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
Person who dies leaving a will specifying the distribution of the estate. ...
Written enumeration of the desired selling prices associated with homes or office buildings for sale. The prospective buyer can then determine if the properties for sale are within his ...
Person providing advice for compensation about real estate. ...
Real property being offered for sale that has received a contract for sale but has not gone to a closing. Under these circumstances, it may be possible to accept a refundable binder for ...
Branch of the federal government responsible for collecting taxes including personal and corporate. The IRS administers tax rules and regulations, and investigates tax irregularities. ...
Sponsor of a syndicate involving people or companies buying an interest in a real estate investment or unit. The group of investors are in effect engaged in a joint venture for profit." ...
The maximum pre-approved amount that an individual or business can borrow without preparing a new credit request. It is a safety buffer in the event funds are needed for unexpected ...
Decline in value of real estate property because it is near something which is damaging to its worth. For example, a house located next to a pollution treatment center, drug center, or ...
Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line (North-South). It is a rectangular approach ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.