Clawback

A clawback in the mortgage lending industry may sound a bit desperate… and, well, it sort of is. A clawback generally refers to the recovery of money that was previously paid or transferred. The term can arise in several contexts. For example, a mortgage lender or...

Cramdown

A cramdown in a mortgage-related bankruptcy proceeding sounds terrible, but it actually helps the borrower in most situations. In the mortgage loan business, a cramdown generally refers to a bankruptcy court reducing the amount of a secured debt that is treated as...

Haircut

Mortgage professionals are not professional stylists, but this doesn’t mean they don’t do haircuts. In the mortgage loan business, a haircut is a reduction applied to the stated or market value of an asset when determining how much credit, financing, or collateral...

Mortgage in Disguise

A mortgage in disguise definitely doesn’t sound like something you want to apply for; it sounds more like a mortgage that finds you, and not in a good way. Unfortunately, this isn’t too far off from the actual definition. A mortgage in disguise is a...

Interim Occupancy Fee

An interim occupancy fee is an amount paid by a buyer who is permitted to occupy a property before the purchase has formally closed or before legal title has been transferred. It is most commonly associated with newly constructed condominium units, particularly in...