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,…
Construction Loans Gone Bad
In January, I posted about a recent decision from the California Court of Appeal (Fourth District in Riverside), California Bank & Trust v. Del Ponti, which addressed…
Loan Prepayment Fees: Normally Enforceable, But ….
Lenders sometimes impose fees triggered by the borrower’s payoff of the loan before the maturity date. Normally, the “prepayment fee” issue is a subject for negotiation at the outset of…
Guarantor Waivers Can Only Go So Far
As I mentioned in a prior post, guarantors are usually in a tough position defending litigation by the lender because most guarantor defenses are lawfully waived…
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…