Modifying a loan can sometimes cause a loss of lien priority. It all depends on the facts underlying the modification, and even the original loan....more
Secured creditors have many choices when it comes to how to file a proof of claim in bankruptcies. Those choices should be weighed carefully, however, because certain choices can have important unexpected consequences that...more
Oscar Wilde is quoted for saying—“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” This advice certainly holds true for a senior deed of trust lienholder contemplating foreclosure on real property security. ...more
In the twenty-first century, superheroes are all the rage. Alive and well are never-ending debates about the superiority of DC characters versus Marvel characters, or heroes that are born super, such as Superman, versus those...more
After a foreclosure sale by a senior creditor, California’s Civil Code section 2924k governs how the sale proceeds are applied in the following order of priority...more
Real Property Update - Foreclosure / Surviving Lien: Lender’s lien on mobile home survived foreclosure sale of property where mobile home was located; mobile home remained personal property outside scope of foreclosure –...more
Everyone is familiar with the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” method of resolving disputes where scissors cut paper, paper covers rock, and rock breaks scissors. In Futuri Real Estate, Inc. v. Atlantic Trustee Services, the Virginia...more
That pesky excess sale proceeds statute, A.R.S. § 33-727, is making waves again. We previously blogged about this statute... In the prior post, we explained that excess sale proceeds (i.e., a foreclosure sale price greater...more
In 2017, the Maryland Court of Appeals in the case of Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. v. Saddlebrook West Utility Company, 455 Md. 313 (2017) (“Saddlebrook”) held that a provision in a recorded declaration by a utility that...more
As lenders and servicers continue to litigate in Nevada’s state and federal courts about the effect of homeowner associations’ (HOAs) foreclosure sales, some questions have proven particularly sticky. What happens when a...more
A divided panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals holds that a good-faith purchaser for value at a foreclosure sale obtains a valid deed regardless of the amount paid, even where the foreclosure itself is void due to...more
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals recently sent a new set of shockwaves through the mortgage industry in the nation’s capital when it released its decision in Andrea Liu v. U.S. Bank National Association. Having held...more
The doctrine of conventional subrogation in real estate is familiar to most lenders: a new lender that pays the mortgage of a prior one steps into the shoes of – or is subrogated to – the prior lender’s security interest in...more
Homeowners’ associations have a more robust tool for forcing mortgage lenders to pay delinquent assessments following a September 14 decision by the Nevada Supreme Court. Nevada HOAs have enjoyed a super-priority lien under...more
A quick drive through almost any newer residential community in the Southwest will show that a lot of residents are embracing “Green Energy” or renewable energy by placing solar panels on their properties. While most people...more
North Carolina is a "pure race" state, for real estate title purposes. That is, “first to record an interest in land holds an interest superior to all other purchases for value, regardless of actual or constructive notice as...more
The U.S. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued final guidance in the form of Mortgagee Letter 2016-11 regarding the subordination of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) assessments on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. As...more
California’s one-action rule provides that “[t]here can be but one form of action for the recovery of any debt or the enforcement of any right secured by mortgage upon real property or an estate for years therein . . . .”...more
The mortgage lending community was dealt a serious blow in September 2014, when the Nevada Supreme Court held that an HOA’s foreclosure of its nominal super-priority lien could extinguish a first lien interest in SFR...more
On April 19, 2016, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed HB 2401, amending Tennessee’s condominium statue to make it clear that condominium associations cannot acquire a “superpriority” lien that trumps a first security...more
In Nevada’s master-planned communities it is common for one home to be in multiple homeowners’ associations. In such cases there is generally a master association for the master-planned community and then sub-associations for...more
All real estate professionals and investors are familiar with the concept of the priority of liens. As a general rule, when there are multiple liens recorded against a property, the one that is recorded first is “superior”...more
When visible construction begins, Nevada law says mechanic’s liens attach to the construction site. A construction lender wants to ensure that its deed of trust securing the construction loan has first priority to the...more
In a previous blog post, we reported on Senate Bill 306, passed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval on May 28, 2015. The legislation redresses the substantial harm caused by SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC v. U.S. Bank, N.A. In SFR...more
Yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issued an important ruling concerning the litigation over whether homeowners’ association foreclosures under Nevada’s super-priority lien statute (NRS 116.3116)...more