Question on foreclosing

reported (not relevant to thread)

I typed that in the wrong thread. I thought I deleted it.

This is correct in theory; Deeds of Trust and Mortgages are technically different things. Most of the western US only has Deeds of Trust but everyone still calls them ‘mortgages’ in spite of that label being technically incorrect.

There are few western states that even allow mortgages; I’ve seen an actual Montana mortgage, for example, and I think they’re possible in Arizona, but the rest of the west is all Deeds of Trust. That’s where I have experience; my understanding is that it’s reversed in the midwest and eastern US and most states are mortgage only.

This was one of the reasons that at the height of the crisis it took years to foreclose in Florida - they all had to go through a courtroom.

On the gotcha - in that case, assuming the former owner is insovlent or even just ‘upside down a bit’ - all they have to do is provide notification and some level of proof to the IRS and that tax is wiped out.

Deeds of trust in Illinois (which I am most familiar with) are used when there are multiple bondholders for shopping centers, high rises, and other properties that run into much money. A bank is usually the trustee and the property is conveyed to the trustee (using the words “convey and warrant” - mortgages say “convey and mortgage”) to secure the indebtedness, which are actually held by other parties. When the bonds or notes are satisfied, a “release deed” is issued to the mortgagor (trustor). When the note(s) of a mortgage are satisfied, a “satisfaction piece” is issued because the mortgagee did not receive title. However, in practice they are treated alike. In Illinois a full foreclosure and a full period of redemption is present. In some Midwestern states, there are truncated proceedings and the period of redemption is shorter for the deed of trust. After the decree of foreclosure by the court, a certificate of sale is issued to the successful bidder, and the mortgagor has a substantial time to redeem.

There are lots of bank owned properties that aren’t on the market (for example, one down the street from me was foreclosed and vacated more than 18 months before it was put up for sale), so they’re not that reluctant. The explanation I was given was that they don’t want to force down prices in a city/town by putting them all on the market at once.