New Law Helps Prevent Unnecessary Foreclosures
Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) applauded California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. for signing into law SB 1150, the Homeowner Survivor Bill of Rights, a bill to protect widowed spouses and other heirs from unnecessary foreclosures. Through the legislation, when the sole borrower listed on a mortgage passes away, it entitles widows, widowers, domestic partners, heirs, siblings, and other survivors to information and communication from the mortgage servicer, and it provides them the right to seek a loan assumption and modification if needed. SB 1150 was sponsored by State Senators Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton).
Graciela Aponte-Diaz, Director of California Policy for CRL, released the following statement:
Grieving family members should not have to worry about foreclosure after a loved one passes away. Heirs who legally inherit their home deserve accurate information about loan assumption or modification from their loan servicer. This commonsense bill will help accomplish that and give families a fair shot to rebuild their financial future. We applaud Governor Brown, Senators Leno and Galgiani, and the state legislature for their leadership on this issue and give thanks to the communities and coalitions across the state--including Housing Economic Rights Advocates and the California Reinvestment Coalition--who fight tirelessly every day against unscrupulous foreclosure practices in California.
For more information, or to arrange an interview with a CRL spokesperson on this issue, please contact Ricardo Quinto at ricardo.quinto@responsiblelending.org.