Posted on: 24th Nov, 2009 03:19 am
Can courts waive off your mortgage debts? Well, yes, they can. Two recent legal decisions - one in a New York and another one in a Tampa, Florida have canceled homeowner's entire mortgage as the lender was unable to provide the mortgage paperwork to the court. Let's check out what happened in both the cases:
The New York case…
A New York resident was facing foreclosure this September. The borrower requested for a copy of the mortgage deed on his home. The lender, PHH Mortgage, was unable to provide the required papers to the court. Thus, the court waived off the entire mortgage debt. Do you want to know the amount waived off? It's $461,263.
The Florida case…
A Tampa based woman, facing foreclosure, requested her lender to provide her with the original mortgage paperwork. However, to her delight, she found out that the lender didn't have the deed. Thus, the foreclosure court stopped the proceedings and has threatened to cancel the entire debt if the lender couldn't produce the paperwork in the court.
(Source: "www.mainstreet.com/article/moneyinvesting/real-estate/new-way-fight-foreclosures?page=1")
These decisions by the foreclosure courts have left the mortgage lenders in shivers.
In 2008, the University of Iowa has concluded in a study that mortgage companies have the habit of misplacing important documents related to mortgage. The most surprising fact is that, it has been found that 40% of the time, the original note was misplaced by the lender.
Though it's not easy, but homeowners can go ahead and ask their lenders to produce the required paperwork if they are facing foreclosure. However, nothing's guaranteed and they would require the help of a good real estate lawyer.
The New York case…
A New York resident was facing foreclosure this September. The borrower requested for a copy of the mortgage deed on his home. The lender, PHH Mortgage, was unable to provide the required papers to the court. Thus, the court waived off the entire mortgage debt. Do you want to know the amount waived off? It's $461,263.
The Florida case…
A Tampa based woman, facing foreclosure, requested her lender to provide her with the original mortgage paperwork. However, to her delight, she found out that the lender didn't have the deed. Thus, the foreclosure court stopped the proceedings and has threatened to cancel the entire debt if the lender couldn't produce the paperwork in the court.
(Source: "www.mainstreet.com/article/moneyinvesting/real-estate/new-way-fight-foreclosures?page=1")
These decisions by the foreclosure courts have left the mortgage lenders in shivers.
In 2008, the University of Iowa has concluded in a study that mortgage companies have the habit of misplacing important documents related to mortgage. The most surprising fact is that, it has been found that 40% of the time, the original note was misplaced by the lender.
Though it's not easy, but homeowners can go ahead and ask their lenders to produce the required paperwork if they are facing foreclosure. However, nothing's guaranteed and they would require the help of a good real estate lawyer.
Though the incidents go in favor of the mortgage borrowers who will be better off in this period of real estate crisis, the lenders would be in a bad state. Moreover, I feel such decisions would badly affect the mortgage market which is showing signs of recovery. I hope a bill would be passed in the future wherein the terms and conditions of waiving off the mortgage would be mentioned clearly. Thus, it would help both the borrowers and lenders.
Hey Sara,
Another incident of waiving off mortgage by the court took place with an Long Island couple. There property had gone into foreclosure. However, the Suffolk Judge Jeffrey Spinner, gave them a nice Thanksgiving present and wiped out $525,000 in mortgage payments as demanded by their bank. The court had declared the foreclosure decision of the bank as "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive" act.
The borrowers, an aged couple, had been paying off only interest on their mortgage. Thus, they had no equity in the property. They had requested the lender to restructure their loan. However, as per the borrowers, the lender did not co-operate with them.
The lender, on the other hand, has claimed that they would appeal against the judgment at the higher court and try to overturn it. The bank has also claimed that they were extremely co-operative with the consumers and have modified loans through the Obama administration's Home Affordable Modification Program and other loan modification initiatives.
(source - foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577105,00.html )
Another incident of waiving off mortgage by the court took place with an Long Island couple. There property had gone into foreclosure. However, the Suffolk Judge Jeffrey Spinner, gave them a nice Thanksgiving present and wiped out $525,000 in mortgage payments as demanded by their bank. The court had declared the foreclosure decision of the bank as "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive" act.
The borrowers, an aged couple, had been paying off only interest on their mortgage. Thus, they had no equity in the property. They had requested the lender to restructure their loan. However, as per the borrowers, the lender did not co-operate with them.
The lender, on the other hand, has claimed that they would appeal against the judgment at the higher court and try to overturn it. The bank has also claimed that they were extremely co-operative with the consumers and have modified loans through the Obama administration's Home Affordable Modification Program and other loan modification initiatives.
(source - foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577105,00.html )
I agree with the fact that it's the lender's responsibility to maintain the documents related to the borrower's loan. However, it's quite shocking that the court would forgive the debts. I don't think this would help the mortgage market. Rather, such decisions can further hamper the recovery of the real estate market from the crisis that it's going through.
If the lender is foolish enough to not be able to prove their legal debt, then yes they deserve to lose their right to recover it, but come on you have to wionder how often this will work. surely if it';s widespread enough to make a difference to many people it'll just start another mortgage domino effect?
Banks not being able to recover debt means they lose money, and on a large enough scale it's not too different to what started the credit crunch to start with.
Great for a few people, potentially catastrophic for the wider community if it's widespread.
That said, I'd love it if my bank just lost my mortgage - instant end to my financial worries for the foreseable future- like winning the lottery really.
