A due-on-sale clause is a clause in a loan or promissory note that stipulates that the full balance of the loan may be called due (repaid in full) upon sale or transfer of ownership of the property used to secure the note. The lender has the right, but not the obligation, to call the note due in such a circumstance.
In real estate investing, the due-on-sale clause can be an impediment for a property owner who wishes to sell the property and have the buyer take over an existing loan rather than paying the loan off as part of the sale. Likewise, a due-on-sale clause would interfere with a seller's extension of financing to a buyer by using a wraparound mortgage, also called an "all-inclusive mortgage", "all-inclusive deed of trust", "all-inclusive trust deed", or "AITD." Any of these arrangements triggers the due-on-sale clause in the seller's existing mortgage and thus the lender may call the loan due. If a property with a due-on-sale clause in the mortgage loan is transferred and the loan is not paid off, the bank could call the loan and then foreclose on the property if the buyer is unable to immediately tender the entire remaining balance on the loan. How likely this is depends on how the real estate economy is doing. If the buyer continues to pay the loan payments when due, it is less likely that the bank would actually call the loan due but it is still the bank's choice.
In the early 1980s, with interest rates on new loans at 18%, banks frequently attempted to enforce due-on-sale clauses with respect to older loans that had been made at lower interest rates (especially those made prior to the 1973–75 recession and the ensuing stagflation), so they could retire those loans from their books, force buyers to obtain new loans to fund their transactions, and lend funds to them at higher interest rates. In the lending market of the 2010s, many observers believe that banks are not likely to enforce due-on-sale provisions unless they have another reason to call the loan due.
United States law
Virtually all mortgage loans made in the United States by institutional lenders in recent years contain a due-on-sale clause. These clauses are meant to require the loan to be paid in full in the case of a sale or conveyance of interest in the subject property. This is in contrast to the wide availability of assumable mortgages in the past. Assumable mortgages would allow a second party to assume the position of borrower and essentially adopt the agreement that is already in place between the buyer and the financial institution. Until 1982, the enforceability of due-on-sale provisions was basically a matter of state, not federal, law. Many states had adopted laws that permitted existing loans to be assumed by buyers whether or not the lender was willing to agree. The logic behind these laws was generally that a lender should be permitted to call a loan due when the property securing the loan is sold only if the lender could demonstrate that the sale and transfer of the property reduced the lender's security or increased the risk that the loan would go into default.
However, in 1982 Congress passed the Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act. Section 341a of the Act (codified in Title 12, U.S. Code, Section 1701j-3) makes the enforceability of due-on-sale provisions a federal issue and provides that if real estate loan documents contain a due-on-sale provision, that provision is enforceable if the property securing the loan is transferred without the lender's consent. Institutional lenders successfully lobbied Congress heavily to add Section 341a of the Act to federal law.
Lenders are generally not required to include due-on-sale provisions in loans, but it is nearly universal practice for institutional lenders to include them. For loans by private lenders, such as financing extended to buyers by sellers, due-on-sale provisions are not always included. Also, a buyer and seller could negotiate to include due-on-sale clause that allows a one-time loan assumption.
There are certain exceptions to enforceability of due-on-sale clauses. These are generally contained in Title 12, Code of Federal Regulations, part 191. For example, borrowers may place their homes in their own trust without triggering the due-on-sale clause. "A lender may not exercise its option pursuant to a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer into an inter vivos trust in which the borrower is and remains abeneficiary and which does not relate to a transfer of rights of occupancy in the property." (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)(8)..[5].) Note that abeneficiary means possibly among multiple beneficiaries. Similarly, transfer of the borrower's home to a spouse as part of a divorce or dissolution of marriage generally does not trigger a due-on-sale clause. There are other exemptions in the law as well. Use trusts also facilitates transfers of property to heirs and minors. It may also protect the property of wealthy or risky owners against the possibility of future lawsuits or creditors because the trust, not the individuals at risk, owns the property.
A mortgage is a legal instrument which is used to create a security interest in real property held by a lender as a security for a debt, usually a loan of money. A mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt. It is a transfer of an interest in land from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower.
This aims to be a complete list of the articles on real estate.
A repurchase agreement, also known as a repo, RP, or sale and repurchase agreement, is a form of short-term borrowing, mainly in government securities. The dealer sells the underlying security to investors and, by agreement between the two parties, buys them back shortly afterwards, usually the following day, at a slightly higher price.
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
The Garn–St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 is an Act of Congress that deregulated savings and loan associations and allowed banks to provide adjustable-rate mortgage loans. It is disputed whether the act was a mitigating or contributing factor in the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s.
A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument, in which one party promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of money to the other, either at a fixed or determinable future time or on demand of the payee, under specific terms.
