ABILITY TO REPAY

The financial capacity of a particular individual to harvest a positive outcome on a debt. The phrase "ability to repay" was specifically mentioned in the Title XIV, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Acts by Dodd-Frank in 2010 for the intention of describing the requirement wherein mortgage originators must prove that the potential borrower's could afford the mortgage that they are applying for. Originators are obligated to check at the total current income and existing debt of the borrower, for example, to make sure that the potential mortgage debt, required insurance, property taxes plus the existing debt will not exceed a stated percentage of the borrower's income.