Deficiency judgments let creditors haunt borrowers for up to 20 years

Think of it as Act 2 of Florida's foreclosure crisis.

In the first act, borrowers lose their homes.

In the next, lenders come after them for the debt still owed.

Unlike a foreclosure, which homeowners dread but expect once they stop making payments, deficiency actions can sneak up on people who thought their problems were behind them when they handed over the house keys.

"People have no idea of all the trouble that's coming," said Margery Golant, a lawyer in Broward County who is handling a growing number of deficiency defense cases.