Acceleration Clause
Definition of "Acceleration Clause"
Acceleration Clause is a contractual provision inserted in a mortgage, a bond, a deed of trust or other credit vehicles, that gives the lender the right to demand repayment of the entire loan balance. Usually, such a clause becomes operational when there has been a default in payments of interest or principal or both.
When the acceleration clause is activated, the entire principal sum is called in and becomes due and payable. This fact would precipitate a foreclosure in the case of real estate, or bankruptcy action if the monies were not paid at the time of the call.
Acceleration clauses are created to protect the lender from borrower default and other risks. It prevents/deals with payment delinquencies, but can, on rare occasions, be structured for other occurrences too.
Let's see an acceleration clause in effect scenario:
Home Seller Barbara makes a Land Contract with Home Buyer Paul. He started paying correctly and living in Barbara's former house. He has paid already $30,000 of its $100,000 contract. At the end of it, he'll be the owner of the house. BUT: he didn't pay for the last 3 months, so the acceleration clause kicked in, Barbara filed for a land contract forfeiture and now Paul has to pay the rest of the $70,000 with one swing if he wants to still be able to get the house. Or else, they're done.
Accelerate your home buying/home selling process: find a real estate agent
Popular Real Estate Terms
Similar property. Comparing like property. properties that are side by side but do not meet. They are in the same direction with a constant distance. ...
Title leaving no question as to who the owner is. It is the title which a reasonable buyer, knowledgeable of the facts and their legal implications and acting in a reasonable manner, would ...
Claim made by a federal or local government agency against a taxpayer's property for delinquent or overdue taxes. The tax lien is effected through tax assessment, demand, and failure to ...
The term compounding refers to the process of gaining interest on interest. While usually, interest is credited to the existing principal amount, compounding makes it possible to credit ...
Number of small holes in a wall allowing water to drain from it. This makes the walls able to withstand water pressure. ...
Distribution of population over a given area of land. ...
Unsecured long-term debt. There is no collateral or lien on the property. A debenture can only be issued by a financially sound borrower with an excellent credit rating because no ...
Right of a party, the assignor, to allocate the benefits of certain insurance policies to a third party, the assignee. Insurance on real estate may assign the policy to protect the property ...
The use of borrower funds by people or business to increase the return on an investment. Examples are a mortgage to purchase real estate and buying real estate stock on margin. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.