Just had to hedge it a little….from CAR:

This law, on and after July 1, 2015, with respect to an auction that includes the sale of real property, prohibits a person from causing or allowing any person to bid at a sale for the sole purpose of increasing the bid on any real property being sold by the auctioneer.

The law, however, does allow an auctioneer or another person to place a bid on the seller’s behalf during an auction of real property if notice, as specified, is given that liberty for that bidding is reserved. The law also requires in this regard that the person placing that bid contemporaneously disclose to all auction participants that the particular bid has been placed on behalf of the seller.

The law exempts a credit bid made by a creditor with a security interest in the property that is the subject of auction when the credit bid can result in the transfer of title to property to the creditor.

Finally, this law prohibits a lender or an auction company that is retained to control aspects of a residential real property transaction from requiring, as a condition of receiving a lender’s approval of the transaction, a homeowner or listing agent to defend or indemnify the lender or auction company from any liability alleged to result from the actions of the lender or auction company and declares a clause, provision, covenant, or agreement in violation of this prohibition to be against public policy, void, and unenforceable.

Assembly Bill 2039 (codified as Civil Code §§ 2079.23 and 1812.610) (effective July 1, 2015).

Pin It on Pinterest