Cramdown

Cramdown

The ability of the bankruptcy court to confirm a plan of reorganization over the objections of some classes of creditors. This often involves resetting the amount of principal that the bond holders are owed. Related is a mortgage cramdown. Here the home owner cannot pay the mortgage because of financial distress and, indeed, the mortgage could be a higher value than the house. A cramdown resets (lower) the principal amount of the mortgage. This may allow the homeowner to stay in the house (avoid foreclosure).

Copyright © 2012, Campbell R. Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

Cramdown

In bankruptcy, the ability of a court to formulate and implement a Chapter 11 reorganization plan over and above the objections of creditors. Generally speaking, unsecured creditors object to a debtor's bankruptcy because they have no recourse for retrieving the debt. The rationale behind a cramdown is the fact that unsecured creditors will usually receive part of the debt back under a Chapter 11 reorganization, but would receive nothing in a Chapter 7 liquidation. Cramdown is therefore thought to be the least negative option for both the debtor and the creditors. Courts are required, however, to formulate a cramdown that is as equitable as possible for all parties.

Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved