What is Foreclosure?
A Sacramento bankruptcy attorney explains the topic of foreclosures.
Foreclosure is the legal process by which the lender acts on a power of sale clause which is included in the deed of trust with such a clause. This process involves the sale of the property by the mortgage holder without court supervision.. This process is generally much faster and cheaper than foreclosure by judicial sale.
Commonly, the violation of the mortgage is a default in payment of a promissory note, secured by a lien on the property. When the process is complete, the lender can sell the property and keep the proceeds to pay off its mortgage and any legal costs, and it is typically said that "the lender has foreclosed its mortgage or lien.
California has adopted nonjudicial foreclosure procedures in which the mortgagee, or more commonly the mortgagee's servicer's attorney or designated agent i.e. the trustee, gives the debtor a notice of default (NOD) and the mortgagee's intent to sell the immovable property in a form prescribed by state statute; the NOD in some states must also be recorded against the property. This type of foreclosure is commonly referred to as "statutory" or "nonjudicial" foreclosure, as opposed to "judicial", because the mortgagee does not need to file an actual lawsuit to initiate the foreclosure. With this "power-of-sale" type of foreclosure, if the debtor fails to cure the default, or use other lawful means (such as filing for bankruptcy to temporarily stay the foreclosure) to stop the sale, the mortgagee or its representative conduct a public auction in a manner similar to the sheriff's auction. Notably, the lender itself can bid for the property at the auction, and is the only bidder that can make a "credit bid" (a bid based on the outstanding debt itself) while all other bidders must be able to immediately present the auctioneer with cash or a cash equivalent like a cashier's check.
The highest bidder at the auction becomes the owner of the immovable property, free and clear of interest of the former owner, but possibly encumbered by liens superior to the foreclosed mortgage (e.g., a senior mortgage or unpaid property taxes). Further legal action, such as an eviction, may be necessary to obtain possession of the premises if the former occupant fails to voluntarily vacate.
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