Homer and Marge Owner are married and file jointly. Seven years ago, Homer and Marge bought a new home that they have lived in since. The home cost $640,000 for which they paid $120,000 as a down payment and financed the balance through a mortgage. This year, interest rates reached new lows and Homer and Marge decided to refinance the mortgage. At the time of the refinancing, the mortgage balance was only $535,000. Because rates were so much lower, the Owners decided to refinance for a new mortgage of $545,000 and paid off their existing car loan. Can the Owners deduct the interest expense on their new mortgage?

a. Locate the code section(s) that deals with this situation. State the section number(s).

b. Review the code section(s). Does it raise a need for new information to solve this question?

c. Are you able to reach a conclusion about the research question from this code section? If so, what is your conclusion(s)?

d. Could the Owners have structured the debt in a different manner that might have affected its deductibility?