Who has a higher than average credit score, lower credit card balances and doesn't grab for high-interest store credit cards when at the register?

A person who decides to stop paying the mortgage and walks away, that's who.

According to a new study from Minneapolis-based credit score maker FICO, these so-called "strategic defaulters" have higher credit scores, on average. FICO defines strategic defaulters as homeowners who owe more than their home is currently worth and stop paying the mortgage for at least three months, but continue paying their other loans. The majority of these borrowers had credit scores above 620 out of a possible score of 850.

Strategic defaulters are also more likely to have lived in their homes for a short time and have opened more credit lines in the past six months, probably to prepare for the torpedoing of their credit score post-foreclosure.

FICO's research also shows that there's little correlation between how deeply underwater the homeowner is on their mortgage and the likelihood that they will walk away. Borrowers whose houses have lost the most value are only twice as likely to default as those whose houses have lost the least value. FICO says this shows that home price depreciation is not a very strong indicator of walking away.

"We usually expect a sharp analytic tool to deliver separation in the range of 30 to 50 times more likely," FICO wrote in its paper on predicting strategic default. In other words, researchers would expect way more people who paid $200,000 for a house now worth $100,000 to say, "Adios, monthly mortgage payment" than their research found.

FICO used several data points, including its FICO 8 Mortgage Score, credit bureau data and property valuation data to pinpoint signs that a borrower might be embarking on a strategic default.

Servicers can use analytics to reach out to potential strategic defaulters before they skip mortgage payments, educating them about their options and letting them know that their credit score might drop as much as 150 points, if not more, should they walk away, FICO said.

One of those options could be a short-sale, where the bank agrees to a sale for less than what's owed on the mortgage. Problem is, that hurts your credit too, as I explored in a column I wrote last May.

The New York Times just wrote a related story that looks at a more recent FICO study and includes loan modification's impact on credit (you may need a digital subscription to read it).

Considering this research paints strategic defaulters as savvy consumers who know exactly how to manage their credit, I can't believe they're not already aware of foreclosure's credit blow. That's why they've made plans to lessen the hit by opening more credit lines and keeping credit balances low. I'm guessing they already rented or purchased another place to live and have refinanced the car loan too.