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).