"What is Mortgage Shortfall Debt"

Independent Banking Advisory Service

What is Mortgage Shortfall Debt?

What is mortgage shortfall debt or what is a mortgage shortfall debt claim? - Mortgage shortfall debts arise from repossession or voluntary repossession (handing back the keys). Often the sale of a repossessed property fails to raise adequate funds to clear the mortgage and a mortgage shortfall debt remains. Many people are pursued for huge mortgage shortfall debt claims - often after many years have passed.

There are two main culprits from past events:

The last recession and the depression in the housing market in recent years saw many mortgage and purchase at the peak of the property boom. They were left with a diminishing asset and un-maintainable mortgage, when property prices plummeted.

Empty repossessed property is far harder to sell than occupied property. The result is many repossessed properties become a liability to the lender and they sell at 'knock down' prices.

Much media attention is again revolving around the insensitivity of lenders in pursuing old mortgage shortfall debts. The lender can and often does:

1. Seek and obtain a Charging Order on any subsequent property you purchase. Putting them in a position where they can legally force a sale of that property; at any time they consider there may be equity.

2. Obtain an attachment of earnings. This means that they get a direct and regular figure from employers.

3. Obtain a Bankruptcy Order for any unsecured debt.

These matters never 'go away'. Mortgage Debt fears remain. The 'trigger' for some Mortgage Shortfall Debt claims can often be found in a new mortgage application or from the regular land charge searches carried out by lenders.

Those seeking help are amazed by the amount of financial information lenders have already obtained about them and there's inevitable stress and 'heartache' when a new partner finds out they're at serious financial risk from a past mortgage problem, which they knew nothing about.

We can resolve mortgage shortfall debt claims under low cost, confidential membership and advise you directly in reducing or removing the uncertainty, whilst we deal with the lender on your behalf, and work towards a solution for your benefit. Our assistance at an early stage can prevent serious financial loss later.

If you require truly independent and impartial banking advice plus direct assistance from a unique specialist organization campaigning on banking issues, which directly helps our members email us or call us on 01487 843444 for membership.

If you haven't heard of IBAS before today then it's natural you will want to know our 'pedigree' - you will find our national newspaper comments for 2008 here plus many more in the News and archives sections of our site - see our site map. IBAS has featured in BBC TV and ITV News items and programmes on banking and the banking issues many times since we were established in 1992.

Independent Banking Advisory Service (IBAS) is a national, independent, non-profit, unique specialist banking customer membership organization which resolves banking complaints and disputes and which has campaigned on UK Banking customer issues since 1992. We provide bank and banking assessment, analysis, bank comment and content for BBC TV News, ITV, Radio and national newspapers, keeping many serious banking issues 'alive' - see Bank News 2008