Mortgage Losses: Loss on Sale and Holding Costs

Mortgage losses have two elements: the financial loss associated with the sale of the property, and costs associated with the time it takes for the default to be processed and to eventually sell the property (holding costs). The results show that both the dollar loss on the sale and the time-related holding costs have substantial variations across space and over time. Most of the losses are associated with the sale of a property, not the holding costs. This variation can, at least in part, be attributed to borrower and loan characteristics and economic conditions. The legal environment (borrower and lender rights) can have strong effects on the length of the holding period (the default timeline) and therefore holding costs, but there is no evidence that it has an impact on the dollar loss associated with the sale of the property.