John:
I purchased a condo with owner financing from an elderly couple in 1988. The condo is in Fla. After 2 years of sending payments directly to them, they hired a local Michigan bank to “service” the mortgage. The bank subsequently sold the “servicing” to another bank in Calif.
I suspect the couple has either passed away, or sold the note. In either case, I would like to find out who currently holds the note and contact them to negociate a payoff and take steps to guarantee I will get a valid
“satisfaction of mortgage” after payoff.
Letters to the sellers Michigan address are returned address unknown. I spoke to the bank currently servicing the loan. They will not release any information regarding the note holder. If a note is sold, is it recorded?
How can I research this?
Thanks
Andy
Contact the recorder’s office/county clerk where the property is located. They may be able to look up if any assignments have been recorded. Or they may refer you to a source that does abstracting/title searches. An assignment should be recorded. Sending a letter asking for payoff amount may not necessarily get a response from the owner but only the servicer. You could be devilish and send a letter that by your records you will make the last payment next month and want a satisfaction of lien sent to your address.