 TITLE: What Is a Strategic Foreclosure? CONTENT: How Does Walking Away From Your Mortgage Affect Your Credit?\n------------------------------------------------------------\nAbandoning your mortgage can have serious and long-lasting effects on your credit. It will likely pop up on your credit report within a month or so of the lender initiating its foreclosure proceedings. What's more, it will remain there for seven years from your first missed payment, and there's no way to shorten this timeline.\nYour credit score is also more likely to take a bigger hit if there are other negative remarks on your credit report—like a history of late payments, other delinquent accounts or high credit utilization on your credit cards. Staying current on all your accounts and keeping your revolving balances low can help rehab your credit score after a foreclosure, though it will take time. END