New research suggests that when a home’s value falls below 75 percent of the amount owed on the mortgage, the owner starts to think hard about walking away, even if he or she has the money to keep paying. See the whole article in New York Times. Extensive discussion of the issue. It’s beginning to […]

Tags: David Streitfeld, house arrest, jingle mail, New York Times, principal reduction, strategic defaults, walking away
Posted in bubble, Corruption, Eviction, securities fraud |

A provocative paper by Brent White, a law professor at the University of Arizona, makes the case that borrowers are actually suffering from a “norm asymmetry.” In other words, they think they are obligated to repay their loans even if it is not in their financial interest to do so, while their lenders are free […]

Tags: $800 fee, ARIZONA, Booth School of Business, CALIFORNIA, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Eric Posner, fee for non-recourse option, Lease, Luigi Zingales, mortgage default, New York Times, non-recorse, Option, pool, recording, Richard Thaler, strategic defaults, sublease, Susan Woordward, swap, University of Chicago, walking away
Posted in bubble, Corruption, Eviction, securities fraud |