Consumer Law

A Different Approach to Foreclosures: When the Debt Survives Foreclosure and is Not Dischargeable

By Jeff Sovern

That's how it works in Spain, as this Times article points out.  The result:

Not only are Spanish mortgage holders personally liable for the full amount of the loan, but throw in penalty interest charges and tens of thousands of dollars in court fees, and people can end up, like Mr. Marbán, facing a mountain of debt. Bankruptcy is not the answer, either. Mortgage debt is specifically excluded here.

?Effectively, you can never get rid of this debt,? said Ada Colau, a human rights lawyer who works for Plataforma, a new advocacy group formed both to give legal advice to homeowners and to push for reform of the country?s foreclosure laws.

The article describes the hardships this imposes on consumers, who may effectively work for the bank their entire lives (HT: Norm Silber of Hofstra).

Full post as published by CL&P Blog on October 28, 2010 (boomark / email).