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At the beginning of the year, we discussed Senate Bill 931, which stated that lenders who have agreed to a short sale would not have the ability to obtain a deficiency judgment against the seller after the short sale was completed. The law applied only to first mortgage loans secured by one to four residential units.

Effective immediately, Senate Bill 458, will extend the same protection to any secondary or junior loans involved in the transaction. This means, after agreeing to the terms of the short sale, secondary or junior lien holders no longer have the right to pursue a deficiency judgment and the seller will no longer be required to owe or pay for a deficiency in a short sale.

To read more details about SB 458, read below:

SB 458 (Corbett)
Mortgages: deficiency judgments.

Existing law prohibits a deficiency judgment under a note secured by a first deed of trust or first mortgage for a dwelling of not more than 4 units in any case in which the trustor or mortgagor sells the dwelling for less than the remaining amount of the indebtedness due at the time of sale with the written consent of the holder of the first deed of trust or first mortgage. Existing law provides that written consent of the holder of the first deed of trust or first mortgage to that sale shall obligate that holder to accept the sale proceeds as full payment and to fully discharge the remaining amount of the indebtedness on the first deed of trust or first mortgage. Existing law specifies that those provisions would not limit the ability of the holder of the first deed of trust or first mortgage to seek damages and use existing rights and remedies against the trustor or mortgagor or any 3rd party for fraud or waste if the trustor or mortgagor commits either fraud with respect to the sale of, or waste with respect to, the real property that secures that deed of trust or mortgage. Existing law makes these provisions inapplicable if the trustor or mortgagor is a corporation or political subdivision of the state.

This bill would expand those provisions to prohibit a deficiency judgment upon a note secured solely by a deed of trust or mortgage for a dwelling of not more than 4 units in any case in which the trustor or mortgagor sells the dwelling for a sale price less than the remaining amount of the indebtedness outstanding at the time of sale, in accordance with the written consent of the holder of the deed of trust or mortgage if the title has been voluntarily transferred to a buyer by grant deed or by other document that has been recorded and the proceeds of the sale are tendered as agreed. The bill would also provide that, in other circumstances, when the note is not secured solely by a deed of trust or mortgage for a dwelling of not more than 4 units, no judgment shall be rendered for any deficiency upon a note secured by a deed of trust or mortgage for a dwelling of not more than 4 units, if the trustor or mortgagor sells the dwelling for a sale price less than the remaining amount of the indebtedness, in accordance with the written consent of the holder of the deed of trust or mortgage. The bill would provide, following the sale, in accordance with the written consent, the voluntary transfer of title to a buyer, as specified, and the tender of the sale proceeds, the rights, remedies, and obligations of any holder, beneficiary, mortgagee, trustor, mortgagor, obligor, obligee, or guarantor of the note, deed of trust, or mortgage, and with respect to any other property that secures the note, shall be treated and determined as if the dwelling had been sold through foreclosure under a power of sale, as specified. The bill would prohibit the holder of a note from requiring the trustor, mortgagor, or maker of the note to pay any additional compensation, aside from the proceeds of the sale, in exchange for the written consent to the sale. The bill would provide that these provisions are inapplicable if the trustor or mortgagor is a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or political subdivision of the state. The provisions would also be inapplicable to any deed of trust, mortgage, or other lien given to secure the payment of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness authorized, or permitted to be issued, by the Commissioner of Corporations, or that is made by a public utility subject to the Public Utilities Act. The bill would provide that any purported waiver of these provisions shall be void and against public policy.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

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