Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 654.19 (2026)

Deed in lieu of foreclosure — agricultural land

✓ current as of July 2026
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In lieu of a foreclosure action in court due to default on a recorded mortgage or deed of trust of real property, if the subject property is agricultural land used for farming, as defined in section 9H.1, the mortgagee and mortgagor may enter into an agreement in which the mortgagor agrees to transfer the agricultural land to the mortgagee in satisfaction of all or part of the mortgage obligation as agreed upon by the parties. The agreement may grant the mortgagor a right to purchase the agricultural land for a period not to exceed five years, and may entitle the mortgagor to lease the agricultural land. The agreement shall be recorded with the deed transferring title to the mortgagee. A transfer of title and agreement pursuant to this section does not constitute an equitable mortgage. 85 Acts, ch 252, §47 Referred to in §455B.751, 615.4

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1989–2007 · leading case: Knepper v. Monticello State Bank, 450 N.W.2d 833 (Iowa 1990).
Knepper v. Monticello State Bank, 450 N.W.2d 833 (Iowa 1990). · cites it 8× “the mortgagee or mortgagor may enter into an agreement in which the mortgagor agrees to transfer the agricultural land to the mortgagee in satisfaction of all or part of the mortgage obligation as agreed upon by the parties.”
Wanfalt v. Burlington Bank & Trust, 729 N.W.2d 828 (Iowa Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 12× “18 or chapter 655A, or a deed in lieu of foreclosure under section 654.19. Iowa Code § 558A.1(4)(b) (emphasis added).”
Black v. First Interstate Bank of Fort Dodge, 439 N.W.2d 647 (Iowa 1989). · cites it 4× “577, § 47 (now codified at Iowa Code section 654.19 (1987)). This section, dealing with agricultural land, authorized mortgage lenders and mortgagors to enter into an agreement whereby the voluntary transfer could, among other things, satisfy all or part of the mortgage, allow…”
Nash Finch Co. v. Corey Dev., Ltd., 669 N.W.2d 546 (Iowa 2003). · cites it 4× “The agreement may grant the mortgagor a right to purchase the agricultural land for a period not to exceed five years, and may entitle the mortgagor to lease the agricultural land. The agreement shall be recorded with the deed transferring to the mortgagee.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.