We have been having a raging debate locally and hope you will help us find the correct answer. If you have a deed of trust and then you follow it with a renewal and extension of that deed of trust, do you release the first deed of trust? If you do, does it affect the validity of the renewal and extension deed of trust?

Thanks for you question. I would not release the first deed of trust. It seems to me that you must either have a completely new deed of trust or an extension and renewal of an existing deed of trust. I don't think the latter circumstance can exist unless the original instrument remains in place.