Assignment of Security or Debt

Assignment of Security or Debt
Civ. Code ß 2934

Both a mortgage and the beneficial interest under a trust deed may be assigned, and the fact that a debt secured by a
trust deed is barred by the statute of limitations at the time of the assignment does not invalidate the assignment of
the beneficial interest in the security. Neither a mortgage nor trust deed may be assigned, however, apart from the
debt it secures.
Cases:
Hohn v. Riverside County Flood Control etc. Dist. (1964) 228 Cal. App. 2d 605, 614-615, 39 Cal. Rptr. 647 .
Kelley v. Upshaw (1952) 39 Cal. 2d 179, 192, 246 P.2d 23 .
Civ. Code ß 2936
The assignment of the debt secured by a mortgage or other lien carries with it the security. This is also true of the
assignment of a debt secured by a trust deed, because under Civ. Code ß 1084 the transfer of a thing transfers also
all its incidents, unless expressly excepted, and a trust deed is merely an incident of the debt it secures. Therefore,
the assignment of a note secured by a trust deed transfers the trust deed to the assignee without further assignment.
Cases:
Adler v. Sargent (1895) 109 Cal. 42, 48, 41 P. 799 (mortgage); Mann v. Leasko (1960) 179 Cal. App. 2d 692,
696, 4 Cal. Rptr. 124 (lien).
Cockerell v. Title Ins. & Trust Co. (1954) 42 Cal. 2d 284, 291, 267 P.2d 16 ; Domarad v. Fisher & Burke, Inc.
(1969) 270 Cal. App. 2d 543, 553, 76 Cal. Rptr. 529 .
Cockerell v. Title Ins. & Trust Co. (1954) 42 Cal. 2d 284, 291, 267 P.2d 16 .
Lewis v. Booth (1935) 3 Cal. 2d 345, 349, 44 P.2d 560 .
Form of Assignment
No particular form of assignment of a deed of trust is necessary, but, to be effectual, the assignment must be a
manifestation to another person by the owner of the right indicating the intention to transfer, without further action,
the right to such other person or to a third person. It is the substance and not the form of the transaction that
determines whether an assignment is intended. If from the entire transaction and the conduct of the parties it clearly
appears that the intent of the parties is to pass title to the chose in action, then an assignment will be held to have
taken place. The best method of assignment is to endorse and deliver the note and execute a separate instrument
assigning the trust deed.
Cases:
Cockerell v. Title Ins. & Trust Co. (1954) 42 Cal. 2d 284, 291, 267 P.2d 16 .
McCown v. Spencer (1970) 8 Cal. App. 3d 216, 225, 87 Cal. Rptr. 213 .
Effect of Assignment
By the assignment, the assignor transfers title or ownership to the assignee and may not maintain an action on the
claim. The assignor's right to demand performance is extinguished, and the assignee acquires the right.
Case:
McCown v. Spencer (1970) 8 Cal. App. 3d 216, 225, 87 Cal. Rptr. 213 .
An assignee of the note who is a holder in due course holds the note free from any personal defenses, such as lack of
consideration, and consequently the mortgage or trust deed securing it, likewise, is free of such defenses.
Case:
Gribble v. Mauerhan (1961) 188 Cal. App. 2d 221, 225, 10 Cal. Rptr. 296 ; see Com. Code ß 3305; see Ch. 110,
Notes, for discussion of the rights of assignees and assignors.
Recordation of Assignment
Civ. Code ß 2934
An assignment of a mortgage or beneficial interest under a trust deed may be recorded, and from the time of the
recordation operates as constructive notice to all persons.
Code ß 3302(b)
The recordation does not of itself constitute notice to a person who would otherwise be a holder in due course. Com.
Therefore, the recordation of a subsequent assignment of the mortgage to one to whom the mortgagee had delivered
the mortgage instrument, together with a forged copy of the note, does not take precedence over a prior unrecorded
assignment of the mortgage to one to whom the genuine note was transferred. Nor does the fact that an assignment
of a deed of trust and note was not recorded give any rights to a creditor of the assignor who attempted to levy on
the note after its assignment because the note carries with it the security and the trust deed is merely an incident of
the debt and can be foreclosed only by the owner of the note.
Cases:
Adler v. Sargent (1895) 109 Cal. 42, 49, 41 P. 799 .
(antens v. Los Angeles Finance Co. (1949) 91 Cal. App. 2d 197, 201-203, 204 P.2d 619 ; see Livingston v.
Rice (1955) 131 Cal. App. 2d 1, 2-3, 280 P.2d 52 (prior unrecorded trust deed superior to lien of recorded
abstract of judgment).
When, however, a mortgage is fraudulently transferred to two innocent assignees under separate assignments prior
to recordation or other notice of either assignment, the priority of the transfer and of the recordation or other notice
is important only when the equities as between the two innocent parties are equal. When the second assignee takes
without notice of the prior assignment, for a valuable consideration, and through the negligence of the first assignee,
the first assignee whose negligence allowed the fraud must bear the loss. Similarly, when the pledgee of notes
secured by trust deeds permits the assignee to record the assignment of the notes without indicating that ownership
of the notes was subject to a lien by way of pledge in favor of the pledgee, the latter will be estopped from setting up
his or her ownership as against a bona fide purchaser of the notes from the assignee.
Cases:
Security Mortgage Co. v. Delfs (1920) 47 Cal. App. 599, 602-603, 191 P. 53 .
Domarad v. Fisher & Burke, Inc. (1969) 270 Cal. App. 2d 543, 554-556, 76 Cal. Rptr. 529 .
Civ. Code ß 2935

The recording of the assignment is not of itself notice to the debtor so as to invalidate any payment made to the
person holding the note secured by the mortgage or trust deed. However, if a mortgagee does not have knowledge
of the assignment and pays a mortgagee who no longer holds the note, the payment does not discharge the note.n8
Thus, the debtor without notice is protected only if he or she pays the person who holds the note.
Case:
Rodgers v. Peckham (1898) 120 Cal. 238, 242, 52 P. 483 ; Title Ins. etc. Co. v. Kuchenbeiser (1912) 20 Cal.
App. 11, 12, 127 P. 1039 .

Assignment of Security or Debt

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Assignment of Security or Debt

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Assignment of Security or Debt

Civ. Code ß 2934

Civ. Code ß 2936

Civ. Code ß 2935

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