scratch and dent loan n. a loan or mortgage that has become a risky debt investment, especially one secured with minimal documentation or made by a borrower who has missed payments. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Our conversation about the phrase I beg your pardon reminded Patricia in Greenville, North Carolina, of a playground taunt from her childhood. If one kid said I beg your pardon, another would respond I grant your grace, I hope the cat will spit in...
Carol in Williamsburg, Virginia, wonders why if you bake something and don’t rely on pre-mixed ingredients, you’re said to bake it from scratch. This expression originally referred to a line scratched into the ground to mark the starting...