgage even though they have the ability to continue making their payments. It results in foreclosure, of course.
If the Mortgage Debt Act is allowed to expire by a deadlocked Congress, will this encourage more struggling homeowners to walk away instead of trying to sell their homes by short sale?  Currently, homeowners don’t have to pay tax on the forgiven debt.  If the Act expires, the forgiven debt will be treated as income (a ‘gift’) and will be taxable.
In September (2012) Housing Wire reported that … (2 comments)

strategic default: Study Shows Strategic Default Influenced By Social Circle - 12/30/11 09:48 AM
Strategic default is defined as walking away from a mortgage that you have the ability to pay. Why do homeowners do this?  Or not do this?  It can be pretty much broken into two schools of thought.
First, the ethical argument.  You agreed to buy your house at a then fair market price with a mortgage at the then market rate.  You signed a contract obligating you to keep making payments even if similar houses are now selling for half the value of what you paid.  Even if a new mortgage can be obtained at a lower interest rate by another … (3 comments)

strategic default: Strategic Defaulters - FICO Has Your Number - 04/23/11 10:20 AM
OK, so they don't have your actual (FICO Score) number, but they do have a profile of who is most likely to use strategic default as an exit strategy.  You manage your credit better than the average consumer, have lower revolving balances and generally, you don't exceed your credit card balances.
Strategic default is generally accepted to mean default by a consumer that still has the ability to make payments. Often these folks are value-keyed, figuring that if they walk away from a home that isn't worth what they owe, perhaps they can also pick up another home at a cheaper … (2 comments)