[A:http://mortgage-foreclosure.org/news/podcast/how-to-avoid-a-deficiency-judgment-after-a-short-sale-feb3-2010.mp3;How To Avoid A Deficiency Judgment After A Short Sale?]As horrible it is to lose your home to foreclosure, ex-homeowners may still be on the bait for the deficiency amount. This is simply the difference of what is owed on the mortgage and what the bank could sell at an auction. “Deficiency judgments” can haunt borrowers, years after they have lost their home.

It can be an unpleasant shock for borrowers who have sold their home via a short sale arrangement where the bank approved selling the property for an amount less than the mortgage debt.

Vanessa Corey who made a short-sale on her Fredericksburg, VA home in April of 2008 is a real life example. After building her house in 2004, unforeseen setbacks which led to a bitter divorce coupled with the economic housing crisis forced her to sell the house through a short-sale arrangement.

As a real estate agent, she thought that the deficiency amount was negotiated away. In other words, she thought that the difference was forgiven by the bank. Last November, she received a letter from her lawyer indicating that she owed her lender $65,000. She was forced into bankruptcy as she had no means of settling the payment.

There are a lot of financial institutions who decline to discuss the topic of ‘deficiency judgments’. Correy’s financial institution who lent her the money stated that they were targeting more people with deficiencies.

How Do You Avoid A Deficiency Judgment? It depends on which state the homeowner resides in. Other things include if the borrower has a second mortgage or other liens. It can definitely hurt homeowners if they disregarded the issue altogether.

Mr. Zaretsky, a property lawyer in Palm Beach, Fla said that once your bank has judgment on you, they can pursue you regardless of where you reside. They can demand for your financial records and have your salary taken away or have you jailed if you ignored any contact.

Banks can go after deficiency judgments in more than thirty states. The U.S. Foreclosure Network states that Florida, New York and Texas are among these states.

In some states such as California and Arizona, they are both considered ‘non-recourse’ or prohibit ‘deficiency judgments’. The other remaining 10 states that prohibit deficiency judgments are Alaska, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin.

Even if banks are willing to disregard the deficiency amount, many homeowners do not know that they are required to ask for a release. To prevent a judgment against yourself, make sure that your lawyer asks your lender for a release.

According to Zaretsky, people should not have a false sense of security thinking that a deficiency judgment will not come back and haunt them. He expects many of the deficiency judgments will be filed over the next few years as many of these accounts were sold at discounts to numerous collection agencies and third parties. These organizations would not have bought these accounts if they were not planning on recouping their initial investments.

Financial institutions or debt collection companies may sit and wait for borrowers to cure themselves from their financial woes before filing for a judgment. Take for instance in Florida state, financial institutions and debt collection companies can wait up to five years to file. Once judgment is received, the organizations will be granted a time span of up to 2 decades to collect the debt with interest.

Financial institutions and debt collection companies can hunt down ex-homeowners in spite of a minor debt. In 2004, Mr. Varno and his spouse achieved a short-sale arrangement with their property after he was laid off from his job. In 2008, to his surprise, the second lien holder demanded 25 K from him. Mr. Varno explained that they had already released the title thus making him not indebted to the 2nd lien holder.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. The release of the title does not mean that the debt will be extinguished. Due to the diverse variations in state laws, in general, a mortgage responsibility consists of 2 parts. The first part is the collateral in which the pledge is the asset or house. The second part is the promise and agreement to pay back the loan.

Lenders may release property liens so as to enable a short-sale transaction but not necessarily releasing borrowers’ obligations to pay back the loan based on the promissory notes. Upon the sale of the home, the secured debt can transform into an unsecured debt.

Zaretsky claimed that one of his clients’ who was so excited in obtaining a short-sale, carelessly signed all the documents that his real estate agent provided him including a confession that clearly made him still legally liable for the debt.

According to Zaretsky, he had no idea what was going on. The lender could go to court and convert the confession into a deficiency judgment.

Financial institutions are not very trustworthy or may not be acting on your best interest. Zaretsky explained of a separate borrower who was rich and eligible to pay off the debt. However, the financial institution did not reciprocate as they knew they can later come after him for a deficiency judgment.

Mr. Tolchinsky, a Florida state realtor claimed that financial institutions may pursue borrowers who walk-away if they suspect that they may have other listed assets.

Banks will research to see if it was a pure walking-away attempt where the borrower truly could not afford to make his or her mortgage payments. If they find out that the borrower has been making timely payments and is in financially sound status, he or she maybe targeted for the deficiency.

If you are unsure, it is recommendable to obtain the services of an attorney to make sure that the debt in the short-sale or deed-in-lieu agreement is negotiated away.

Receive free foreclosure prevention information by learning about the latest announcements on government programs such as HAMP and HAFA. Download the Free Podcast about Can My Lender Pursue A Deficiency Judgment From A Short Sale? for your own use, blog or website.