Homeowner Bill of Rights Act Signed by Jerry Brown on July 11, 2012 (Effective January 1, 2013)

From the Department of Justice:

Two key bills of the Homeowner Bill of Rights contain significant mortgage and foreclosure reforms. The major provisions of AB 278 (Eng/Feuer/Mitchell) and SB 900(Leno/Corbett/DeSaulnier/Evans) include:

• Dual track foreclosure ban: Mortgage servicers will be required to render a decision on a loan modification application before advancing the foreclosure process by filing a notice of default or notice of sale, or by conducting a trustee’s sale. The foreclosure process is essentially paused upon the completion of a loan modification application for the duration of the lender’s review of that application.
• Single point of contact: Mortgage servicers will be required to designate a “single point of contact” for borrowers who are potentially eligible for a federal or proprietary loan modification application. The single point of contact is an individual or team  with knowledge of the borrower’s status and foreclosure prevention alternatives, access to decision makers, and the responsibility to coordinate the flow of documentation between borrower and mortgage servicer.
• Enforceability: Borrowers will have authority to seek redress of “material” violations of theCalifornia Homeowner Bill of Rights. Injunctive relief willbe available prior to a foreclosure sale and recovery of damages will be available following a sale.

The actual changes are to the California CVivil Code Section 2920 et seq.   For example,

SEC. 4.  Section 2923.5 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

2923.5.
(a) (1) A mortgage servicer, mortgagee, trustee, beneficiary, or authorized agent may not record a notice of default pursuant to Section 2924 until both of the following:
(A) Either 30 days after initial contact is made as required by paragraph (2) or 30 days after satisfying the due diligence requirements as described in subdivision (e).
(B) The mortgage servicer complies with paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 2924.18, if the borrower has provided a complete application as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 2924.18.
(2) A mortgage servicer shall contact the borrower in person or by telephone in order to assess the borrower’s financial situation and explore options for the borrower to avoid foreclosure.  During the initial contact, the mortgage servicer shall advise the borrower that he or she has the right to request a subsequent meeting and, if requested, the mortgage servicer shall schedule the meeting to occur within 14 days. The assessment of the borrower’s financial situation and discussion of options may occur during the first contact, or at the subsequent meeting scheduled for that purpose.  In either case, the borrower shall be provided the toll-free telephone number made available by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to find a HUD-certified housing counseling agency. Any meeting may occur telephonically.