A real estate contract is a contract between parties for the purchase and sale, exchange, or other conveyance of real estate. The sale of land is governed by the laws and practices of the jurisdiction in which the land is located. Real estate called leasehold estate is actually a rental of real property such as an apartment, and leases cover such rentals since they typically do not result in recordable deeds. Freehold conveyances of real estate are covered by real estate contracts, including conveying fee simple title, life estates, remainder estates, and freehold easements. Real estate contracts are typically bilateral contracts and should have the legal requirements specified by contract law in general and should also be in writing to be enforceable.
A wraparound mortgage, more commonly known as a "wrap", is a form of secondary financing for the purchase of real property. The seller extends to the buyer a junior mortgage which wraps around and exists in addition to any superior mortgages already secured by the property. Under a wrap, a seller accepts a secured promissory note from the buyer for the amount due on the underlying mortgage plus an amount up to the remaining purchase money balance.
In finance, a security interest is a legal right granted by a debtor to a creditor over the debtor's property which enables the creditor to have recourse to the property if the debtor defaults in making payment or otherwise performing the secured obligations. One of the most common examples of a security interest is a mortgage: a person borrows money from the bank to buy a house, and they grant a mortgage over the house so that if they default in repaying the loan, the bank can sell the house and apply the proceeds to the outstanding loan.
A land contract — often described by other terminology listed below — is a contract between the buyer and seller of real property in which the seller provides the buyer financing in the purchase, and the buyer repays the resulting loan in installments. Under a land contract, the seller retains the legal title to the property, while permitting the buyer to take possession of it for most purposes other than legal ownership. The sale price is typically paid in periodic installments, often with a balloon payment at the end to make the timelength of payments shorter than in the corresponding fully amortized loan. When the full purchase price has been paid including any interest, the seller is obligated to convey legal title to the property. An initial down payment from the buyer to the seller is usually also required.
Mortgage fraud refers to an intentional misstatement, misrepresentation, or omission of information relied upon by an underwriter or lender to fund, purchase, or insure a loan secured by real property.
In the United States, a mortgage note is a promissory note secured by a specified mortgage loan.
Real estate owned, or REO, is a term used in the United States to describe a class of property owned by a lender—typically a bank, government agency, or government loan insurer—after an unsuccessful sale at a foreclosure auction. A foreclosing beneficiary will typically set the opening bid at a foreclosure auction for at least the outstanding loan amount. If there are no bidders that are interested, then the beneficiary will legally repossess the property. This is commonly the case when the amount owed on the home is higher than the current market value of the foreclosure property, such as with a mortgage loan made at a high loan-to-value during a real estate bubble. As soon as the beneficiary repossesses the property it is listed on their books as REO and categorized as an asset..
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning "death pledge" and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure. A mortgage can also be described as "a borrower giving consideration in the form of a collateral for a benefit (loan)".
In real estate, creative financing is non-traditional or uncommon means of buying land or property. The goal of creative financing is generally to purchase, or finance a property, with the buyer/investor using as little of his own money as possible, otherwise known as leveraging. Using these techniques an investor may be able to purchase multiple properties using little, or none, of his "own money".
A loan agreement is a contract between a borrower and a lender which regulates the mutual promises made by each party. There are many types of loan agreements, including "facilities agreements," "revolvers," "term loans," "working capital loans." Loan agreements are documented via a compilation of the various mutual promises made by the involved parties.
In real estate in the United States, a deed of trust or trust deed is a legal instrument which is used to create a security interest in real property wherein legal title in real property is transferred to a trustee, which holds it as security for a loan (debt) between a borrower and lender. The equitable title remains with the borrower. The borrower is referred to as the trustor, while the lender is referred to as the beneficiary.
A proof of funds (POF) is a document proving that a person or a company has the financial ability to perform a transaction. The POF can be issued by a bank, a financial institution or a trade finance. For instance, a POF is generally obligatory for people seeking mortgages, as bankers are often more willing to issue them to those who have the sufficient funds to pay their mortgages off as opposed to those who cannot do so. Thus, a POF letter provides the selling or lending party with confidence that the funds are obtainable and legitimate.
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) is an American privately held corporation. On October 5, 2018, Intercontinental Exchange and MERS announced that ICE had acquired all of MERS. MERS is a separate and distinct corporation that serves as a nominee on mortgages after the turn of the century and is owned by holding company MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., which owns and operates an electronic registry known as the MERS system, which is designed to track servicing rights and ownership of mortgages in the United States. According to the Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, MERS is an agent for lenders without any reference to MERS as a principal.
Mortgage assumption is the conveyance of the terms and balance of an existing mortgage to the purchaser of a financed property, commonly requiring that the assuming party is qualified under lender or guarantor guidelines. All mortgages are potentially assumable, though lenders may attempt to prevent assumption of a mortgage loan with a due-on-sale clause. Certain mortgage types are irrefutably assumable, such as those insured by the FHA, guaranteed by the VA, or guaranteed by the USDA. As of 2014, FHA and VA assumable mortgages make up approximately 18%, or one out of every six, mortgages in the United States.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
