(a) At a sale of real or personal property subject to a lien, the lienholder may become the purchaser of the property, even though no claim for the amount secured by the lien on the property sold has been, or could have been, filed, allowed, or approved.
(b) Unless the property is sold subject to the lien:
(1) If the lienholder becomes the purchaser of the property and the amount secured by the lien on the property is a valid claim against the estate and has been allowed or approved, the receipt of the lienholder for the amount due the lienholder from the proceeds of the sale is a payment pro tanto.
(2) If the lienholder becomes the purchaser of the property and no claim for the amount secured by the lien on the property has been filed, allowed, or approved, the court may at the hearing on the petition for confirmation of the sale examine into the validity and enforceability of the lien and the amount secured by the lien, and the court may authorize the personal representative to accept the receipt of the lienholder for the amount secured by the lien as payment pro tanto.
(3) If the lienholder becomes the purchaser of the property and the amount for which the property is purchased is insufficient to pay the expenses of the sale and to discharge the lienholder’s lien, whether or not a claim has been filed, allowed, or approved, the lienholder shall pay to the clerk of the court an amount sufficient to cover the expenses of the sale.
(c) Nothing permitted under this section shall be deemed to be an allowance or approval of a claim based upon the lien or the amount secured by the lien.
(Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.)