Monday, July 27, 2009

The Dangerous SB-1271 for Arizona

What are some of the elements of bill SB-1271 that make it dangerous for the Arizona real estate market? Well let's take a look at some them pointed out in the letter the AAR CEO Tom Farley wrote to Governor Jan Brewer: Second/Vacation homes, rental property, and family-owned property may lose their anti-deficiency protection if the trustor did not utilize or occupy the property for six consecutive months. The loss of this protection could lead to deficiency judgments being placed on or against personal, real and perishable property. Bear in mind, deficiency judgments CAN result in the garnishmet of wages! Bankruptcy filings may increase because of this which will likely cause additional creditors to be harmed.

Another well thought out point Tom Farley addresses is that this amended statute is retroactive. So that it is not forward looking. The terms are not changed for loans that are originated after a future date, they retroactively affect all loans that have already been created. Also, lenders that receive TARP funds are also authorized to seek deficiency judgements against property owners after foreclosure. So a lender can foreclose... get a deficiency judgment... AND receive TARP funds? And all of this in one of the fastest states to file and foreclose on a home. Tom Farley is correct when he says "There are many reasons, .....to be profoundly concerned about the consequences of this bill".