Victory for consumers as California Senate approves SB 1178 extending anti-deficiency protection
Measure protecting consumers from overreaching lenders now goes to Assembly
LOS ANGELES, CA – June 4, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The California Senate this morning approved SB 1178 (D-Corbett) by a 30 to 4 vote, extending anti-deficiency protection for consumers who have refinanced their original mortgage loans and now are facing foreclosure. The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) is the sponsor of the consumer protection legislation.
“Currently, if a homeowner defaults on a mortgage used to purchase his or her home — known as a ‘purchase money mortgage’ — the homeowner’s liability on the mortgage is limited to the property itself,” said C.A.R. President Steve Goddard. “Unfortunately, the original law did not extend the purchase money protection to loans that refinance the original purchase debt, even if the refinance only was to obtain a lower interest rate. SB 1178 corrects this inequity and extends the same protections to consumers who refinance their home loans.
“Today’s vote was a victory for homeowners in California,” he said. “SB 1178 now moves to the Assembly for approval. C.A.R. is calling on our elected representatives to swiftly pass this much-needed legislation and send it to Gov. Schwarzenegger for signature.”
Leading the way…® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with nearly 160,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.
Media contact:
Mark Giberson (213) 739-8304
E-mail: markg (at) car (dot) org