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This article is for informational purpose only
- Judicial Foreclosure Available: Yes
- Non-Judicial Foreclosure Available: No
- Primary Security Instrument: Mortgage
- Timeline: Typically 210 days
- Right of Redemption: No
- Deficiency Judgments Allowed: Yes
Lenders in Illinois have a number of options available to them to foreclose on a mortgage in default.
Judicial Foreclosure
A notice of the lenders intent to foreclose must be given to the borrower, and any other person entitled by Illinois statutes to receive notice, at least thirty (30) days prior to the courts judgment of foreclosure.
If the court finds in favor of the lender and issues a notice of sale, the sale will be conducted on the terms and conditions specified in the notice of sale, provided they meet the minimum standards provided in the Illinois Statutes.
The sheriff or any judge within the county where the property is located may conduct the sale. The borrower has no rights of redemption after the foreclosure sale.
The Foreclosure Process in Illinois
1. Typically the homeowner falls behind on their payments for 3-4 months and the plaintiff ( the mortgage) sues the defendant (the homeowner.) The plaintiff through their attorney than gives public and legal notice of the lawsuit which is called Lis Pendens. The Lis Pendens is recorded at the county's Recorder of Deeds and affects the 'title' to the property.
2. The second phase of foreclosure can take anywhere from 3-6 months or longer after the initial Lis Pendens. Basically, the plaintiff's attorney goes back to court to get a judgment of the amount due and notice of sale.(see 'balance due' on our details page and this is the judgment amount.) The homeowner has lots of options to him/her after the lis pendens to stall the 'judgment like selling the property, negotiating with the bank or refinancing if they have good enough credit.
3. The next phase in the foreclosure process is the actual sheriffs auction. The homeowners right of redemption has expired (7 months after the initial notice of foreclosure or 3 months after the judgment, whichever is later.) After the judgment and notice of sale the auction is scheduled. There is a public notice of the sale with the date.
4. Auctions take place in the county the property is located in. They are either conducted by a private company (especially in Cook County) or the sheriff. Depending on the auction you will need 10-25% of the amount you bid in the form of a cashier's check at the auction and the full amount paid within 24hrs. Most properties revert back to the plaintiff (bank) which is referred to as an REO, or are canceled. A minority of properties actually get bid on and sold to private parties at the auction.
Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure
If the borrower has defaulted on the mortgage and the lender agrees, the borrower may simply give the deed to the lender and his interests in the property securing the deed will be terminated. If the lender agrees and accepts the deed, they may not seek to obtain a deficiency judgment against the borrower at any time afterward.
Consent Foreclosure
In this type of foreclosure, the court enters a judgment satisfying the mortgage by giving absolute title to the property secured by the mortgage to the lender. The borrower has no rights of redemption after this type of foreclosure judgment has been rendered and the lender may not file for a deficiency judgment.
Lenders may also foreclose on a mortgage in default by using the common law strict foreclosure method, but Illinois law does not permit non-judicial power of sale foreclosures.
Do you know what kind of mortgage you have? Do you know whether your payments are going to increase? If you can’t tell by reading the mortgage documents you received at settlement, contact your loan servicer and ask. A loan servicer is responsible for collecting your monthly loan payments and crediting your account.
Here are some examples of types of mortgages:If you have a hybrid ARM or an ARM and the payments will increase — and you have trouble making the increased payments, find out if you can refinance to a fixed-rate loan. Review your contract first, checking for prepayment penalties. Many ARMs carry prepayment penalties that force borrowers to come up with thousands of dollars if they decide to refinance within the first few years of the loan. If you’re planning to sell soon after your adjustment, refinancing may not be worth the cost. But if you’re planning to stay in your home for a while, a fixed-rate mortgage might be the way to go. Online calculators can help you determine your costs and payments.
If you are having trouble making your payments, contact your loan servicer to discuss your options as early as you can. Most loan servicers are willing to work with customers they believe are acting in good faith, and those who call them early on. The longer you wait to call, the fewer options you will have. After you’ve missed three or four payments and your loan is in default, most loan servicers won’t accept a partial payment of what you owe. They will start foreclosure unless you can come up with the money to cover all your missed payments, plus any late fees.
Reinstatement: You pay the loan servicer the entire past-due amount, plus any late fees or penalties, by a date you both agree to. This option may be appropriate if your problem paying your mortgage is temporary.
Repayment plan: Your servicer gives you a fixed amount of time to repay the amount you are behind by adding a portion of what is past due to your regular payment. This option may be appropriate if you’ve missed only a small number of payments.
