rescission

Rescission

The act of abolishing a contract and restoring, as far as possible, the status quo ante. While legal systems differ on the precise reasons for which a contract may be rescinded, it may occur due to an act of God or by mutual consent, provided that no substantial progress has been made toward completion of the contract. In the context of finance and economics, some contracts may be rescinded up to a certain point after they come into effect. For example, some mortgage refinance contracts allow the homeowner a period of three business days after signing the contract in which he/she may unilaterally rescind it. Likewise, the sale of land may be rescinded by either party up to the point the sale is recorded. Sometimes an option contract, especially a stock option, can be rescinded for a certain time after its exercise; in this situation, the person who exercised the option surrenders the underlying in exchange for the cash he/she paid for it.

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rescission

The cancellation of a previous exercise of an incentive stock option, generally because of a substantial drop in the price of the stock acquired through the exercise. Rescission results in the employee surrendering stock in exchange for money that was paid for the stock.

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rescission

See rescind.