Six most important changes in garage lien laws in 2021

2021 brought many changes in garage impounds Here are the six most important developments that benefit lien/leaseholders… Elimination of abusive storage fee tacticsThe worst abuse, the secret lien for storage, has met its demise.  For years garages contended that they had no obligation to send notice of accruing storage fees to lienholders/lessors. Garages would pile up …

Repossession Risks

Interlocks and impounds: understanding the risks Suppose a finance or lease customer calls and advises you that his car has been impounded by police in New York as the result of a charge of Driving While Under the Influence (DUI). The customer states that he can get the car back if you allow him to …

Beware of fraud resulting from lien release law

NY’s new dealer lien release law exposes lienholders to title fraud On June 17, 2013, NY Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 2121(b) goes into effect. This new law will enable dealers to release vehicle liens without lienholder consent. The law is intended to enable dealers to quickly resell vehicles that come in on trade. (The …

Two Tricky Repo Issues

Does NY law prohibit repossession on weekends? New York Vehicle and Traffic Law (V&T) 425 requires that the repossessing creditor send a notice of repossession to the DMV and the vehicle owner within 24 hours of repossession. DMV offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The most conservative creditor could resolve the problem by not …

Warning: Do not obtain “Repo Titles” on vehicles that are impounded

Several reliable sources indicate that The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) may be beginning an investigation of lienholders who are applying for “repo” titles in situations where the lienholder does not actually possess the vehicle. The DMV is focused on lienholders who have been using “repo” titles in order to recover vehicles …