Even if he walked away and turned his back on it while partying hardy, somehow it does not sound like this situation would have been kosher according to RESPA. There’s a time frame in which this stuff has to play out, with legal notices, etc. As much as we would like to morally dump on the dead beat, the law is there to protect all consumers, diligent or not.
I'll be curious to see what the outcome will look like. The Laws are not the same for a Foreclosure versus a Repossession.
I know people who were only two months behind on their car payments who had the vehicle repossessed and I know a Homeowner behind a year in his Mortgage who is still in his house.
I guess I can't imagine that this was a big surprise to the Homeowner unless someone had been stealing his mail for three months.