The California Association of Realtors declared
For some homeowners the prospect of a deficiency judgment hanging over their heads was a deterrent to giving up their homes through a short sale or strategic default.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill, sponsored by state Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, into law last week. The law limits any lien holder from going after borrowers if the sale of a home does not satisfy the entire mortgage balance.
It is unclear whether the new law will be a thorn in the side of major California lenders such as Bank of America, which inherited and has written down a sizable amount of the impaired home equity portfolio of Countrywide Financial Corp.
Deficiency judgments in residential foreclosures are rare. Most foreclosures in California occur under a deed of trust (not a judicial foreclosure), in which there is no liability for a deficiency.
Still, Beth Peerce, president of the California realtor group