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
Conversion of real property into money. The breaking up and selling of a real estate company for cash distribution to its creditors and then owners. Chapter 7 of the Federal Bankruptcy ...
Loose combination of small rocks and pebbles used for a gutter, driveway, landscaping, or roadbed. ...
Decline in the credit status of a prospective homebuyer. ...
An increase in land occurring from the withdrawal of a body of water. Normally, when reliction occurs, the increase in land area belongs to the individual having water rights in the area. ...
What’s the definition of real estate collateral? Could we say it’s like keeping a hostage? No, that would be relatively insensitive. But the idea is similar. In real estate, ...
Structure have two dwelling units under the same roof. Two-story apartment unit. ...
Region or locality that assesses real estate taxes on the properties located within its borders. Frequently, the local county or city is the property taxing jurisdiction which is empowered, ...
Primary horizontal support for a structure such as a house. It may be a large piece of wood, stone, iron, or other material that lies across the walls, and serves as support of the ...
Wondering what is a quitclaim deed? Well, the best quitclaim deed definition is something like a legal document used when someone is transferring a real estate property to another person. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.