Can a Foreclosure be “Wrongful” if the Debtor is Underwater?
In most successful “wrongful foreclosure” cases (challenging an already-completed trustee’s sale), the debtor’s most obvious source of damages is the lost equity in the wrongfully sold…
Sham Guaranties Are Hard To Come By
In prior posts here and here, I highlighted the difficult position occupied by guarantors of real estate secured loans. In short, while California law extends very strong anti-deficiency…
Junior Lienholders: Know When To Admit Defeat
As any real estate lender or investor can testify, holding a junior lien on real estate security can be perilous. Sure, the yields are higher (and…
Alterations Don’t Always Render a Deed Void (or How NOT to do Foreclosure Investing)
Most real estate investors assume that when a deed is altered by someone other than the grantor, without the grantor’s knowledge or consent, before it is recorded,…
Perils of the Full Credit Bid
At a nonjudicial foreclosure sale (also known as a trustee’s sale) a lender is entitled to make a “credit bid” — i.e., bidding all or portions…
Seven Critical Mistakes Real Estate LLCs Make (and How to Avoid Them) — Mistake #5: Misunderstanding Secured Loan and Guaranty Rights/Liability
Real estate secured loans inspire all sorts of litigation. I see it from both sides of the coin, since I represent developers and investors (who are…
Security for One, Security for All: Lenders Can Waive Deficiency by Making Security “Side Deals” Without Unanimous Borrower Consent
I didn’t plan on starting this blog with a post about a published appeal decision in one of my own cases. But the timing worked out…