Foreclosure Defense: Lost Mortgage Notes — Nobody Knows!!!

In the confusing sea of paperwork transferring mortgage notes from lender to holder to securitized pool, many consumers aren’t at all sure exactly which entity owns their mortgage notes, or how one entity is related to another.  The surprising news that’s working to the advantage of many homeowners facing foreclosure is that the mortgage lenders and note holders may not know, either.

Florida attorney April Charney, Forbes magazine tells us, noticed that a lot of the mortgage foreclosure cases she saw involved affidavits of lost notes. An affidavit of lost note is essentially a sworn statement that says, “we own this debt, but we can’t find any paperwork to prove it, so please just take our word for it”.  A bit of investigation revealed that in many cases, the paperwork didn’t exist, or originated at the wrong time, or conflicting interests had been recorded.  In some cases, notes had been illegally purchased by pools after they were already in default.

These flaws can bring a mortgage foreclosure action screeching to a halt; Forbes reported on one such homeowner who is still in residence five years after foreclosure actions were commenced.

If you’re facing foreclosure, don’t assume the worst. Get the professional help you need to untangle the paper trail and find out whether you have valid defenses in a forecosure action.