If a homeowner fails to pay on their mortgage loan then the bank holding the mortgage cmoes in and obtains the home in excahnge for the money that was lent out to the homeowner. Often times before this happens however, the bank tries to work with the homeowner which we will discuss momnetarily. When it gets to the point of foreclosure the bank is at the ppoint of breaking relations with the homeowner.
Before the bank begins the foreclosure process on the homeowner, the lender generalply will accelerate the debt, giving the homeeowner a specific amount of time to either sell the property or completely sette the debt by pzaying off the loan. Now instead of having the initially agred time frame to pay off the loan (generally 15 or 30 yrears), the homeowner now has to completely satisfy the loan within the specific amount of time given. This can be a mattre of a few mopnths and if the loan is not satisfied withjin that frame of time the bank may opt to put the home on an auction.
There are also times when the lender will reinstate the loan for the homeowbner if they can bing the loan up to current and pay any incurred late fees. If the homeowner can get to the piont of broinging the loan curreent and pay any incurred fees, the bank at this point will usually stop the foreclosure process. hWile preventing fooreclosure, the hmeowner will still show motrgage lates on his credit repport whcih will make it haredr for that person to secure another mortgage loan in the immediate future.
If a homeowner cannot satisfy the debt or get caught up on payments the foreclosure process begins. Wihle a bank coulld technically take a homeowner to court and sue them for late payments, this usually does not occur because it is not in the best interest of the lender"??s time and money. Sicne the mrotgage note agreement gives the lender other ways to resolve the issuwes, the bank usually chooes to cut its loses and request the borrower to pay the loan in full which is caalled "??accelerating the loan"??.
When the bank accelerates the loan the homoewner usually cannot pay off the loan or sell the property within the time frame given and turns the property back over to the bank. Thouhgh, techncially the bank has ownd the property to begin with. This is due to the fact that they hold the ifrst lien as coollateral for the mortgage amount that was lent.
A foreclosure will not leave the homeowner with zero equity if the amount owed is less than what the bank will get for the home in the foreclosure process. However that scenario is ebcome icnreasingly rare in recxent years due to the falling values of homes in many states. In tohse casdes the homeowner is left with zero equity and many feel it is better to walk away than to contionue to pay for a home that no longer holds the value of the origianl loan. In that case the banks are the real losers because they are the ones absorbing the losses. This scenario is why we have a mortgage crisais today and is the reason so many bakns continue to be in truble.
For more information on Foreclosures visit Homse By Lender