You're right. Our clients now include many distressed property owners victimized by the real estate downturn. Of course, the first thing we do is to see if we can arrange a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure with the lender to eliminate the possibility of a deficiency. If a deficiency judgment appears likely, then we shelter any properties or any other assets the client owns that has a positive equity. Frequently, once the lender realizes that the borrower is judgment-proof, it is sufficient for the lender to accept the property and forego any recourse against the borrower on the deficiency.