Forbearance: Your mortgage payments are reduced or suspended for a period you and your servicer agree to. At the end of that time, you resume making your regular payments as well as a lump sum payment or additional partial payments for a number of months to bring the loan current. Forbearance may be an option if your income is reduced temporarily (for example, you are on disability leave from a job, and you expect to go back to your full time position shortly). Forbearance isn’t going to help you if you’re in a home you can’t afford.
Loan modification: You and your loan servicer agree to permanently change one or more of the terms of the mortgage contract to make your payments more manageable for you. Modifications can include lowering the interest rate, extending the term of the loan, or adding missed payments to the loan balance. A loan modification may be necessary if you are facing a long-term reduction in your income.
Before you ask for forbearance or a loan modification, be prepared to show that you are making a good-faith effort to pay your mortgage. For example, if you can show that you’ve reduced other expenses, your loan servicer may be more likely to negotiate with you.
Selling your home: Depending on the real estate market in your area, selling your home may provide the funds you need to pay off your current mortgage debt in full. If you do not have enough equity in your property you may want to consider a Short Sale.
Short Sale: Your servicers may allow the sale of the home directly to an investor at a discounted price before it forecloses on the property; agreeing to forgive any shortfall between the sale price and the mortgage balance. This approach avoids a damaging foreclosure entry on your credit report. You still may face a tax liability on the amount of debt forgiven. Consider consulting a financial advisor, accountant, or attorney for more information.
Bankruptcy: Personal bankruptcy generally is considered the debt management option of last resort because the results are long-lasting and far-reaching. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can make it difficult to obtain credit, buy another home, get life insurance, or sometimes, even get a job. Still, it is a legal procedure that can offer a fresh start for people who can’t satisfy their debts.
If you and your loan servicer cannot agree on a repayment plan or other remedy, you may want to investigate filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you have a regular income, Chapter 13 may allow you to keep property, like a mortgaged house or car, that you might otherwise lose. In Chapter 13, the court approves a repayment plan that allows you to use your future income toward payment of your debts during a three-to-five-year period, rather than surrender the property. After you have made all the payments under the plan, you receive a discharge of certain debts.
To learn more about Chapter 13, visit www.usdoj.gov/ust; it’s the website of the U.S. Trustee Program, the organization within the U.S. Department of Justice that supervises bankruptcy cases and trustees.
If you have a mortgage through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or Veterans Administration (VA), you may have other foreclosure alternatives. Contact the FHA (www.fha.gov) or VA (www.homeloans.va.gov) to discuss your options.
Before you have any conversation with your loan servicer, prepare. Record your income and expenses, and calculate the equity in your home. To calculate the equity, estimate the market value less the balance of your first and any second mortgage or home equity loan. Then, write down the answers to the following questions:
Not every situation can be resolved through your loan servicer’s foreclosure prevention programs. If you’re not able to keep your home, or if you don’t want to keep it, consider:
Selling Your House: Your servicers might postpone foreclosure proceedings if you have a pending sales contract or if you put your home on the market. This approach works if proceeds from the sale can pay off the entire loan balance plus the expenses connected to selling the home (for example, real estate agent fees). Such a sale also would allow you to avoid late and legal fees and damage to your credit rating, and protect your equity in the property.
Short Sale: Your servicers may allow you to sell the home yourself before it forecloses on the property, agreeing to forgive any shortfall between the sale price and the mortgage balance. This approach avoids a damaging foreclosure entry on your credit report. You still may face a tax liability on the amount of debt forgiven. Consider consulting a financial advisor, accountant, or attorney for more information.
Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure: You voluntarily transfer your property title to the servicers (with the servicer’s agreement) in exchange for cancellation of the remainder of your debt. Though you lose the home, a deed in lieu of foreclosure can be less damaging to your credit than a foreclosure. You will lose any equity in the property, and you may face an income tax liability on the amount of debt forgiven. A deed in lieu may not be an option for you if other loans or obligations are secured by the property on your home.
You don’t have to go through the foreclosure prevention process alone. A counselor with a housing counseling agency can assess your situation, answer your questions, go over your options, prioritize your debts, and help you prepare for discussions with your loan servicer. Housing counseling services usually are free or low cost.
While some agencies limit their counseling services to homeowners with FHA mortgages, many others offer free help to any homeowner who is having trouble making mortgage payments. Call the local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (www.hud.gov) or the housing authority in your state, city, or county for help in finding a legitimate housing counseling agency nearby. Or consider contacting the NeighborWorks® Center for Foreclosure Solutions at 888-995-HOPE or www.nw.org. The Center is an initiative of NeighborWorks America.
Click here for background information on foreclosure from the Encyclopedia of Everyday Law.