Seth,
I don't know what planet you live on, but the one I live on requires that you make your payments every month. Additionally, there are plenty of unethical people in business who see nothing wrong with not paying those of us who do their work.
No matter how "broke" I am, I pay my abstractors. The reason I pay my guys whether I get paid or not is because they are my team, without them, I do not have a company. I  actually take my responsibility to my abstractor's to heart.  And no they are not my employee's, I don't have employee's in my office because I can't afford them, so work long hours as needed.
When I take a client on it is with the agreement that they will pay for my work and service.
I actually work for a number of the "big guys" and have not lowered my prices, and still get alot of work from them, and they pay and they pay fast.
If someone wants me to do their work I expect to be paid whether their client pays them or not, and I would never agree to do work for anyone based off whether the deal closes or not.
From my viewpoint, not paying for completed work is just theft and criminal.
The way I see it, if the housing market continues the way it has been this year, there will be few of us left standing, and those left standing will be the ones who plan for the lean times and abide by an ethical moral code in business.
The one's who give excuses and justifications as to why its ok to be criminal and steal, they won't be in business.
I believe in Karma, what goes around comes around in this world.