Gov. Chris Gregoire signed two consumer protection bills this afternoon. House Bill 2428 protects families who have lost their homes because of an inability to pay property taxes and H.B. 2429 protects used car buyers.

H.B. 2428 regulates firms and individuals who contact owners of foreclosed properties offering to obtain money remaining after the auction on their behalf – in return for a cut. The new law places a 5 percent cap on such finder's fees, the same amount allowed for other kinds of unclaimed funds. Previously, individuals who provided such services kept as much as 70 percent of the former homeowner's money.

Former property owners can receive surplus funds available after a foreclosure simply by filling out a form and having it notarized. A notary at the county will provide the service for no charge.

Prior to the passage of HB 2429, the Attorney General's Office discovered that used car dealers were obtaining "lemon" vehicles at auctions and reselling them in Washington. Washington's Lemon Law already required dealerships that sell new cars to disclose whether a vehicle was ever bought back from a manufacturer under another state's Lemon Law program. But used car dealers weren't required to make those disclosures.

The new law ensures that used car dealers inform potential buyers that the car's title will include a comment that that the vehicle was previously returned to the manufacturer and that this might affect the vehicle's future resale value.