Principal Paydown Approach Could Drastically Slow Florida Foreclosures

NACBA (National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys) responded this weekend to the government’s latest approach to the foreclosure crisis with what I call the Principal Paydown Plan.

Rather than turn us into a nation of renters under the recent suggestion that Freddie and Fannie rent their foreclosed properties or sell them as rentals, NACBA suggests again that a Chapter 13 bankruptcy can be modified to help families avoid foreclosure on massively underwater property. Without more focus on prevention, our housing market is certainly facing additional downturns.

The Principal Paydown Plan would require the reduction of interest on a primary mortgage to 0% during a Chapter 13 Plan thereby relegating the entire payment to principal (plus escrow). At the end of the bankruptcy, the debtor would have paid down their mortgage in many cases to the approximate fair market value of the property helping to slow the foreclosure numbers for those homeowners who would otherwise strategically default believing that their home value will take 10 or more years to recover.

This Plan does not require principal reduction that banks have been avoiding. It would require that Congress amend the Bankruptcy Code which already permits a second mortgage to be stripped off a homestead when the home is underwater. Keep that in mind when placing your vote.