Further Reading

Bankruptcy and foreclosure are some of the common words which have become popular in the present economic crisis and news papers and electronic media are coming out with stories about these things every day. Since most of us are under pressure with loans taken from a bank or from a lender, it is better to take stock of your financial liabilities as a whole before becoming a victim of bankruptcy.

If you have taken a loan by pledging your fixed property like your house as mortgage from a lender then you should know what the consequences are in case you miss the payment of loan installments in time. You should know what foreclosure is, connected with non payment of mortgage installments and from which point of time your mortgage company initiates foreclosure procedure against you.

Usually in most of the cases non payment loan installment for the first time may be taken lightly and the first step of foreclosure procedure begins with a mere late payment notice through a lawyer. But it is a warning bell for you to wake up and rectify your mistake by contacting your lender and make some arrangement from which you buy some extra time to regroup your repayment capacities.

At this early stage of the crisis, the mortgage company has the option of giving you easier terms to make your payments. But if they choose not to go easy on you for whatever reason, or if you default for a second time, then you may find yourself in a position where losing your home is a real possibility.

If you are in default more than once, a lender will promptly send you a statement saying that you are now responsible for their legal costs and they will be adding a penalty for your lateness. In a foreclosure procedure, a lending institution may insist on full payment of the balance in one lump sum, which makes it all but impossible to avoid the loss of your house.

Lump sum or full payment is an important clause in any mortgage contract which is called an acceleration clause. Once the acceleration clause comes into effect then you will be left with only two options- either repay the full loan amount in a single installment or face final foreclosures procedures. Now the local sheriff will send a certified letter to you about the foreclosure of your property.

From here onwards many legal formalities will follow in which your house will be auctioned and you will stand like a help less mute spectator when your dream house will be purchased by some unknown person without your actual consent.

In these days of the economic crisis, we need to know about the foreclosure procedure in case it happens to us. In the early stages of foreclosures procedures, the mortgage company can give you easier payment terms, but they could also choose not to do so. Or if you default again, you could truly face losing your home. A vital condition in mortgage payments is called an acceleration clause, which entails complete or lump sum payment. You must pay all at once or face foreclosure. Then your house could be auctioned off.