Section 20823.

(a) The deferment of property taxes pursuant to this chapter shall not affect the obligation of a borrower to continue to make payments to a lender with respect to an impound account, trust, or other type of account described in Section 2954 of the Civil Code which was established prior to the effective date of the act that added this section.

(b) (1) No lender shall require a borrower to maintain an impound, trust, or other similar type of account with regard to property taxes once the borrower has deferred these taxes pursuant to this chapter and submits to the lender evidence of tax deferment under this part, except in the following circumstances:

(A) Federal law, regulation, rule, or program requires the borrower to maintain an impound, trust, or other similar type of account with regard to property taxes.

(B) The borrower is required to make payments to a lender using the type of account described in Section 2954 of the Civil Code for a loan that is made, guaranteed, or insured by a federal government lending or insuring agency.

(C) The prohibition would impair the express obligations of a loan agreement.

(2) If not previously used in payment or partial payment of property taxes, any payment made by a borrower to an impound, trust, or other similar type of account prior to the time of submission of evidence of tax deferment pursuant to this part shall be refunded to the borrower within 30 days thereafter.

(c) No lender or other person authorized to take sale on real property shall file a notice of default based solely on a borrower's failure to pay property taxes if the borrower provides evidence of participation in the property tax deferment program established pursuant to this part. A borrower who is a claimant shall provide evidence of participation to each lender upon a participating county's approval of the claimant's application to participate in the program.

(d) A letter or other written confirmation from the county identifying an individual as a participant in the program, provided pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (c) of Section 20811, shall be considered as evidence of participation for purposes of this section.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 369, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2012.)