Banks not being able to recover debt means they lose money, and on a large enough scale it's not too different to what started the credit crunch to start with.
Great for a few people, potentially catastrophic for the wider community if it's widespread.
That said, I'd love it if my bank just lost my mortgage - instant end to my financial worries for the foreseable future- like winning the lottery really.
i doubt it's a matter of "how often this will work," quite frankly. it does, of course, make sense, for a borrower to use a defense such as asking the mortgagee to produce the documentation surrounding the mortgage.
okay...rise...being selfish here? what's good for the goose is not good for the gander, or something like that? just kidding here, of course.
i agree that this isn't going to be rampant in the country - few lenders are inefficient in such a manner. but i wonder why copies of the documents that are recorded in the land records in various locales wouldn't be sufficient to make a judge happy. they'd be easy to obtain and deliver to the court on a timely basis and would presumably save face as well as plenty of dollars for the lenders.
okay...rise...being selfish here? what's good for the goose is not good for the gander, or something like that? just kidding here, of course.
i agree that this isn't going to be rampant in the country - few lenders are inefficient in such a manner. but i wonder why copies of the documents that are recorded in the land records in various locales wouldn't be sufficient to make a judge happy. they'd be easy to obtain and deliver to the court on a timely basis and would presumably save face as well as plenty of dollars for the lenders.
HI
t';s widespread enough to make a difference to many people it'll just start another mortgage domino effect?
Banks not being able to recover debt means they lose money, and on a large enough scale it's not too different to what started the credit crunch to start with.
Great for a few people, potentially catastrophic for the wider community if it's widespread.
That said, I'd love it if my bank just lost my mortgage - instant end to my financial worries for the foreseable future- like winning the lottery really.
t';s widespread enough to make a difference to many people it'll just start another mortgage domino effect?
Banks not being able to recover debt means they lose money, and on a large enough scale it's not too different to what started the credit crunch to start with.
Great for a few people, potentially catastrophic for the wider community if it's widespread.
That said, I'd love it if my bank just lost my mortgage - instant end to my financial worries for the foreseable future- like winning the lottery really.
umar, the copying of someone else's post to pretend it's yours is downright ridiculous and rather rude.
i hope you have a little more sense than that in the future.
i hope you have a little more sense than that in the future.
I recently did a refi and to date the new mortgager has not wired monies to the settlement compnay. Now the servicing sid eof the new mortgage has accepted the first payment with out nothing being done close on the loan. Settlement company sent me a letter saying to to continue paying old mortgage becuase they feel and have cancled nor did not file the new mortgage. My old mortgage lender now has me 2 months late on mrtgage payments. What a mess! Any clues to correct this issue fast.
attorneys will be falling all over themselves to hear of your quandary. have you contacted any? have you contacted the regulatory agency charged with oversight of this new lender? you need to act, and act fast. go both routes, if necessary. this is a travesty.
I am in need of a lawyer. How do I ask to take this case with out paying a fortune up front.
you need to shop around, quite frankly. i think you've already wasted time, and your next opportunity to find one is next week now.
starting right now, you ought to be checking with friends, loved ones, clergy, etc. - whoever you know and may have trust in - to recommend to you a good lawyer who might be willing to work with and for you. presumably, in a case such as you describe, a lawyer might ask for an upfront fee that will later be offset by an award by the court.
a fortune? i suppose that's highly individualized - my fortune is perhaps more or less than yours. you'll have to be the judge of that. but they'll talk to you for free, so get on the horn and start asking around.
starting right now, you ought to be checking with friends, loved ones, clergy, etc. - whoever you know and may have trust in - to recommend to you a good lawyer who might be willing to work with and for you. presumably, in a case such as you describe, a lawyer might ask for an upfront fee that will later be offset by an award by the court.
a fortune? i suppose that's highly individualized - my fortune is perhaps more or less than yours. you'll have to be the judge of that. but they'll talk to you for free, so get on the horn and start asking around.
Hi guys. For all the best info on Florida mortgages please go to -
"http://www.flmortgage.us"
[Link deactivated as per forum rules. Thanks.]
"http://www.flmortgage.us"
[Link deactivated as per forum rules. Thanks.]
having very quickly previewed this florida site, i have to say i cannot recommend it at this time to anyone. the author appears to be located in the United Kingdom (across the Atlantic Ocean, in case you didn't do well in geography), and that leads one to wonder just how much expertise there might be lending itself to a site concerning mortgages and real estate in the State of Florida.
before relying on any specific claims on that site, do your homework.
before relying on any specific claims on that site, do your homework.
My question is this I live in Las Vegas and as everyone knows what the market is like here. My husband is retired and I'm on disability. Our home that we purchased 3 years ago is worth less than half of what we owe on it. We have our retirement fund and our S.S. payments and I have a disability payment that will stop in a couple of years. Our house payment is 46% of our income now and when my disability stops it will be much worse. We don't want to use our life saving to try and keep our house when it is only a matter of time that we will loose it because of our income going down. There is no chance of my husband who is 64, getting even a part time job here in Vegas because of the high unemployment. What do you think our options are. Please help
Hi grannie,
A query similar to yours has been answered in the given page:
http://www.mortgagefit.com/problems/underwaterhome-ssincome.html
Take a look at it. Hope it helps you.
Thanks
A query similar to yours has been answered in the given page:
http://www.mortgagefit.com/problems/underwaterhome-ssincome.html
Take a look at it. Hope it helps you.
Thanks